BA in Sustainable Food Systems
Sterling College (VT)
Description
Studying sustainable food systems means taking an ecological approach to the future of food and food production. Students will examine the social, cultural, and ecological impacts of the way food is produced, consumed, and regarded. Students will start with an immersion in the food systems of this region of Vermont, with hands-on culinary experiences, field visits to the region’s artisanal food producers, seminars in food writing, and intensives in small-scale value-added products such as cheese, meat, and lacto-fermentation.
The heart of the Sustainable Food Systems degree is Sterling's own farm, where students grow most of the food consumed on campus. All students work on the farm and gardens at some point during their Sterling College experience. Students learn about season extension strategies for vegetable production, raising pastured meats, and how to use both small tractors and draft horses for a true mixed power model.