Transformative Agroecology

Overview | Curriculum | Instructors

ALE 6110

Agroecology represents a paradigm shift toward just transitions in our food systems and the interdependencies that support healthy ecosystems, food sovereignty, and thriving communities. Intrinsically tied to place, but also relevant across multiple contexts, agroecology has global relevance in scientific, productive, social movement and policy spaces.

Program Snapshot

Next Start Date	How Often	Learning Format	Online Learning Type
August 26, 2024	Every Fall	Online	Synchronous

Required Group Meetings	Duration	Time Commitment	Credential
Thursdays, 12pm-2pm Eastern	15 Weeks	6-8 hours/week	��̽̽ Credit or Digital Badge

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Overview

Shifting Practices and Paradigms for Food System Transformation

Agroecology is multifaceted - connecting political, socio-cultural, productive, and environmental threads together in an integrated approach to food and farming systems. This introductory course covers the evolution of agroecology from its origins to the present, including the myriad ways it is both understood and practiced. Course participants will explore conceptual and practical content from around the globe, and collectively engage in critical inquiry, reflect on their own place and power within agri-food systems, and assess agroecology’s potential for moving us closer to full transformation of our current food systems.

Course Days and Times

Fall 2024 Semester: August 26 – December 6. Required online meetings every Thursday, 12pm-2pm Eastern.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

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Apply systems theory to consider agroecosystem and food system dynamics across contexts
Deconstruct the idea of a human/nature divide
Describe the foundations of agroecology, honoring its roots in Indigenous and peasant knowledge traditions and identify key characteristics of current debates
Practice contextualized learning through connecting course concepts to their own immediate foodshed while also engaging with wider food systems dynamics

Curriculum

Ideally, to orient ourselves to agroecology, we would all be somewhere together – immersing ourselves in learning from the land and conditions around us. Since instead we will be participating remotely and from multiple locations, we will lean into this opportunity to learn from each other and engage with examples from around the world while grounding ourselves within our own context. We will hone our skills in critical inquiry, observation, and reflective practice, as we consider the biophysical, socio-cultural, and political dimensions that must shift to achieve food systems transformations. An openness to accepting discomfort, contradictions, and complexity are prerequisites to engaging with the multiple truths that coexist within agroecology.

Modules

Module 1 – Agroecological Foundations

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Agroecology asks us to consider interrelatedness, connections, and complementarities, so we will begin by orienting ourselves to each other, thinking about systems, and establishing some shared vocabulary and conceptual foundations. In Module 1 we will explore agroecology's lineage and the multiple traditions that it is related to, opening the conversation around which distinctions matter, to whom, and why. Key topics will include comparisons among agroecology, regenerative agriculture, organic agriculture and permaculture, internationalism as a fundamental tenet and what is meant by transformative agroecology.

Module 2 - Multidimensionality

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In Module 2 we will dig into four core areas within agroecology: nature and biodiversity; labor and value; power and influence; and identity and culture.

Module 3 – Scaling Agroecology

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One of the challenges for agroecology are persistent narratives that question whether agroecology is only viable in particular settings, or suggest that it is a niche approach and not something that can actually contribute toward widespread food systems transformation. In Module 3 we will look at efforts across academia and civil society to reinterpret the viability of agroecology at scale, questioning the evidence that is being used to inform those perspectives, and considering the moments and conditions in which change is most possible.

Module 4 – Current Issues

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Working from a foundation in the multiple facets of agroecology that we have developed up to now, we will turn to how it intersects with prominent issues of the moment including climate change and technology/innovation, and will vision forward to what is possible in the future.

Instructors

Martha Caswell

Research Affiliate, PhD Student

martha.caswell@uvm.edu

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