A call for collaboration among food systems programs in higher education to train the future workforce
A well-trained food systems workforce is in high demand, and food systems education programs are proliferating in higher education. However, these programs often struggle to embody the full interdisciplinary scope of the field of food systems, in part due to the limitations of traditional academic s...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1306525/full |
| _version_ | 1797365623352721408 |
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| author | Sarah M. Collier Sarah M. Collier Alan Ismach Victoria Jansen Aba Kiser Holly Henning Laura R. Lewis Marie L. Spiker Marie L. Spiker Jennifer J. Otten Jennifer J. Otten |
| author_facet | Sarah M. Collier Sarah M. Collier Alan Ismach Victoria Jansen Aba Kiser Holly Henning Laura R. Lewis Marie L. Spiker Marie L. Spiker Jennifer J. Otten Jennifer J. Otten |
| author_sort | Sarah M. Collier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A well-trained food systems workforce is in high demand, and food systems education programs are proliferating in higher education. However, these programs often struggle to embody the full interdisciplinary scope of the field of food systems, in part due to the limitations of traditional academic structures. Here, we present an inventory of existing U.S. food systems educational programs which showcases the breadth of their geographic distribution and disciplinary contexts. We pair this with a case study of two geographically proximal, highly complementary programs, one at a land grant university and one within a school of public health. While the individual programs face challenges in achieving full interdisciplinarity, their pairing showcases that striking opportunities exist to augment interdisciplinarity through inter-institutional collaboration. More models of successful inter-institutional collaborative food systems education are needed. Growth in this area would be aided by external funding for proof-of-concept models, fostering learning networks across disciplinarily distinct programs, and fighting the mission creep of individual programs striving to “do it all” at the expense of quality, stability, or an appreciation for the value of diverse core strengths. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T16:51:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fcbfecd42928483487da27d203439870 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T16:51:35Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-fcbfecd42928483487da27d2034398702024-01-05T04:31:39ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2024-01-01710.3389/fsufs.2023.13065251306525A call for collaboration among food systems programs in higher education to train the future workforceSarah M. Collier0Sarah M. Collier1Alan Ismach2Victoria Jansen3Aba Kiser4Holly Henning5Laura R. Lewis6Marie L. Spiker7Marie L. Spiker8Jennifer J. Otten9Jennifer J. Otten10Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, United StatesFood Systems, Nutrition & Health Program, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, United StatesDepartment of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, United StatesFood Systems, Nutrition & Health Program, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, United StatesFood Systems Program, Washington State University College of Agriculture, Human & Natural Resource Sciences, Pullman, WA, United StatesDepartment of Crop & Soil Sciences, Washington State University College of Agriculture, Human & Natural Resource Sciences, Pullman, WA, United StatesFood Systems Program, Washington State University College of Agriculture, Human & Natural Resource Sciences, Pullman, WA, United StatesFood Systems, Nutrition & Health Program, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, United StatesDepartment of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, United StatesDepartment of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, United StatesFood Systems, Nutrition & Health Program, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, United StatesA well-trained food systems workforce is in high demand, and food systems education programs are proliferating in higher education. However, these programs often struggle to embody the full interdisciplinary scope of the field of food systems, in part due to the limitations of traditional academic structures. Here, we present an inventory of existing U.S. food systems educational programs which showcases the breadth of their geographic distribution and disciplinary contexts. We pair this with a case study of two geographically proximal, highly complementary programs, one at a land grant university and one within a school of public health. While the individual programs face challenges in achieving full interdisciplinarity, their pairing showcases that striking opportunities exist to augment interdisciplinarity through inter-institutional collaboration. More models of successful inter-institutional collaborative food systems education are needed. Growth in this area would be aided by external funding for proof-of-concept models, fostering learning networks across disciplinarily distinct programs, and fighting the mission creep of individual programs striving to “do it all” at the expense of quality, stability, or an appreciation for the value of diverse core strengths.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1306525/fullhigher educationprogramworkforcefood systemscollaborationuniversity |
| spellingShingle | Sarah M. Collier Sarah M. Collier Alan Ismach Victoria Jansen Aba Kiser Holly Henning Laura R. Lewis Marie L. Spiker Marie L. Spiker Jennifer J. Otten Jennifer J. Otten A call for collaboration among food systems programs in higher education to train the future workforce Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems higher education program workforce food systems collaboration university |
| title | A call for collaboration among food systems programs in higher education to train the future workforce |
| title_full | A call for collaboration among food systems programs in higher education to train the future workforce |
| title_fullStr | A call for collaboration among food systems programs in higher education to train the future workforce |
| title_full_unstemmed | A call for collaboration among food systems programs in higher education to train the future workforce |
| title_short | A call for collaboration among food systems programs in higher education to train the future workforce |
| title_sort | call for collaboration among food systems programs in higher education to train the future workforce |
| topic | higher education program workforce food systems collaboration university |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1306525/full |
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