Bruno Borsari, Giovanni Borsari, Desalegn Yayeh Ayal, Ulisses M. Azeiteiro, Henri-Count Evans, Inga Grinfelde, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra, Jasenka Gajdoš Kljusurić, João Carlos Correia Leitão, Chunlan Li, Newton R. Matandirotya, Bethwel Mutai, Gustavo J. Nagy, Thierry Razanakoto, Jame Schaefer, Goran Trbic, Roberto Ariel Abeldaño Zuñiga, Sane Pashane Zuka, Charles Galdies, Adriana Consorte-McCrea, Francisco Platas, Mittul Vahanvati, Pedi Obani, Safwatun Nida, Lucas Gabriel Zanon, Mayara Régia Sousa de Melo, Renato da Costa dos Santos, Alison Glover, Roman Vakulchuk
Food systems epitomize a multitude of agricultural concepts spanning from food production to consumption as linear, concept chains rather than complex systems. These comprise every input related to the production and consumption of foods, which on an industrial scale amplify the effects of climate change globally, with drastic events on every world region. Food access, costs, and unequitable distribution are additional themes that intertwine with consumptive behaviors and their effects to wide arrays of public health topics in food systems studies, including waste, pollution, and expansions of their ecological footprint. The purpose of this study consisted in evaluating selected curricula in food system studies from universities in the USA that have been offered for the last couple of decades. Data for this assessment study derived from a document analysis review of food studies programs (n = 12), interviews with professors or administrators of these curricula (n = 16), and case studies (n = 3). The multidisciplinary nature of food systems studies was unanimously embraced by the institutions selected for this evaluation, yet a climate change focus varied, among these curricula. Despite these differences however, all curricula remain distinctive and effective in preparing students to gauge climate change as indicated by leadership roles and career trajectories pursued by many of their graduates. An original curriculum model is proposed in the concluding section of this chapter, together with recommendations that may inspire more stakeholders in offering food studies curricula adaptive to planetary challenges caused by climate change. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Eswatini, Manzini, Kwaluseni Campus, Matsapha, South Africa; Institute of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Engineering, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia; Center for Sustainable Development (Greens), Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina (Unisul), Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil; School of Urban and Regional Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; Kgotso Development Trust, Beitbridge, Zimbabwe; Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Centre, Beitbridge, Zimbabwe; Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay; CERED, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar; Marquette University, Milwaukee, United States; University of Sierra Sur, Oaxaca, Mexico; University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Land Economy, University of Malawi, The Polytechnic, Blantyre 3, Malawi; Institute of Earth Systems, University of Malta, Msida, Malta; Academy for Sustainable Futures, Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom; Casa de Cultura de la UAEMéx en Tlalpan, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico; School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom; Science Education Department of Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia; University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil; State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil; Universidade do Contestado-UNC, Mafra, Brazil; The Open University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Oslo, Norway; Department of Biology, Winona State University, Winona, MN, United States; Independent Researcher, Fort Collins, CO, United States; Center for Food Security Studies, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa Univesity, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; The Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
