Teaching an interdisciplinary course in sustainable food systems: science and history meet in “a world that works”

Abstract

Purpose The sustainability of the global food system hinges on its environmental resiliency and safety, including the health and well-being of its labor force. Single disciplinary courses in liberal arts or science often fail to highlight the overlap between environmental and social vulnerabilities that lead to food insecurity and diminish the sustainability of food systems. This paper aims to present the design and delivery of a successfully co-taught, interdisciplinary module on agricultural labor and sustainable food systems as a case study. Design/methodology/approach The authors designed a co-taught module in which they joined each other’s respective history and science class sessions at the undergraduate business college where they teach. Innovating the cross-disciplinary content of food security, immigration status, labor exploitation and pesticide exposure, they approached sustainability from the disciplinary perspectives of labor history and environmental science to show how these elements had both unique and overlapping impacts across food systems levels. Comparisons between pre- and post-module survey responses, alongside assessments of a co-authored exam question, measured the effectiveness of this module is changing students’ perspectives as food consumers and as citizens. Findings This module altered students’ understanding and perspectives around issues of food systems sustainability. Assessments indicated that students increased their awareness of agricultural workers at the front end of the food system, during production; students also gained awareness beyond consumption as they came to see the connections between workforce invisibility and ecosystem degradation. Originality/value These insights are valuable to educators at all institutional levels who seek to collaborate on sustainability initiatives and teaching, both in the singular, robust modules and in building modules that will lead to the development of entire courses focused on sustainability. The module described here builds on previous demonstrations of the value, significance and effectiveness of cross-disciplinary collaborations; it pioneers the use of the food system as the link between social and environmental sustainability education.

Safeguarding sustainability: Exploring safety practice adherence among urban vegetable farmers in Ghana

“…This underscores the urgent need for proactive measures to improve education and awareness among farmers. The low educational background of many farmers and limited interaction with extension agents likely contribute to this trend of low awareness (negative perceptions) (Blodgett and Feld, 2021;Wu and Hou, 2012). To address this issue, the district extension directorate in the Ashanti Region should intensify educational efforts on pesticide use and promote compliance with recommended safety measures.…”

“…These findings are concerning and highlight the urgent need for stakeholders in the vegetable sector to prioritize educational and outreach programs. Recent studies by Blodgett and Feld (2021), Donkor et al (2016), Fulano et al (2021, Mrema et al (2017), Onwona Kwakye et al (2019, Purkait et al (2009), andYayra Fosu-Mensah et al (2022) underline the importance of comprehensive pesticide education initiatives to improve farmers' understanding of proper usage, handling, and disposal methods, ultimately safeguarding the industry.…”

“…In Ghana, many farmers routinely apply pesticides on their farms without understanding the negative effects of pesticide misuse on their health and the environment, making them vulnerable to pesticide poisoning (Dapaah Opoku et al, 2020;Denkyirah et al, 2017;Okonya et al, 2013;Rano and Singh, 2021;Youm et al, 1988). Prolonged exposure to these pesticides has been associated with health issues, including endocrine disorders (Blodgett and Feld, 2021;Jaga and Dharmani, 2003;Onwona Kwakye et al, 2019). The misuse of certain banned pesticides, such as DDT, has raised significant environmental concerns (Meena et al, 2020;Okoffo et al, 2016b;.…”

Observation of post-yield supply chain impediments for spoilage mitigation and revenue generation opportunities at countryside

“…H3. The TFM make positive impacts on OFM to reduce fresh produce spoilage by building a bridge between tactical and operational decisions (Gunasekera et al, 2017;Hamidi et al, 2017;Bhatnagar et al, 2019;Priyadarshi et al, 2022aPriyadarshi et al, , 2022bBlodgett and Feld, 2023;Akpa et al, 2023;Ganeshkumar et al, 2023).…”

“…The farmers are left with minimal produce to make business due to low productivity (Gunasekera et al , 2017). Such uncertain times lead the farmers towards mental trauma and debts (Blodgett and Feld, 2023; Akpa et al , 2023). The government’s intervention is key to farmers’ motivation in such crucial times (Akpa et al , 2023).…”