Transdisciplinary Experience Engages Students in Wicked Problem of Food Justice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56103/nactaj.v69i1.258Keywords:
food justice, wicked problems, transdisciplinary, experiential learningAbstract
With roots in social and environmental justice, the food justice movement seeks to ensure that all people, regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status, have access to safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food. Achieving food justice represents one of the world’s most complex challenges and persistent wicked problems, yet opportunities to learn about the topic and its many associated issues are relatively uncommon in agricultural curricula in higher education today. A collaborative of honors and agricultural educators at 14 institutions developed a year-long sequence of immersive, transformational academic and experiential learning opportunities aimed at educating and empowering students around the “What? Why? How?” of food justice. Program components included a transdisciplinary online colloquium featuring local and national content professionals examining a wide range of food justice perspectives and case studies. Grounded in systems thinking, the colloquium also included professional development activities, leadership capacity building, ethical considerations, and historical reflection and analysis. After the colloquium, program participants completed signature food justice experiences, including virtual hackathons, local design challenges, and a field course, and then capped the experience with a culminating virtual conference. This article describes the year-long program’s important components, learning outcomes, lessons learned, and implications for collegiate agricultural educators.
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