About the Program

The food systems minor, hosted by the Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management (ESPM) at the College of Natural Resources (CNR), is an interdisciplinary program of study that explores the role of food within the environment and society. Drawing from diverse fields as far ranging as ecology, sociology, the humanities, nutrition, history, and economics, the food systems minor critically examines issues of contemporary food and agriculture from a whole-systems perspective.

Students take six courses, of which only one can overlap with their major. A required community engagement project during the junior or senior year allows students to bring together what they have learned in a real-world setting.

Students who complete the minor will gain a broad and interdisciplinary understanding of critical themes and concepts related to the social, political, economic, environmental, cultural, nutritional, and public health issues of contemporary food and agriculture systems both domestically and internationally.

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Minor Requirements

General Guidelines

Courses must be taken for a letter grade unless the course is only offered on a Pass/No Pass basis. The student must achieve at least a C (2.0) average in the courses taken in satisfaction of a minor program. Students will be required to declare their interest in pursuing the food systems minor when they enroll in ESPM 197, the community engagement requirement. 

The requirements of the minor include:

1. Two Core Courses

Choose two courses, from two different categories listed below, for a minimum of 6 units.

Natural Sciences
ESPM 118	Agricultural Ecology
ESPM 120	Soil Characteristics
PLANTBI 180	Environmental Plant Biology
Social Sciences
ESPM 155	Course Not Available
GEOG 130	Food and the Environment
Food and Community Health
NUSCTX 10	Introduction to Human Nutrition
PB HLTH 196	Special Topics in Public Health (Global Nutrition)

2. Three Elective Courses

Choose three courses from the categories below. A minimum of one elective must be from the category not chosen for a core course. Core course options not taken to fulfill the core course requirement can be counted toward the elective requirement. Elective courses must add up to a minimum of 9 units.*

Natural Sciences
ESPM 113	Insect Ecology
ESPM 117	Urban Garden Ecosystems
ESPM 118	Agricultural Ecology **
ESPM 120	Soil Characteristics **
ESPM 131	Soil Microbial Ecology
ESPM C148	Pesticide Chemistry and Toxicology
ESPM 150	Special Topics in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
ESPM 158	Biodiversity Conservation in Working Landscapes
ESPM 186	Management and Conservation of Rangeland Ecosystems
PLANTBI 40	The (Secret) Life of Plants
PLANTBI 135	Physiology and Biochemistry of Plants
PLANTBI 170	Modern Applications of Plant Biotechnology
PLANTBI 180	Environmental Plant Biology **
Social Sciences
CY PLAN 119	Planning for Sustainability
ENVECON 140AC	Economics of Race, Agriculture, and the Environment
ENVECON 142	Industrial Organization with Applications to Agriculture and Natural Resources
ENVECON 154	Economics of Poverty and Technology
ENVECON 162	Economics of Water Resources
ESPM 155	Course Not Available **
ESPM 165	International Rural Development Policy
ESPM 168	Political Ecology
GEOG 130	Food and the Environment **
IAS 150	Advanced Studies in International and Area Studies
LATAMST 150	Advanced Studies in Latin American Studies
NAT RES C101	Edible Education: The Rise and Future of the Food Movement
NUSCTX/ESPM C159	Human Diet
NUSCTX 104	Human Food Practices
SOCIOL 169F	Cultural Perspectives of Food
SOCIOL 185	Global Sociology
SOCIOL 137AC/ESPM 163AC	Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity, and the Environment
Food and Community Health
ESPM C159	Human Diet
ESPM C167	Environmental Health and Development
NUSCTX 10	Introduction to Human Nutrition **
NUSCTX 103	Nutrient Function and Metabolism
NUSCTX 104	Human Food Practices
NUSCTX 108A   & NUSCTX 108B	Introduction and Application of Food Science    and Application of Food Science Laboratory
NUSCTX 135	Food Systems Organization and Management
NUSCTX C114	Pesticide Chemistry and Toxicology
NUSCTX 160	Metabolic Bases of Human Health and Diseases
NUSCTX 166	Nutrition in the Community
PB HLTH 112	Global Health: A Multidisciplinary Examination
PB HLTH 170C	Drinking Water and Health
PB HLTH 196	Special Topics in Public Health **
*Only one lower division class OR up to two units of relevant upper division DeCal credit can count toward the minor. DeCal classes must be approved by the minor adviser and are considered outside the three elective categories: therefore they do not satisfy the requirement of a minimum of one elective taken from the category not chosen for a core course. Students can petition to include other relevant classes, including graduate classes.
**Course is also a core course

3. Community Engagement Project

Two units (90 hours) of experiential learning through enrollment in ESPM 197.

Central to the goal of the minor is an experiential learning internship, to be taken during the student's junior or senior year. During an entire semester or summer (or longer if they choose), students will work with an organization focused on some aspect of food system change. A community engagement faculty coordinator will be responsible for identifying community engagement partner organizations, with support from the minor adviser. Students will receive credit for community engagement through enrollment in ESPM 197. The course is taken for 2 units, which is 90 hours of on-the-ground time, or an average of 6 hours per week for a semester.

Faculty and Instructors