Sustainable management of food, agriculture and environment in rural societies B

Under the Japan's economic development in the latter half of the 20th century, the country's food and energy self-sufficiency rate continued to decline. This course will help students think about whether we can sustain our food system and the natural environment in the 21st century—characterized by stagnant economic development and a declining and aging population—and act on their conclusions. Students will learn about changes in agriculture, distribution, and consumption, grasp the current situation, identify issues, and consider the building of sustainable international and local communities based on their experiences at local agricultural sites.

[Course Content]
1. Lectures and Group Work
・Comparison of food systems in the world, Japan, and the Shinshu region
・Development and challenges of Japanese food culture and the agricultural/food processing industries (e.g., fermented foods)
・Food reviews to compare students’ food experiences and regional food, and to explore related issues
・Relationships among farming activities, physical activity, food, health, and household economics
2. Fieldwork
・Saturday between early and late October): Observation of community-based farming systems and farmers’ markets to understand their functions and collaboration practices;
・ Saturday between early and mid-November: Cooking workshop with a women’s group in Matsumoto City, learning about food quality and cost while reflecting objectively on personal dietary habits
3. Presentations and Final Report
Students will work in groups to summarize and present what they have learned through fieldwork and related lectures. Each student will also develop a personal action plan on how they intend to engage with issues related to food, agriculture, and the natural environment.

Problem discovery and solving, logical thinking, sustainable agriculture, diet, resource use, environmental conservation, circularity and diversity (people, plants, animals, microorganisms), hamlets, rural organizations, field learning, action research, international agricultural studies, principles of agricultural science, geographic information systems (GIS), ArcGIS, rural development, international agricultural development, international collaboration, SDGs, group work, fieldwork

(1) Lectures and Group Work (On campus: Thursdays, 5th period)
1st to 4th weeks of October: Lectures and group work
2nd to 4th weeks of November: Lectures and group work
1st to 3rd weeks of December: Lectures and group work
2nd week of January

(2) Practical Training
On a Saturday between October and December, students will participate in activities such as agricultural fieldwork and site visits, a cooking workshop with a local women’s group, and visits to farmers’ markets and similar facilities.

Syllabus (Japanese site only)