For UC Berkeley students interested in food systems, understanding organic agriculture is deepened by going beyond the classroom, seeing firsthand the range of careers and pathways professionals have taken to make change in the food system. With support from USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), the Berkeley Food Institute created opportunities for students to do just that. Through hands-on learning, professional development opportunities, and connections with leaders across California’s food system, over the course of three years, UC Berkeley students explored the many roles that contribute to a resilient organic food and farm system. 

Learning beyond the classroom

Field trip with Conscious Kitchen to Nystrom Elementary School in Richmond with BFI alumni, Aniket Aich and founder/executive director of Turning Green, Judi Shils

Valuable learning happened on and off campus. Students visited farms, food businesses, and other organizations working across the food system, including Longer Table Farm, FEED Cooperative, Cult Crackers, and Nystrom Elementary School with Conscious Kitchen. Students also connected with programs and professions at the EcoFarm Conference and CalCAN Summit, meeting with farmers, advocates, researchers, and learning how to network and deepen relationships with experts across the food and farm landscape. These experiences gave students a chance to connect what they were learning at UC Berkeley with the people putting organic agriculture and sustainable food systems into practice.

Connecting students with organic career pathways

Career Panel at UC Berkeley Campus, 2024

For students who want to work toward a more sustainable food system, figuring out where they fit can be a challenge. Organic agriculture encompasses careers at nearly every point in the food system, from production and research, supply chains and logistics, policy, education, communications, business and entrepreneurship. 

To make these career pathways more accessible, BFI organized opportunities for students to make connections with industry professionals in person. Career panels, alumni conversations, networking events, and resume and cover letter reviews connected students directly with professionals and helped them build skills entering the field. One career panel alone reached 100 students and built partnerships with our local community colleges, expanding our reach and educational access.

We integrated experiential learning into academic programs as well, including the Food Systems Minor capstone course. For the course, TOPP funded two panels per year, featuring guest speakers who represent local organizations with job opportunities, and graduate students sharing their decision-making process to pursue graduate-level work.

Exploring values-based supply chains

Field trip to Veritable Vegetable with students in the Values-Based Supply Chain Course

TOPP support also brought questions about organic agriculture into the business classroom. Through the Haas School of Business course “Improving our Food Systems Through Values-Based Supply Chains,” students explored how environmental and social values can be incorporated into business development through food sourcing, production, and procurement. Guest speakers and field trips connected concepts such as organic transition, traceability, and sourcing with the real-world decisions businesses face. 

Through a four-part blog series, students took their learning further by interviewing and profiling guest speakers for the course who are working across the supply chain, including Chef Ann Cooper, founder of the Chef Ann Foundation, and Clifford Pollard, founder of Cream Co. Meats. 

Course feedback showed increased student knowledge, while some students reported plans to further pursue food systems coursework or careers. One student shared “I was highly interested in supply chain management, but I had not learned much about food supply chains before. This course made it an interesting and eye-opening experience.” Another student shared “I knew I had an interest in food systems, but due to this class I am more likely to consider a career in food systems!”

Building connections across the food system

UC Berkeley students with Kristyn Leach, founder of Gohyang Fields, during a TOPP-funded field trip

This work was made possible through collaboration. BFI worked with partners including CCOF, the Organic Farmer Association, Organic Career Network, Berkeley City College, UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, student organizations, organic producers, and other TOPP partners developing workforce development programming – namely the Grimm Family Center for Organic Production and Research at Cal Poly and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. These collaborations helped connect students with a broader community of people working toward a more sustainable and resilient organic food system. 

Looking forward

The TOPP initiative supported students’ deep exploration of organic food and agriculture as a  field in which they can imagine themselves making meaningful contributions. 

As a lasting resource, BFI developed a new Careers in Organic Food & Agriculture resource to help students explore where they might fit within the organic food and farm system. The webpage maps career opportunities across the food system, highlights organizations working in the field, and features BFI alumni who have built careers in this field. The resource will continue to connect students with potential pathways, organizations, and professionals beyond the duration of the TOPP project.