In 2018 and 2023, BFI offered a seminar at UC Berkeley that brought experts on the Farm Bill to campus with the goals of understanding the general framework of this important legislation and identifying areas of particular interest for further study. Students critically analyzed the Farm Bill’s history, structure, and implementation, contributed to real-time discussions, and built skills in policy analysis, debate, communications, and coalition-building.
For Students
Food and Agriculture Courses
At UC Berkeley, students have the opportunity to take food systems courses in multiple disciplines and departments across campus. We have compiled a comprehensive list of undergraduate and graduate food systems courses for reference. The courses are organized by department in alphabetical order. Use Command+F to search the database for specific faculty or keywords. If you teach or know of a food systems course that is not on the list, please let us know at foodinstitute@berkeley.edu.
Students at UC Berkeley also have the option to earn either a Food Systems Minor for undergraduates or the Graduate Certificate in Food Systems for masters and doctoral students.
Farm Bill Seminar at UC Berkeley
Edible Education
Edible Education 101 is a hybrid public lecture series and for-credit class in partnership with the Edible Schoolyard Project and UC Berkeley. It has been offered to undergraduate students and members of the public since 2011, and explores the future of food, its diverse systems, and movements. The course is offered free to the public through the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, both in person and through a virtual stream. Lecture topics have included organic agriculture, food safety, hunger, farm bill reform, farm-to-school initiatives, agroecology, labor in the food system, urban agriculture, food sovereignty, and local food economies.
Agroecology in Action: Food Sovereignty and Land Liberation
The DeCal Program is an aggregate of student-run courses at UC Berkeley in which students create and facilitate their own classes on a variety of subjects, many of which are not addressed in the traditional curriculum. This DeCal explores agroecology as decolonial praxis. It is structured in two parts: 1.) guided grounding in social and political critical theory, and 2.) hands-on agroecological farming practices through workshops and labs at the Oxford Tract on campus.
Graduate degrees in food systems at UC Berkeley
As a research institute, the Berkeley Food Institute does not offer degree-granting programs.
If you wish to undertake graduate studies in food systems topics at UC Berkeley, you will need to apply to one of the many departments offering related coursework through our Partner Schools. You should approach specific faculty members who could serve as your admitting professor.
Please see our list of affiliated faculty for individual and departmental interests. If you are admitted to UC Berkeley, you will have many opportunities to engage with BFI’s programs, research projects, and student opportunities.