The Experience

Why Trent for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems?

male student kneeling on grass in field with laptop on lap and camera in hand beside a tarpThe Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) program offers a wide range of food and agriculture-related courses, in both the Arts and Science streams.  These courses are the product of collaboration by several departments, including Anthropology, Biology, Environmental Science/Studies, Geography, History, Indigenous Studies, International Development Studies and Political Studies. Through these courses the SAFS program, building on Trent University's strengths in interdisciplinary education, challenges students to think critically about contemporary global food and agricultural systems while providing tools to effect change.

Many new and exciting initiatives are underway at Trent, and these provide opportunities for student leadership and hands-on learning in agriculture and food systems. Our Rooftop Gardens and the Trent Vegetable Garden, established in 2006, have teamed up with the Seasoned Spoon Café, to offer fresh food and experiential learning opportunities from field to table, while nourishing and engaging the Trent community for the last decade.   

Other significant projects are also contributing to a sustainable campus food system, while supporting a vibrant student community. These include a student organization (Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Society – SAFSS), Trent Apiary, a Food Services Sustainability Committee (FSSC), a partnership with Chartwells (the campus food service provider) and a campus Experimental Farm and Greenhouse project.

Numerous other campus and community organizations also have a passion for food, sustainability and equity, including:

Together, the SAFS Program and these community and campus initiatives are demonstrating the potential for real and positive change in food and farming systems locally, regionally and globally. The Trent community offers many opportunities for students to join in creating awareness and building community, while working towards social justice, ecological integrity, scientific innovation, and corporate and political responsibility in agriculture and food systems.

The Perfect Balance of Theory, Practice, and Mentorship

“My experience at Trent has been filled with an incredible amount of experiential learning that gave me not just theoretical but also practical knowledge. Ample lab and field work experience, which I acquired during my undergraduate research, gave me a confident foundation for my future career in the agriculture sector. It was the combination of amazing faculty mentorship and research opportunities at Trent that encouraged me to pursue my master’s degree at Trent School of Environment.”

Mykhailo Rangaiev ’18, BSc Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems graduate now completing a Master of Science in the Environmental and Life Sciences program

Challenge the Way You Think

Trent University respectfully acknowledges it is located on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg. We offer our gratitude to First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings.

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