UW and WSU collaborate to advance food systems education in Washington

The University of Washington and Washington State University are embarking together on a project to strengthen and transform food systems education in Washington State. The two institutions have been jointly awarded a Higher Education Challenge planning grant by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Funds will be used to identify opportunities to create an innovative and collaborative interinstitutional platform to train future food systems leaders.

Washington state is home to one of the most diverse and productive agricultural regions in the world. Agricultural production, food processing, and food trade are significant to the state’s economy. With demand for food growing and environmental pressures mounting, both UW and WSU have been at the forefront of developing novel programs in both research and education to address these trends.

In 2018, the UW established its Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health program—the only food systems and nutrition program in a school of public health. In 2006, WSU established its Agriculture and Food Systems program—including its major in organic and sustainable agriculture which is the first of its kind to be offered in the United States. Through this new planning grant, educators from UW and WSU will together envision an action-oriented curriculum that combines the expertise of both universities and connects personal, population, and planetary health with agriculture and natural sciences.

“Future food system leaders must navigate the landscape more nimbly and with a more comprehensive systems view than have their predecessors. To prepare the workforce, we need programs that coordinate food, agricultural, and human sciences.” said Sarah Collier, assistant professor in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at UW and project director for the planning grant.

Nutrition-sensitive agriculture and planet-sensitive diets are important emerging concepts in food systems but are rarely brought together in training programs. Nutrition-sensitive agriculture describes agriculture systems designed to address the ‘triple burden’ of malnutrition (food insecurity, overweight/obesity, and insufficient nutrients). Planet-sensitive diets are derived from food production systems that optimize natural resource use and mitigate environmental impacts.

“While studies on how these systems function are ongoing, few have been translated into an effective curriculum suitable for the training of future leaders.  Yet, we must do this to alter current and future sustainability outcomes. This novel initiative will join our two curriculums at the undergraduate levels to achieve this.” said Laura Lewis, food systems director and associate professor at WSU and a co-investigator on the grant.

WSU, as a Land-Grant University, hosts a robust and highly regarded Agriculture and Food Systems program with a focus on agriculture production. UW and its world-renowned School of Public Health are home to public health faculty with expertise in population health, nutrition, and food systems policy and the recently launched Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health baccalaureate degree program.

“By 2050, 80% of all food is expected to be consumed by city dwellers, who will have little or no direct connection to agriculture. Simultaneously, food choice decisions are being shaped not only by taste, health, cost, and convenience but also by the perceived environmental cost of food production. One of our goals with connecting these programs is to think about connecting supply and demand. How can we harness food consumption recommendations to support sustainable agricultural practices?” said Jennifer Otten, food systems director and associate professor at the UW and a co-investigator on the grant.

Over the course of the six-month planning grant, the project team will work to develop a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of both programs, solicit input from faculty, staff and students of both institutions, hold an innovation workshop, and ultimately create a detailed plan for formal collaboration.

The project director, Sarah M. Collier, PhD, is an assistant professor in the UW Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and a core faculty member in the Nutritional Sciences Program and the Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health program.

Jennifer Otten, PhD, RD, one of the project’s co-investigators, is an associate professor in the UW Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and faculty researcher with the UW Center for Public Health Nutrition. She also serves as the Food Systems Director and as core faculty in both the Nutritional Sciences Program and the Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health program.

Laura R. Lewis, PhD, the other co-investigator, is an associate professor of Community and Economic Development at WSU and director of the WSU Food Systems Program.

Other project staff include Aba Kiser, a project manager with the WSU Food Systems Program, and Alan Ismach, a research coordinator with the UW Center for Public Health Nutrition.

This work is supported by Higher Education Challenge grant no. 2020-70003-32295 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

October 7, 2020