Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

This course examines different agriculture and food production systems from an ecological perspective, taking into account the systemic model and integrated agroecological management, to offer answers that promote sustainability at all stages of food production. After studying the fundamentals and most important ecological processes, diverse applications of these concepts to agricultural systems will be analyzed, within the framework of the imitation of natural systems, including ancestral and novel topics and methods and technologies in the development process course. The elements of consumption and production that affect current food production systems, the production and management of energy from alternative sources applicable in agroecology will also be analyzed, and students will explore their role in the extensive food production system. Field trips will allow direct observation and interaction in different system designs and their particular operation in Costa Rica, many times applicable to international realities. Field trips also expose different approaches to food production and distribution, alternative energy production in Costa Rica, and direct participation in those systems.