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Kwantlen launching food security, sustainability certificate
By Hannah Scott, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Published 2:39 PDT, Thu May 21, 2020
Last Updated: 2:13 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021
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The Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Food Systems and Security (SFSS) is a collaboration between the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems and the Faculty of Arts.
“The SFSS program is focused on more than just agriculture,” says arts dean Diane Purvey. “It highlights people, the economy and social policy.”
Graduates of the interdisciplinary program can go on to work in a number of areas, including government, community health and economic development. The certificate can also be extended into a Master of Arts in interdisciplinary studies, focusing on sustainable food systems and security, through Victoria’s Royal Roads University.
“The adverse outcomes of our food system are clearly evident to anyone looking: environmental destruction, food security inequity, economic destruction of family-based farming and farming communities, epidemic food-related disease,” says Dr. Kent Mullinix, director of the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems.
Through the program, Mullinix says students will confront the current industrial-transnational food system and its lack of sustainability. They will be encouraged to learn about solutions to this problem, including community-focus initiatives.
“From our perspective a sustainable food system is job one—it makes little difference in the long run what else we do to advance a sustainable society if our food system is not sustainable,” says Mullinix.
The new program is available to students around the world, and will launch this fall. To learn more, visit kpu.ca/foodsecurity.