The Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Associate of Science (AS) degree program provide students with the technical skills and knowledge needed to manage or develop a small farm or agricultural business. The course work will utilize a problem-solving approach to engage students in solving complex real-world problems presented by faculty members with expertise and experience in the industry. Students will expand their knowledge and hone their skills in sustainable farm principles and practices by participating in year-around internships in the campus greenhouse and gardens or local agricultural business. The two-year curriculum includes classes in soil, plant science, crop production, integrated pest management, and farm infrastructure.
UTTC’s Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems program emphasizes food sovereignty, a fundamental shift from simply ensuring food security to empowering communities to control their own food systems. Unlike food security, which focuses on having enough food available, food sovereignty emphasizes the right of peoples to healthy, culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.
In the context of UTTC's program, the food sovereignty focus encompasses the cultural preservation of traditional foods and farming practices, which is particularly significant for Indigenous communities who have maintained agricultural knowledge for thousands of years. This includes understanding heirloom varieties, traditional ecological knowledge, and culturally significant crops that may have been displaced by industrial agriculture.