Leadership in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems

(17.5 - 25.5 hours)

The Leadership in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Certificate Program draws on courses from across the curriculum and has the following goals: 1. To build student leadership capacity in agriculture, agribusiness, food systems, natural resources conservation, and land stewardship 2. To prepare students for careers in the above fields and to incorporate ways of thinking and priorities from these areas into their work in other fields 3. To provide hands-on experiential learning opportunities, both on-campus and in real-world settings, and through this, strengthen Sweet Briar’s on-campus food systems sustainability and Sweet Briar’s sustainability/agriculture relationships/partnerships in our region.

What Can You Do With a Leadership In Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Certificate?

~ Farm, food, or beverage business management

~ Climate-smart agriculture lobbyist

~ Greenhouse lead grower

~ Agricultural communications or public relations

~ Community or extension food systems educator

~ Crop variety trials researcher

Required

The following requirements are needed to complete the certificate in Leadership in Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (17.5-25.5 hours):

Certificate Core

Complete one course from the following (3-4 hours):

Business Electives

Complete one of the following business courses (3-4 hours):

Economics Elective

Complete one of the following economics courses (3 hours):

ECON 205 - Economics of Wine CR: 3
ECON 207 - Economics of Poverty CR: 3
ECON 342 - Environmental Economics CR: 3

Environmental Science Electives

Complete one of the following ENVR courses (3-4 hours):

ENVR 215 - Environmental Policy CR: 3
ENVR 356 - Natural Resource Management CR: 4

Certificate Electives

Complete one of the following courses (3-4 hours):

BIOL 214 - The Plant Kingdom CR: 4
BIOL 217 - Entomology CR: 3
BIOL 221 - Principles of Animal Behavior CR: 3
BUSN 205 - Immersion in Management CR: 3
BUSN 242 - Negotiation CR: 3

Agricultural Operations

Complete at least two semesters of the following (1 hour):

ENVR 201 - Agricultural Operations CR: 1

Seminar

Take at least two semesters of the following (.5 hours):

AGRI 421 - Seminar: Leadership in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems CR: 0.5

On-Campus Learning Experience

(0-3 credits) At least one on-campus, structured experiential learning opportunity related to agriculture (Can be assigned as a 0-credit internship if a job, summer program, or another situation where the student does not need to receive credit hours. The 0-credit option cannot be counted for another program unless that program already has/recognizes said option.)

Examples of programs that could fulfill this:

Honors Summer Research Program (with an agriculture-focused project)
Research, directed study, or capstone course (with an agriculture-focused project)
On-campus job (e.g. student agriculture and greenhouse assistants)
Willits Summer Food Systems Fellows Program

If a student wants to be assured that an “experience” will count for the certificate requirement, the student should obtain written approval in advance from the certificate program head.

Off-campus Learning Experience

(0-3 credits) At least one off-campus experiential learning opportunity, preferably in the Central Virginia region, e.g. internship on a farm, internship with an agribusiness or food systems business (e.g. Farm Credit, an agritourism operation), internship with Cooperative Extension office, etc. Experiences outside of the region (e.g. REU at another school, internship outside of the region) may be considered; a student will need to submit a written petition. (Can be assigned a 0-credit internship if a situation where the student does not need to receive credit hours. The 0-credit option cannot be counted for another program unless that program already has/recognizes this option.)

If a student wants to be assured that an “experience” will count for the certificate requirement, the student should obtain written approval in advance from the certificate program head.