Objectives

• To provide students with the tools and knowledge to analyse and understand:

o food systems and their role in society.
o how food and agriculture are regulated nationally and internationally.
o how agencies and institutions regulate agriculture and food nationally and internationally.

• To provide a framework for the exchange of knowledge, experiences, programmes and viewpoints among players, including other universities, researchers, professionals, civil service, private sector and government.

• To develop a comprehensive understanding of food systems in a local, regional and global context.

• To develop awareness of the role that food and food policy play across cultures, historically and in contemporary societies.

• To develop an understanding of the relationships between economics, environment, society, culture and agri-food policy.

• To develop a comprehensive understanding of international agriculture and food regulatory agencies.

• To develop the capacity to critically analyse and address issues of governance within food systems.

• To develop the capacity to apply theory and knowledge to policy analysis.

• To develop knowledge of how policy interventions affect food security and agricultural production.

• To develop an understanding of the relationships between economics, environment, society, culture and agri-food policy.

• To develop a comprehensive understanding of agricultural regulations and standards and their local and international implications.

• To develop an understanding of international agriculture and food regulatory agencies and corresponding legal texts.

• To develop a comprehensive understanding of agricultural regulations as they relate to specific regions as well as their implications internationally.

• To develop competence in approaching a research problem in the area of food systems.

• To develop competence in articulating a research question, data collection and articulating research results.

• To develop competence in critically evaluating research.