Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) Programs

Cultivate Sustainability for Tomorrow’s Food Systems

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Do you wish to become an active participant in making a difference in the world? Change how you think globally and act locally? Acquire skills in ecological food production, a comprehensive understanding of how agroecosystems work, and earn an internationally recognized “Permaculture Design Certificate”?

If so, a program in SAFS is for you!

Because Bishop’s University is located in an agriculturally rich environment, students have opportunities to visit, collaborate with, and benefit from farmers in the Eastern Townships region. In fact, the SAFS programs put a particular emphasis on field experience.

Furthermore, unlike other agricultural programs, the emphasis of the SAFS programs is on improving the sustainability of all aspects of agriculture and food systems – focusing on the social, economic and environmental aspects of agriculture in order to help students develop a thorough understanding of food systems from farm to table and beyond.

Courses offered will examine many aspects of modern agriculture and food systems, including scientific, entrepreneurial, and social issues, as well as global food security and climate change impacts. The SAFS courses incorporate real-world experiences to develop the skills needed to achieve a successful career as an agriculturalist, entrepreneur, food policy specialist, researcher, or in many other professions.

What is Sustainable Agriculture?

Sustainable agriculture must be achieved from three different perspectives:

  • Environmental: It should have minimal environmental impacts and should support a biodiverse agroecosystem.
  • Social: It should ensure healthy food for all, offer support for farmers and farm workers, promote education, and facilitate food-related cultural traditions.
  • Economic: It should enable local food systems, support the local economy, and ensure economic profitability for farms with ecologically minded practices.

Sustainable agriculture must also be resilient – it must be able to avoid, recover from, and adapt when there are unforeseen conditions or events (this could be an environmental event like a drought or storm, or a societal event like a pandemic).

What is the Relationship Between Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems?

In order to ensure food security, there is a need for sustainability not just within agricultural production systems, but all along the food system – from the field to the fork and beyond.

It is important to consider the cultural, socioeconomic, political, and environmental contexts shaping the transportation of food, food processing, marketing, packaging, storage, food markets, waste disposal, etc. We must also work globally to reduce food waste.

Programs Currently Offered in the Sustainable, Agriculture, and Food Systems Program at Bishop’s

A major is the main focus of your university degree. At Bishop’s, our majors are 48 credits (most courses are 3 credits). Many students at Bishop’s will often add a minor, or even another major during their time here.

For those wishing to add a thesis component, consider an honours degree.

A minor is a group of courses in a particular subject or theme that complements your main area of study. Minors typically represent 8-12 courses and can be related or unrelated to the main focus of your studies, i.e., your major.

The SAFS minor may be taken with any major offered at Bishop’s, though typically is paired with Geography (B.A.), Environmental Studies (B.A.), or Environmental Science (B.Sc.).

Consult our Academic Calendar for specific course requirements, and AGR-coded courses available in this degree.

The certificate is a stand-alone 30-credit program, not associated with a degree major.

The SAFS Certificate is for anyone who wishes to enroll in ten Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems courses without having to complete a full Bachelor’s degree. The certificate can be completed in as little as 8 months (full time), or over several semesters on a part time basis.

Consult our Academic Calendar for specific course requirements, and AGR-coded courses available in this degree.

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What Makes the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Programs at Bishop’s Unique?

Major investments and exciting research!

The SAFS programs continue to attract major attention from government, business, and philanthropic partners, who recognize the climate crisis and the role that agriculture and food systems play and must continue to play in the future.

These investments can be seen in the exciting research projects happening in the department, as well as in the rapid scaling of the course offerings and the Educational Farm.

It has also attracted professors who are pushing the field forward with exciting research. Take a look at the faculty you will have the opportunity to work with during your degree.

Meet your Professors
SAFS Research Projects

SAFS Educational Farm

The Educational Farm is a place to learn creative solutions to sustainability challenges in food systems. It is a place to practice experiential learning by exploring, experimenting and modelling what future sustainable agroecosystems could look like.

As such, the farm is leveraged to help develop critical thinking skills, instill a passion for learning, drive agroecological science forward, and foster transformational change in our food system towards resilience and sustainability.

Situated on traditional and unceded territory of the Abenaki people, with 140 acres of rolling fields, forests and wetlands, the farm is of great cultural and ecological value.

Learn more about the Educational Farm

Agricultural Region of the Eastern Townships

The SAFS programs emphasize field experience. This includes participating in on-campus research initiatives and gaining experience with external businesses advancing sustainability across agriculture from farm to table.

Because Bishop’s University is in an agriculturally rich environment, students have opportunities to visit, collaborate with, and benefit from farmers in the Eastern Townships with ample opportunities for work placements or employment opportunities following their studies.

Bishop’s University – a unique university experience

Bishop’s offers a university experience like no other. The historic campus welcomes close to 3,000 students each year from Quebec, Ontario, and across the world. Classes are small and professors know you by name and care about your success. Student life is exceptional, often rated number one in the country, due to the tight-knit community.

For a quick campus tour, check out our video tour, or even better, come visit and book a private tour with our recruitment office.

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Examples of Courses in the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Programs at Bishop’s

Here are just a few of the courses you will explore in your time with SAFS at Bishop’s University.

Our goal is to graduate students who are prepared for a career in improving the global footprint of agriculture while meeting the needs of a growing planet.

Conventional, industrial agriculture and fisheries are the source of most of our food, but are increasingly linked to economic injustice, loss of food security, and poor health, while also being criticized for being unsustainable, causing environmental degradation. Alternative food systems are emerging, providing innovative, sustainable, local, and organic solutions. This course provides an interdisciplinary survey of the environmental, social, economic and cultural aspects of agriculture and food, and outlines some of the emerging sustainable food systems.

When agricultural operations are sustainably managed, they preserve and even restore critical habitats, protect watersheds, and maintain soil health and water quality. On the other hand, some of the negative environmental impacts from unsustainable farming practices include: land conversion, deforestation and habitat loss, wasteful water consumption, soil erosion and degradation, pollution and contaminated runoff, climate change, genetic erosion and loss of resilience, toxicity to pollinators and other critical eco-system damage.

Permaculture is an integrated design system for human food production, water and energy use, modeled on nature. AGR 172 is a continuation and deepening of the design principles and applications covered in AGR 171. Students in AGR 172 will perform various permaculture design practices in a variety of settings, for various needs. The course involves lab and field work and requires completion of a significant design project.

This course presents a social perspective on food and culture. It explores the distinctiveness of foods and food preparation within different cultures and their roles in the building of social identity. In a complementary way, the course also explores the universality of human experiences with food. Significant attention is paid to the role of food and societal food practices in the contemporary global era. Topics include food practices, food’s role in socialization, identity, health and social change, as well as food marketing and the changing global food system.

The agriculture and food sectors are subjects of growing interest in terms of their social and ecological impacts, and overall sustainability. This course examines methods of analysis used to study food systems, and gives students opportunities to conduct relevant case studies. Students will learn how the analysis of food systems at various scales can help to reduce environmental impact, including through practical applications such as modelling, policy development, and dietary guidelines.

This course examines various urban gardens (e.g. community gardens, war-time victory gardens, school, senior’s residence, hospital, rooftop and other urban gardens) and addresses opportunities and impediments to starting and maintaining such a garden, as well as the social and environmental benefits to community gardening. Emphasis is placed on acquiring and communicating knowledge about the natural science processes that take place in a garden (e.g. nitrogen fixation, carbon dioxide sequestration, soil biodiversity and health), and the interactions that individuals and community groups have with the garden environment (e.g. environmental literacy, nutritional knowledge, life skills, problem solving). Field experience will take place at Bishop’s Campus Educational Farm, as well as at local community gardens.

For more course offerings and their descriptions, check out our Academic Calendar.

Careers in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems

A SAFS program at Bishop’s prepares you for an exciting career. The knowledge you will gain in our programs will prepare you to launch your own agribusiness, consult to improve technologies being explored across the industry, work for non-governmental organizations on developmental goals, or with the government on related programs.

Here are some examples of careers waiting for you after graduation from Bishop’s.

  • Agritourism operator / entrepreneur
  • Agribusiness manager
  • Organic farmer / market gardener
  • Agricultural consultant *
  • International development agent
  • Food security analyst
  • Agroecology scientist/researcher
  • Coordinator/educator of community agriculture program

* Our current SAFS programs do not culminate in an agronomy certification in Quebec.

Find Out More Possible Careers in SAFS (PDF)

Transfer Credits for CEGEP Students Applying to SAFS

For students graduating from a CEGEP, there may be an opportunity to transfer certain credits to Bishop’s for courses already taken. This can, in some cases, reduce your degree requirements and therefore the amount of time to complete your program.

Bishop’s currently maintains DEC-BAC agreements with the following CEGEPs; ITAQ, Cégep de Sherbrooke, and Cégep de Victoriaville.

For students who graduated with a technical degree in a related field, such as Farm Management and Technology, the timeline to complete the SAFS major can, in some cases, be less than two calendar years (11 months of courses per year). This allows you to move more quickly to an advanced degree or, if you prefer, directly to work.

To find out more about transfer credits and evaluating your journey at Bishop’s, please contact a recruitment officer for more details.

Next Step in Your Journey to Becoming a SAFS Student

If you are curious about whether this program is for you and want to know more, speak with one of our recruitment officers. Email us at recruitment@ubishops.ca, or call us at 819-822-9600 ext. 2681.

If you are ready to visit our campus and tour the educational farm, book a campus tour in person or virtual!

If you know Bishop’s is the right fit for you, and are ready to apply to a SAFS program, start the application process and join us!

Admission Process
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