In recent years, students have exhibited a substantial increase in interest in food and farming systems, but no comprehensive course offerings exist yet at Dartmouth to fill this need. Fortunately, our location in New England offers fertile ground for the study and experience of vibrant agricultural networks, and we believe there’s no better way for students to learn than being on the ground, getting their hands dirty. The New England Food Immersion Program will provide students the opportunity to dive into the food system to learn not only how food gets to our tables, but how food shapes and is shaped by our environment, our communities, and our culture. 

With this program, we meet with many different stakeholders from across the food system to gain a broad understanding of how our food system works and the factors that influence how food is produced, including farmers, policymakers, activists and advocates, holders of local knowledge, and scholars. In many ways, our food system is broken, but we will learn of all the ways people are working to fix these problems in their own communities- a very hopeful things to see!

As students learn about the challenges, opportunities, and people that shape our food systems, students will also gain skills in problem assessment, reflection, and creating dialogue across differences. We hope students in this program will leave with a deeper sense of place and their individual position within our vast food landscape.