Explore Sustainable Crop Production at MSU! Gain hands-on skills in eco-friendly agriculture. Scholarships available for international students. Apply now!
Program Description The Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems (SFBS) program offers an interdisciplinary, hands-on curriculum focused on the ecological, cultural, economic, and health aspects of food and bioenergy systems from production through consumption. The degree plan is intended to prepare and motivate students as agents of change to address society’s most pressing food and bioenergy issues towards sustained environmental and human well-being. Students of the program are provided with broad interdisciplinary training founded on a core SFBS curriculum while gaining disciplinary training by selecting one of four program options housed in either the College of Agriculture, or the College of Education, Health and Human Development: (1) Sustainable Food Systems, (2) Agroecology, (3) Sustainable Crop Production and, (4) Sustainable Livestock Production. The SFBS program seeks to enhance students’ practical and critical thinking skills to approach food systems through service-based learning internships, hands-on production, training on research methods, independent and group projects, story-telling, and community engagement. Students must receive a grade of "C" or higher in all required courses as outlined in the major. Sustainable Crop Production Option Where does our food come from? Are there ways to sustainably maintain production levels and yet protect our natural resources? Is it possible to improve the quality and nutrition of our food supply? Are local food systems a viable alternative to corporate agricultural production? Can crops grown for bioenergy production reduce our use of fossil fuels and lessen carbon dioxide emissions? The answers to these questions and many more are discovered by students in the Sustainable Crop Production option. The curriculum is designed to train students in a broad range of principles and practices in sustainable crop production, including agronomy, soil fertility, plant genetics, plant physiology, greenhouse production, plant propagation, integrated pest management, and small business management. Both large- and small-scale food and bioenergy production systems are examined.
