Distance Learning Courses and Webinars for the Food Policy Enthusiast 

by Deirdre Appel

March 19th marks the first day of Spring. In normal circumstances, the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center would post our Spring Events for Food Policy Enthusiasts article, a collection of events happening around the city for all those interested in food to attend. However, due to ongoing circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and the social distancing measures in place, we have instead rounded up distance learning courses and upcoming webinars to help feed your food-policy curiosity. If you are fortunate enough to have extra time on your hands, this may be a good opportunity to brush up your skills or learn something new.

Name: Hunger, Food and the Coronavirus in NYC
Organized By: Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center
When: March 31st; 9:30 AM EDT
Length: One hour
About: The coronavirus is rapidly changing life in New York City and across the world. This panel will discuss what needs to happen in NYC to protect our food system, farmers and local food-related business owners, and to ensure that our most vulnerable populations have access to nutritious food during this challenging time.
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: Slow Fish Crew Together
Organized By: Slow Foods USA
When: March 20th; 1:00PM EDT
Length: One hour
About: This webinar will feature an Indigenous welcome, stories from young and Indigenous fish harvesters from around North America. Slow Foods will feature a variety of viewpoints, a fisher poetry reading, as well as some thoughts on the budding collaboration between Slow Fish and Slow Food USA. Participants will hear a message from Congresswoman Chellie Pingree of Maine, who has sponsored legislation to protect working waterfronts.
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: Introduction to Food Writing
Organized By: Brooklyn Brainery
When: March 24th, 6:30 PM EDT
Length: 2 hours
About: Are you interested in beginning a career in food writing or improving your craft? This class will get you thinking about the particular skills required. The discussion will include how to find ideas, where to pitch them, and what rates you should expect. Participants will also look at several pieces of contemporary food writing and analyze what makes them compelling. The class will be helpful for anyone who needs to communicate effectively about food, but is geared particularly for journalists, bloggers and authors.
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: The Health Effects of Climate Change
Organized By: Harvard University via EdX
When: Self-paced
Length: 7 weeks, 3-5 hours per week
About: Created with support from the Harvard Global Health Institute, this course will explain not only on how climate change impacts people around the globe, but also on how it directly affects you and your life. Although your risk rises with the rising global temperatures, climate change is a solvable problem, and there are things you can do to mitigate that risk.
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: Sustainable Food Security: Food Access
Organized By: University of Wageningen via EdX
When: Self-paced
Length: 6 weeks, 6-8 hours per week
About: This environmental studies course will explore how key actors at household, local, national and international levels negotiate and make choices concerning access to food. Participants will learn why the choices you make have been predestined as well as what it takes to provide access to a safe and nutritious food supply every day.
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: Sustainable Food Security: The value of systems thinking
Organized By: University of Wageningen via EdX
When: Self-paced
Length: 6 weeks, 6-8 hours per week
About: Systems theory, or systems thinking, is an approach to understanding and working with sustainable food production systems that  require training in different disciplines in a way that addresses their complexity. This course focuses on applying the principles of systems thinking to food production and environmental sustainability.
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: Feeding a Hungry Planet: Agriculture, Nutrition and Sustainability
Organized By: SDG Academy via EdX
When: Self-paced
Length: 7 weeks, 3-5 hours per week
About: Agriculture is more than waving fields of wheat; our ability to grow food from existing natural resources – and without decimating those resources – is key to sustainably feeding the world. In this course people will learn about food security worldwide, the effects of malnutrition, how we manage ecosystems that provide food resources, and more. Participants will emerge with a clear answer to the question: What can I do to make food consumption and production more sustainable?
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: CARE: Nutrition and Aging
Organized By: Imperial College London
When: Self-paced
Length: 4 weeks, 2-4 hours per week
About: What are the nutritional needs of older people? What happens when older people become malnourished? What does a healthy diet look like? This course provides key information about the nutrition requirements of older people, the role nutrition can play in preventing disease, and how social settings can impact eating behavior. Along the way, healthcare professionals and experts will provide tips and tools that are focused on enhancing the everyday health of older people.
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: The Science and Politics of the GMO
Organized By: Cornell University via EdX
When: Self-paced
Length: 5 weeks, 3-5 hours per week
About: What exactly are genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and why do scientists develop them? Studying the science of GMOs helps us understand biotechnology’s potential role in addressing agricultural challenges. This introductory Food and Nutrition course will explain  the basics of genetic engineering, explore the debate around GMOs–including the problems, perceptions, benefits, and risks associated with them–and will review the arguments for and against their use. Participants will study the politics surrounding GMOs and their impact at both an individual level and to society as a whole.
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: The Ethics of Eating
Organized By: Cornell University via Edx
When: Self-paced
Length: 4 weeks, 3 hours per week
About: You face a difficult moral decision every time you decide what to eat. What impact should animal rights have on your decision? Is the suffering involved in meat, egg and dairy production bad enough that you should go vegan? How do your food choices affect the economy and the environment? Should you become a locavore? Should you eat only sustainably produced, “farm-to-table” food? Or is factory-farmed food more efficient and ultimately better for the environment? This class will provide the tools required to reflect clearly and effectively on these challenging questions. The goal is to provide a working understanding of some leading ethical theories as well as the central empirical issues related to food production, distribution and consumption. Along the way, students will hear from a variety of scientists, philosophers, activists and industry participants
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: Introduction to Food and Health
Organized By: Stanford University via Coursera
When: Self-paced
Length: 5 weeks, 1 hour per week
About:  Participants in this course will be given the information and practical skills they need to begin optimizing the way they eat. The course will shift the focus away from reductionist discussions about nutrients and move, instead, towards practical discussions about real food and the environment in which we consume it. By the end of the course, participants should have the tools they need to distinguish between foods that will support their health and those that threaten it. In addition, the course will present a compelling rationale for a return to simple home cooking as an integral part of our efforts to live longer, healthier lives.
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: Unraveling Solutions for Future Food Problems
Organized By: Utrecht University via Coursera
When: Self-paced
Length: 5 weeks, 3-5 hours per week
About: More than 10 food researchers from Utrecht University will address the main issues of food consumption. They will handle two interrelated themes–food shortage and Healthy choices. Participants will learn to identify the key ingredients in the world’s food challenges and to think about how to make changes in the current food system. The course will also look at the possible sustainable solutions for several acute issues: the demands of the growing human population, the role of nutrition, the need to understand food choices in order to have a healthier diet and the possibilities of considering alternative foods.
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: The Economics of Agro-Food Value Chains
Organized By: Coursera
When: Self-paced
Length: 6 weeks, 2-3 hours per week
About: In this course, participants learn how the agro-food value chain approaches the challenge of constantly becoming more competitive by producing high quality food and products while also trying to attain greater sustainability. Some of the topics include : The notion of quality for food and agricultural products and consumer value; How to conduct market research in this field; Labelling, branding and pricing strategies, as-well as innovation in the agro-food sector; How sustainability can be used as a competitive advantage through corporate social responsibility; The role and different types of industrial standards; and the different forms of coordination in the chain, particularly with regard to the retailing and distribution sector.
Registration/Enrollment: Here

Name: Child Nutrition and Cooking
Organized By: Stanford University via Coursera
When: Self-paced
Length: 9 hours
About: This course examines contemporary child nutrition and the impact of the individual decisions made within the family. The health risks associated with obesity in childhood are also discussed. Participants will learn what constitutes a healthy diet for children and adults and how to prepare simple, delicious foods aimed at inspiring a lifelong celebration of easy home-cooked meals. The purpose of the course is to help prepare participants to be the leading health providers, teachers and parents of the present and future.
Registration/Enrollment: Here

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