A systems approach to assessing environmental and economic effects of food loss and waste interventions in the United States
Duke University’s World Food Policy Center develops coordinated and inclusive food policies. Our approach bridges key areas of food policies and systems to improve human wellbeing, environmental health, and equity. At the heart of this work, we learn from and connect unique voices—including people most affected by food system challenges.
Our vision for The Leading Voices in Food podcast series is to offer wide-ranging perspectives and knowledge from researchers, community leaders, policy-makers, farmers and more. We will feature topics across the food system spectrum such as food insecurity, obesity, agriculture, access and equity, food safety, food defense, and food policy issues.
Departments and programs across Duke offers a wealth of undergraduate and graduate courses that can inform and empower students interested in making change within the dynamic world of food systems.
The WFPC will gladly talk with and advise any student with an interest in food policy and food system equity.
Examines causes and consequences of poverty and inequality in the United States; reviews major social policies used to combat poverty’s ill effects. Acquaint students with definition and extent of poverty and inequality, examine poverty’s “causes”, including family structure and low wage employment... read more about Poverty, Inequality, and Public Policy in the U S. »
Course will examine the causes and consequences of obesity at multiple levels of analysis. Heavy emphasis on understanding the influence of social, psychosocial, behavioral, and social environ-mental determinants of obesity. Will also examine how these factors influence sociodemographic variation... read more about The Psychology of Obesity »
Historical and present interactions between humans and plants like coffee, tea, sugar, opium, pepper, potato and hemp, illustrating major changes in human civilization and cultures as a result. Social economic, trade, exploration, spiritual, medicinal, and plant structural and chemical reasons... read more about Plants and Human Use »
Introduces agroecology through basic scientific knowledge of plant physiology and growth for crop production, crop diversity and breeding, and comparison of agricultural practices (industrial, subsistence, organic, sustainable). Covers resources needed for whole-plant growth, biomass output for... read more about Agriculture and Sustainability: Feeding the Growing Human Population Today for the Future »
This DukeImmerse course introduces fundamental concepts and methods to conduct Environmental Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) to identify magnitude, type, and location of environmental impacts by food production from input for crops to the disposal of the final products. Discuss the Economic-Input... read more about Introduction to Environmental Life Cycle Assessment: Applications to Food Systems »
