WHAT’S THE DISH ON
URBAN AGRICULTURE EDUCATION @ IIT
undergraduate minor
undergraduate minor
Ecological Agriculture (ECAG)
Food Systems (FS)
15
18
Required Credits
NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCES DEPARTMENT
PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
29
Required Credits
23
faculty members
faculty members
we want to include everyone in...
A HYBRID PROGRAM
FARM TOPEST TABLE MANAGEMENT
ORGANIC FARM PLANNING
PLANT PATHOLOGY
GREENHOUSE OPERATIONS
PERMACULTURE SOIL SCIENCE FOOD AND CULTURE COMPOSTING
UNDERGRAD MINOR
that would be open to currently-enrolled IIT students as well as non-IIT individuals. An open program would address the widespread interest...
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
http://www.uvm.edu
IN CHICAGO
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $IIT $ $STUDENT $ $ $ $ $ $ $NON-IIT $ $ $ $ $STUDENT $$$$$ $$$BUILT $ INTO $ $TUITION $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $OUT $ OF $ POCKET $ $ $COST $$ COURSES COURSES $MINOR $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $CERTIFICATE $$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Agroecology
Global Issues
Pest Management
Animals in Agroecosystems
Soil Health
8
Academic Credit Hours
Biochemistry
$5,680
30%
70%
URBAN AG THEORY HANDS ON TRAINING
HANDS ON MIRCO-CHEMISTRY WORK
ANIMALS IN AGRICULTURE
ORGANIC GROWING
COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY
SOIL STUDIES
FARMING
SUMMER PROGRAM HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE
http://www.hampshire.edu/academics/Food-Farm-and-Sustainability-Institute.htm
B.S. & B.A. specialization
49
Required Credits
Institute of Design
Stuart School of Business
Lewis College of Human Sciences
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
Chicago-Kent College of Law
College of Science
School of Applied Technology
Armour College of Engineering
Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering
Wanger Institute for Sustainable Energy Research
College of Architecture
Institute for Food Safety and Health
IIT COLLEGE/INSTITUTE INVOLVEMENT Elective Credits
16 15
M.Sc. & Ph.D. specialization
Ecological Food and Farming Systems
76
Required Credits Elective Credits
15 15
Biochemical faculty Social/Economic faculty
STUDY ABROAD STUDENT EXCHAGE
Biochemical faculty Social/Economic faculty
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH
AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY
PARTNERSHIPS
30TH STREET FARM
+
INNOVATION CENTER
+
UFARM IIT
+
CHICAGO COMMUNITY
TRAVEL GRANT
FELLOWSHIP
AFRICA
SPECIALIZATION MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
http://www.effs.msu.edu/>.
D A Certificate Courses
239
Hours/course
Entire course cost
Individual course cost
B
ON
C
Sustainable Food Systems
Required Courses
995
E
Certificate Modules
Sustainable Food Systems
5 10
WHAT’S THE DISH
$
0 2
Required Courses Hours/topic
URBAN AGRICULTURE IN CHICAGO
49
Learning module cost
The city of Chicago has...
FLEXIBLE TIMELINE AFFORDABLE COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY
U.S. FOOD SYSTEM
CURRENT FOOD ISSUES
NON-PROFESSIONAL FOCUSED TOPICS
SELF-PACED
CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
empty lots
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH
http://www.d.umn.edu/ce/learningopportunities/predevelopment/sfs.html>.
acres 15h 59h
9h
6.67
B.S. major
Organic Agriculture Systems
120
7h
Required Credits
7 21
Academic Directors
30h
Agricultural and Food Systems Horticulture Humanities - arts & humanities - communication - economy - general education - sociology - statistics
Pest Management Science - animal - biology - chemistry - crop - food - natural resource - soil
...which is almost seven times the size of IIT’s main campus.
Associative Professors
HORTICULTURE ANIMAL SCIENCE
NATURAL RESOURCE
AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SYSTEMS
PEST MANAGEMENT BIOLOGY
GENERAL EDUCATION
COMMUNICATION
SOIL
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
http://catalog.wsu.edu/General/Courses/ByPrefix/AFS>.
THE RESULTS WE NEED AN U R B A N AGRICULTURE PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF C H I C A G O
On 800 acres of land, 12.16 million pounds of potatoes can be grown. Locally grown produce cuts down on the amount of CO2 gases by metric tons That’s equivalent to removing
cars
1,500 miles average distance food travels
from the road!
MARIA JONES
After investing time and money into an academic program, students can’t help but wonder, “what will I be able to do with my education?” The following scenarios outline potential career pathways, or community-oriented avenues. After procuring a certificate or minor in Urban Agriculture from IIT, students are provided with a wealth of possibilities ranging from community outreach to scientific
i n n o v a t i o n
Age: 42
life while making time for personal interests. During the spring and summer months, Mary invested her spare time in creating a produce plot at her local community garden. Aside from being interested in urban agriculture, Mary prides herself on being involved with the nutrition of her children. In an attempt to pursue her interests in gardening and food lifecycles, Mary
.
urban farm, and has become an avid promoter of healthy nutrition on her children’s school board.
GABE MARINO
AVA GREENE
Age: 45
Age: 27
Gabe settled down in Chicago with his wife after emigrating from Spain two years ago. Having versatile experience of managing a community farm in his home country, he was able to get a job supervising a vegetable section in a grocery store downtown. While living in Chicago, he discovered that the city has great potential for implementing a new network of urban farms. The new network could utilize plenty of the affordable and accessible vacant lots scattered throughout the city. In addition, he desired to pursue this late career opportunity in order to take advantage of his hands-on experience in farming.
Ava is a 27-year-old vegan from the west coast. She originally came to Chicago in pursuit of a career in art. Unfortunately, her pursuit for a steady career in art fell through, and she began to weigh new career options. She now works with children at her local community center. Her new ambition is to help teach kids about healthy eating and lifestyle choices. As a result, Ava wanted to start a new urban farm.
his own farms that operated to provide quality vegetables to adjacent grocery stores. The company is now showing successful growth rate with plans to branch gradually in and out of the city.
the process of establishing a farm. She grows various amounts of organic fruits and vegetables in her garden while involving the kids and teenagers within her community. She is able to educate the younger generation on healthy eating, what they can do in their own backyard, and how to better a community. She has become an icon in her community because of the work she has put in and the changes that she has slowly made over time. The institutions in her community now have regular visits and programs that participate in the community’s new urban farm.
JULIE WILLIAMS
SPENCER GARCIA
Gabe enrolled in the Urban Agriculture Program at IIT to not only learn in -
UA Minor @ IIT IIT School of Architecture Architecture Undergraduate Age: 19
As a freshman at Illinois Institute of Technology, Julie is excited about her pursuit of a higher education. Julie was raised in Chicago and she has seen the emergence of Urban Farming within the city through her community involvement while in high school. In an attempt to pursue an opportunity within the emerging of study, Julie has declared to follow the curriculum that directs her to obtain a B.Arch degree with UA Minor. She discussed her interest with her academic advisor to organize of study relate in terms of courseher academic schedule so the two different work. After her education, Julie is expecting to have a job at a landscaping company that places an emphasis on Urban Agriculture.
UA Minor @ IIT IIT Armour College of Engineering Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Age: 21 While pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering, Spencer has developed a passion for innovation, creation, and problem solving. Spencer enjoys his studies at IIT because they offer a unique mix of engineering, medicine, and life sciences. His interests lie primarily in the design and fabrication process of Biomaterials. Before coming to IIT, Spencer had not considered a career in Urban Agriculture. However, after stumbling across an article regarding the use of plant Biomaterials, he wanted to further his education and research the possibility of using crops for the synthesis of useful material properties. As a result, Spennew use for plant Biomaterials.
He looks forward to making an original scien-
OUTDOOR FARMING PRACTICE
UA 100
The following information outlines and describes the various courses offered within the Urban Agriculture Program at IIT. The program consists of 70% hands-on training, and 30% theory coursework. The courses focus on controversial, yet relevant topics such as food lifecycles, community involvement and innovative technologies. Since the program has gained interest from various colleges at IIT, the elective course have been designed as i n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y .
INDOOR FARMING STRATEGIES
UA 200 Farming of the 21st century is not only performed in outdoor locations. This course focuses on the systems and techniques used today to grow plants in a more controlled environment. Hydroponics and aquaponics will be the two main systems explored during the duration of the course. Students will ultimately choose a system that they will investigate further and produce a working model.
The Outdoor Farming Practice course offers the initial framework and practice of growing plants in an outdoor setting. The course will focus on hands-on work and techniques performed at multiple garden locations around IIT. While enrolled in the course, students will learn how to grow in the climate zone of Chicago. Students will also learn to grow in a variety of settings, such as a rooftop garden, an empty lot, or a temporary planter bed.
FOOD SYSTEMS Farm to Table
UA 120 The Food Systems course will address the current issues that result from the way our nation’s food systems operate. The class will address issues such as food miles, carbon emissions, and the use of pesticides in the production of our food. The course will also emphasize the importance of organic farming and locally produced food. Over the course of the semester, students will examine various life cycle cost analysis studies to weigh the positives and negatives of organic food production vs. conventional food production.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
SS 250 The Community Outreach course examines the positive effects of urban agriculture on surrounding communities. A lecture style course allows students to investigate and learn of the potential impacts that urban farms and community gardens have on their respective community. Not only will students look at case studies, but they will also perform site visits to the urban farms that occur within the city of Chicago. Students also examine the issues that pertain to these communities, such as food deserts, clean produce, obesity, and carbon emissions.
URBAN AGRICULTURE SITE DESIGN
LA 350 This course allows students to focus on the intersection of ecology and design strategies as they pertain to urban agriculture. Students will have the opportunity to utilize a portion of the 30th Street Farm to design an effective urban garden layout. Students will begin with site research, and continue in the designing and research of planter beds, hoop houses, irrigation systems, and vertical beds.
AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGIES BIOL 310 This course offers insight and research into the development of new technologies as they relate to urban agriculture practices. Each semester will focus on a different technology topic as chosen by the professor. Research will be tested and implemented at the various garden locations around IIT.
MARKETING AND RETAIL STRATEGIES
BA 310 This course allows students to experience the real-world application of producing, harvesting, marketing, and selling the produce grown from the farms on IIT. Due to its location, the 30th Street Farm would provide the link between the Chicago community and the students involved in the process. Students will focus on business strategies that pertain to selling product at a local level, to the surrounding communities, as well as at a commercial level, to restaurants outside of the community.
EXPANDING URBAN AGRICULTURE AT IIT Jacob Harney, Yoon Seok Lee, Michael Revord, Amber Ulasich, Joungtaek Yi
URBAN AGRICULTURE CURRICULUM
MISSION STATEMENT Our program of study emphasizes investigations in urban agriculture through hands-on, traditional farming methods, as well as theoretical concepts and new technologies. Our curriculum focuses on urban agriculture within the Midwestern region, and specifically the climate and factors presented by the city of Chicago. Hands-on study will be performed at the developing 30th Street Farm, while innovative, multi-cultural research will begin at IIT’s Tech Park.
MINOR/CERTIFICATE in Urban Agriculture
Indoor Strategies
Elective
Elective
30th Street Farm
Outdoor Practice
IIT
Food Systems
ELECTIVES in Urban Agriculture
Community Outreach
Agricultural Technologies
Site Design
Marketing & Retail