Students will be able to:
* Describe current challenges of food production ecosystems
* Apply tools and methods for sustainability assessment within food production
* Analyse consumer acceptance of new innovations in foo

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT METHOD(S) USED IN THIS COURSE IS WITH RESERVATION. A RE-EMERGENCE OF THE CORONAVIRUS AND NEW COUNTERMEASURES BY THE DUTCH GOVERNMENT MIGHT FORCE COORDINATORS TO CHANGE THE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT METHODS USED. THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEACHING/ASSESSMENT METHOD(S) WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE COURSE SYLLABUS.

The aim of this course is to give you insights into the current challenges of sustainability in food production ecosystems. You gain a deeper understanding of the role of food in health and the economy, on the pressures on maintaining an adequate food supply and the factors that can affect future food availability. You apply some of the tools and methods used in sustainability assessment (Life Cycle Assessment, Cradle-to Cradle), and use them to analyse several existing more complex case studies where these tools were applied. Issues of scale (case studies at global, regional and local level), stakeholders (who to involve) and future-proofing (scenario studies) are addressed. The role and impact of biotechnology on sustainable food production is evaluated and consumer acceptance of GMOs and key innovations such as the CRISPR genome editing tools in food production is also discussed.