Scaffolding collective agency curriculum within food-systems education programs

Collective agency (CA) can be defined as the shared understanding, will, and ability of a heterogenous group to take action work together toward common goal. We are motivated by premise that CA is central meeting challenges inherent 21st century food systems. These include maintaining sustainable agricultural production nutritional needs growing population while protecting climate, wildlife, soil, air water quality, enhancing equity, inclusion justice for those who in or engage with these Given importance systems, university programs focused on systems must address it. To date, despite many calls higher education build skills CA, implementation has been minimal. Single courses addressing exist some program-level curricula, but we know no previous efforts food-systems degree systematically cultivate across their curriculum through scaffolding, i.e., interconnection integration learning activities courses, so enhance complementarity impact. (a consortium faculty building located at University British Columbia, Montana State University, Minnesota) developed our approach teaching an action-research process, conducted during 2019–2022. In this paper, report process outline emergent conceptual model embedded within broader, curricula. describe its elements share experiences implementing elements. conclude describing current further develop curricula context programs.