Past

WFS Summer School

The Center organizes summer schools open to students at the ETH and other higher education institutions around the world. Read more about our past summer schools below.

The Center welcomed 25 participants from 19 countries in Rheinau, Switzerland to the 10th World Food System Summer School. The program explored how to build sustainable food systems in times of rapid change. Participants become part of a community of motivated and like-minded students, researchers and practitioners from around the world.

World Food System summer school students

The WFS Summer School in 2021 brought together 22 participants representing 12 nationalities and 17 disciplines in the small village of Rheinau in Switzerland. The students arrived as strangers, yet were united by their common interest in food systems and motivation to be a part of creating positive change. Read more in WFSC News

Summer School 2021

How can we make food systems more sustainable? What is our role in creating change? These were the fundamental questions during the recent WFS Summer School 2019 taking place in Rheinau, Switzerland from 17 August to 01 September. The course brought together 24 participants from 18 different countries to explore sustainable food systems through an interactive and engaging learning program. Read more in WFSC News

WFS summer school

Stories from Course

25.08.2019 external pageFood Systems in Transition I, WFSC Food System Stories Blog

11.09.2019 external pageTradition's contribution to a sustainable food system, WFSC Food System Stories Blog

07.11.2019 The Misty Mornings of Gut Rheinau, ETH Ambassadors Blog

The WFS Summer School 2018 took place in Côte d’Ivoire, in collaboration with the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS). In order to understand the world food system and find ways to deal with its complexity, 26 graduate students and young professionals from around the world took part in the two-week (27 January - 10 February) intensive course, which focused on two value chains - yams, a local food security crop, and cocoa, an export cash crop. Read more in WFSC news

WFS Summer School 2018

The WFS Summer School 2017 was hosted at the Sustainability Institute in Lynedoch Ecovillage, near Stellenbosch, South Africa. Over the course of two intense weeks (24 June- 08 July) of discovery and innovation, 25 students and young professionals from 17 different countries explored food systems in transition. The students’ explorations followed the food value chain, interacting with key stakeholders and experts at each step of the way. Read more in WFSC News

WFS Summer School 2017 (Image: WFSC)

The WFS Summer School 2016 took place from 07-21 August, again at the Gut Rheinau organic farm in Switzerland. The program introduced 23 students from 17 countries to ways in which a systems perspective can help one to understand the complexities of the world food system. The participants learned about many aspects of food systems with a focus on organic agriculture and food systems; the course took place in a range of settings, from a historic classroom at Gut Rheinau to the farm fields.

The WFS Summer School in 2015 took place from 1-15 August at 'Gut Rheinau', Switzerland's largest organic farm. The program again focused on food system outcomes in relation to the broader question of how to feed the world. With 24 participants from 17 countries and 21 institutions, there were lively discussions reflecting the group's diverse perspectives.  The curriculum covered topics including health and nutrition, consumption, distribution and retail, trade, governance and political aspects as well as sustainable agricultural production. There was a special focus on organic production systems, agroecology and environmental boundary conditions.

The third WFS Summer School was held again at 'Gut Rheinau' in Switzerland from 9-23 August 2014. The two week course focused on the question question of how to feed the world, while considering all food system outcomes. The program brought together 24 students from 16 countries.

The WFS Summer School was also external pagehighlighted by ETH Global and external pageFiBL (in German).

Enlarged view: Rheinau 2014 Class
Rheinau 2014 Class

For the 2nd World Food System Summer School from 2-16 February 2014, the ETH World Food System Center traveled through to India with a group of 19 students from around the world. The two week course focused on questions such as how India will feed its growing population, in the face of challenges of poverty and environmental change? And, what could be the the role and potential of organic production systems to contribute to food security? The program included one week in rural Kodagu (Coorg), in the Western Ghats and one week in Bangalore, a growing metropolis that is attracting many young people away from rural, agricultural areas. Against this backdrop, the students worked in groups to consider the impacts of the recently enacted Indian Food Security Act.

Read a post about the program on the ETH Sustainability Blog.

external pageView pictures from the program’s entrepreneurs exchange, co-organized with swissnex India.

Enlarged view: India 2014 Class
India 2014 Class

The World Food System Center's first summer school took place from 11-25 August 2013 at the 'Gut Rheinau,' Switzerland's largest organic farm. The two week course focused on the question of how to feed the world, while considering human health, the environment and social wellbeing is one of the defining challenges of our time. The program brought together 24 students from 15 countries.

Read about the program in the news DownloadSchaffhauser Nachrichten (PDF, 354 KB), in German.

Enlarged view: Rheinau 2013 Class
Rheinau 2013 Class. Photo: Stiftung Mercator Schweiz / Jonas Jäggy

ETH Sustainability is the coordinating office for sustainability activities at the ETH Zurich, and is responsible for running the annual ETH Sustainability Summer School. The WFS Center has partnered with ETH Sustainability to deliver the program 2012, which has focused on the theme “Eating Tomorrow- Rethinking the World Food System”. The three week course took place from 1-20 July 2012 and brought together 30 bachelor and graduate level university students from a variety of disciplines and nationalities.

Alumni Testimonials

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Significant Change Story from World Food System Summer School alumni Nirzar, a food scientist from India. We checked in with Nirzar during and after the summer school, to see how the course impacted his thinking and future projects.
pienaar plessis

"Being able to meet people from all around the world who all share an interest in food and agriculture was truly amazing. There was so much exchange of ideas outside of lectures, simply from sitting around the table, talking."

Pienaar du Plessis, South Africa, Rheinau 2016

Jiaqi

"The best part of this summer school is that we can exchange ideas and perspectives with people who are in different cultures and from different research backgrounds to make a better understanding of a sustainable world food system."

Jiaqi, China, Rheinau 2013

Jesper

"The many disciplines and cultures present during the course helped me get a much better understanding and overview of the complexity of the world food production system. This inspiring environment underlined the importance of collaborating across disciplines and cultures."

Jesper, Denmark, Rheinau 2014

Rebecca

"The WFSC Summer School was easily the most intense and rewarding course I have attended during my PhD. Seeing the agrofood system from the perspectives of many different disciplines - both from speakers and other participants - left me with a much deeper understanding of the complexity we are dealing with when trying to create sustainable agriculture and food systems."

Rebecca, Norway/Great Britain, Rheinau 2013

Shrey

“I loved it! Especially the interaction with people from different cultural and academic backgrounds and learning about food systems and their impacts from a holistic perspective.”

Shrey, Switzerland, India 2014

Lillian

"The world food system summer school was an incredible experience that opened my eyes to the complexity and diversity of food production. Learning with such an interested cohort was wonderful and I count every other participant as a friend. Working in and around the organic farm at Rheinau provided the perfect setting both to apply practical lessons and to enjoy agriculture's potential beauty. I think my experiences [will] greatly shape my food and career choices."

Lillian, Australia, Rheinau 2014

Scott

“The World Food System Center brings you face-to-face with the many and complex actors in coffee and rice supply chains in Southern India, bringing to life the reality of an often-discussed, little-understood food economy in a fast developing country.”

Scott, USA/Netherlands, India 2014

Learn more about our Upcoming Summer School

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