Courses

The World Food System Center organizes extracurricular courses offered through the ETH Zurich. In addition, short courses for professionals started in 2021.

Professional Short Courses

This course is an professional development course for agriculture and food systems professionals. In this 3-day course, participants learn how to use systemic, transdisciplinary and design thinking approaches to create more resilient and circular food systems. The aim is to build particpants' knowledge and skills to transform food systems and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The courses in February 2021 and March 2022 brought together a total of 69 professionals to learn and collaborate in a highly interactive online program. Read more in WFSC News

FAO Course

Since 2014, the Center has collaborated with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Sustainable Agroecosystems Group to offer a three-day course for ETH Zurich Master’s students at the FAO headquarters in Rome.

In the 2024 course, students discovered and explored how true cost of food accounting can be used as an informed basis to redefine policies, market instruments, or other measures to better support transformation of food systems. In Rome, the tudents had the opportunity to learn from and discuss with experts from the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to UN organisations and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Read more

The course in April 2023 focused on the role of agroecology for improved nutrition in city ecosystems. The course was based on case study analysis of examples used in the NICE project and from FAO work to make food value chains more nutrition-focused and to contribute to better health.

The 3-day workshop in Rome focused on city-region food systems. Students had the opportunity to learn from and discuss with experts from FAO, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Food Programme.

The course in April 2021 explored the contribution of sustainable food systems to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Topics closely linked to the five Action Tracks formulated by the organizers of the Food System Summit were discussed.

Students in the 2020 course developed and discussed ideas on how Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible production and Consumption) could be used as a vehicle to promote sustainable food systems, ensure food security, and protect natural resources. Possible solutions and the ideas developed were exchanged and debated in a three day online setting with experts from FAO and IFAD. Read more

The 2019 course had the focus of Food Security - from the Global to the Local Dimension. The students also participated in the "Agroecology as a means to achieve the SDGs" event at the FAO. Read more

The course focused on food security in an urbanized world. The course coincided with the Second International Symposium on Agroecology, which allowed the students to join an international symposium held at the FAO as part of the Swiss delegation. Read more

The course was designed and taught by the Sustainable Agroecosystems Chair and focused on the topic of diversity in food systems. In particular, it looked at the dual role of diversity in promoting resilient agro-ecosystems and in supporting dietary diversity.

In 2016, the three-day course was integrated with the WFSC's flagship project Enhancing Resilience in Food Systems.

The course introduced students to the activities of FAO and the role of Swiss representatives at FAO, the World Food Program, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The focus of the course was “Food security in the context of agroecology.”

Youth Delegation to World Food Forum

A selected delegation of nine students and researchers represented ETH Zurich at the Global Youth Forum of the World Food Forum, held at the FAO in Rome from 16-20 October 2023. Read more

Thematic Workshops

Unexpected inputs have the power to disrupt conventional thinking. A workshop for researchers to help draw inspiration from the concepts of Food Design, exploring together the essence of creativity and its transformative power. Workshop information

Study Tours

Tackling Food System Challenges with IT Innovation

10-16 April 2016 in Northern California, USA

During this course, students from ETH Zurich and California universities took a tour of one of the world’s most important agricultural regions (California’s Central Valley) and innovation hotspots (Silicon Valley) to see some of the most cutting-edge companies and initiatives using information technology in innovative ways to address the most pressing food system challenges, such as global food and nutrition security.

This special course was part of ETH Meets California 2016. As an initiative of “ETH Meets You,” the event platform boosts ETH Zurich’s global presence and visibility and creates opportunities to build a global community of people, groups, institutions, and organizations that develop, exchange, and discuss ideas.

ETH Excursions Courses

In partnership with Bachsermärt, the Center offered the excursion “Sustainable local food systems” in April, where ETH students the explored regional food networks in Zurich. Read more

WFSC Executive Office member Eduardo Pérez co-led a group of ETH Bachelor students on “Digitalization in Agriculture” excursion to Swiss startups. Read more

In partnerhsip with Bachsermärt and Development Voyage, the Center offered the excursion in April 2016 entitled "The role of value chains in the food system."

In partnership with Bachsermärt and Migros, the Center led the excursion in February 2015 entitled "Access to nutrition: The role of retailers."

World Food System Film Series

This course featured four recent documentary films dealing with food system issues, with each screening followed by a panel discussion with ETH faculty and practitioners.

Enlarged view: Flyer of 2014 WFS Film Series

The WFSC organized and taught the World Food System Film Series for the first time in 2013. Over 100 students from more than 10 departments had enrolled for the course.

Enlarged view: Flyer of 2013 WFS Film Series