The AFS specialization provides students with solid grounding in the study of problems related to agrarian transformations, food system governance, and development.
Based in the traditions of political economy and political sociology, the specialization focuses on analytical tools for understanding the impact of capitalist development on agrarian structures and food systems, and how state and non-actors compete to control these processes. We explore complex and interrelated issues such land grabbing, dispossession, biofuels, food security, and food crises, seen from broad perspectives that link rural and urban people and environments, and span Global South-North divides to include emerging international actors such as the BRICS.
The AFS Specialization is also centred on emerging popular alternatives such as food sovereignty and agroecology and the national/transnational agrarian and food movements that spearhead these.
AFS targets professionals, students and activists who have worked on or are interested in these issues. They can be recent graduates, or come from international development agencies, national governments, donor organizations, NGOs, social movements, trade unions, and from wider constituencies such as journalists, community-based workers, and agrarian and food movement activists.
Courses and readings
For a full description of all specializations, individual courses and indicative readings, please consult Part 3 of the Academic Calendar.