Shaping future food system leaders

Abstract

Food Science and TechnologyVolume 35, Issue 2 p. 64-66 Careers & TrainingFree Access Shaping future food system leaders First published: 15 June 2021 https://doi.org/10.1002/fsat.3502_18.xAboutSectionsPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Rosina Borrelli outlines the key elements of the IFSTAL (Interdisciplinary Food Systems Teaching and Learning) programme and describes progress since its launch in 2015. The food sector needs to be able to tackle the interrelated food system challenges of food (in)security, diet-related and animal-to-human diseases, inequities and environmental degradation. There is great scope for enhanced policy and practice in the sector, while also identifying opportunities for business and enterprise and the many livelihoods they support. Possible interventions are embedded within political, economic, business, social, cultural and environmental contexts related to the whole food system, but ‘food systems thinking’ is needed to realise them. This was defined as a major skills gap by leading experts in the sector and so the Interdisciplinary Food Systems Teaching and Learning (IFSTAL) programme was conceived. IFSTAL was launched back in 2015 by a group of seven higher education institutions with complementary knowledge offerings and a clear vision: to train a cohort of food systems professionals and equip them with the additional capabilities to define and tackle the systemic problems in the food system. The original partner institutions were: University of Oxford; City, University of London; University of Reading; University of Warwick; and the Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health (LCIRAH) – an interdisciplinary collaboration between Royal Veterinary College (RVC); London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM); and School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Six years on, while the world has changed more than we could have imagined, the aim is still the same, yet more urgent. With a Community of Practice now being formed to facilitate the 1800+ group of global alumni, there is an even greater need for these individuals to find roles in the workplace. Professionals of the future It is common to see the food system described as a farm-to-fork journey. However, one needs to add many other elements, such as waste, economics, power structures and policies, to cover all the social, cultural and environmental considerations necessary to create a working knowledge. By recognising that our own understanding of the system depends on where we are standing or which discipline we are studying, we can begin to grasp the perspectives of others and work together to effect change. The overarching aim of the IFSTAL programme is to help students gain this understanding by complementing any agri-food-related postgraduate studies with food systems knowledge and approaches to devise and implement food system interventions. We use the I and T shaped skills model1 to depict the way in which IFSTAL complements the often-siloed disciplines in food (Figure 1). By equipping participants with many tools and techniques to be able to operate in a multi-disciplinary, cross-sectoral and collaborative landscape, we give them both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills essential to help bring about food system transformation. By building the T described in Figure 1, we enable individuals to communicate in ‘languages’ beyond their discipline. Whether they work towards a deep specialist career, or a more generalist leadership role, they will still have an invaluable appreciation of their own position in relation to others and other parts of the system. Figure 1Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Dotting the Is and crossing the Ts: model for equipping participants with tools and techniques to operate in a multi-disciplinary, cross-sectoral and collaborative landscape I: represents the specialism of the individual participant and ranges from crop science to food anthropology to environmental science. Dot: Adding a dot to the i represents the additional food systems knowledge provided as a baseline for all participants. We refer to this as Food Systems Literacy.--: The cross bar over the I to create a T represents the addition of the overall systems skills, tools and understanding of other disciplines and how they intersect (values and attitudes) (Figure 2). How does it work? The IFSTAL programme is based on a skills framework (Figure 2) and spread over an academic year, with a combination of interactive online and face-to-face events. Participants work on real-life projects, meet and learn from workplace professionals and most importantly collaborate with each other. Figure 2Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Student Skills Framework: IFSTAL programme The core activity is an online resource comprising four units underpinning the blended learning and reverse classroom methods used by the programme since its launch (Figure 3). Each unit is completed as a primer for a face-to-face workshop (virtual during COVID-19 restrictions), where methods are put into practice by groups of participants. The online resource also provides a space for interaction between participants and the team. Figure 3Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Annual IFSTAL experience In addition to this core activity, there are opportunities to participate in online webinars, networking events, an annual public lecture and a significant amount of interaction with the workplace. An annual residential summer school is held at one of the participating institutions, providing additional opportunities to work on specific live projects provided by different organisations in the sector. This is an excellent opportunity to work with those outside the participant's discipline area and interact with individuals from external organisations. A huge strength of the programme is that it is entirely voluntary and not assessed. Those who attend are giving up their own time and are able to contribute without the restrictions or constraints of an assessment. It is, however, clear that the more individuals engage, the more they gain. They can apply for an attendance certificate at the end of the year with a summary of their participation activities. Hand in hand with the food sector From the outset, IFSTAL has developed a powerful ongoing interaction and collaborative relationship with the workplace. This part of the programme makes IFSTAL different to many other systems thinking programmes; it provides: • Links with practice: we engage with food system actors to understand emerging skill gap areas and have regularly held workshops with key actors from across the sector. • Projects and case studies: each year we provide opportunities to study real-life cases and undertake student projects to enable the application of the learning. • Speakers and field trips: individuals from all levels of organisations give up their time to speak and interact with participants about their roles and the challenges they face. • Careers and transition pathways: we signpost, connect to experts and link extensively with recruiting teams to provide specialist knowledge on pathways into food. As a dispersed and vast international sector, this helps our participants discover hidden organisations and opportunities, and organisations to connect with. Progress since 2015 IFSTAL has engaged over 1800 masters and PhD students from across the partner institutions, with students representing around 100 academic disciplines including natural and social sciences, and the humanities. It has greatly benefited from the active participation of over 100 different workplace partners, many of whom contribute to the intensive Summer School attended by 30 students per year (total 150 over the last five years). We have also developed a strong presence on social media and produce monthly and bi-annual newsletters. Alumni The alumni community now works all over the globe, some holding positions in the WHO, the World Bank, governmental and UN departments, a wide range of companies and industry bodies, and many NGOs. Over 750 alumni from Years 1-5 are known to have secured jobs either partly or directly due to engagement in IFSTAL, of whom more than 350 are known to be applying enhanced skills and capability in food system-related work. Some have formed self-sustaining professional and/or friendship groups, many connect in a dedicated LinkedIn group, and the team invites and encourages attendance at events and networking-specific sessions. Many individuals have returned to speak to subsequent cohorts about their progression since IFSTAL. Participant feedback ‘Participation has helped to put my studies into a broader context, given me opportunities to network at events outside London, which are easier for me to access, and most of all, given access to a broader range of speakers, perspectives and activities and additional opportunities for working with organisations.’ ‘I've really enjoyed all of the IFSTAL events I have attended and have made great friends from other universities and disciplines.’ ‘I am really grateful to have had the extra learning opportunities with IFSTAL. It has hugely broadened my interdisciplinary learning and has inspired me in my plans for my career’ ‘I think the lectures I attended provided some enhancement to my studies as my course does not formally cover food systems. The lectures I attended were also multi-disciplinary and encouraged me to think abou food systems from different perspectives’ Broadening our reach In addition to our UK programme, IFSTAL has also trained students and early career professionals in Ghana, Uganda, Indonesia and the Pacific in week-long intensive courses, inspired by the UK Summer School. Other shorter activities have been undertaken with students in Australia, Canada and USA, and within non-academic organisational settings. These have widened the reach of the unique learning opportunity presented by IFSTAL, increased the overall alumni community, and enabled further individuals to effect change in the food system. These participants will also be part of our global community of practice. In addition, a European dimension has been funded by EU-KIC, led by the University of Reading, and includes the University of Hohenheim and the University of Turin. What next? As the terms ‘food systems’ and ‘systems thinking’ have become more mainstream, our challenge is to ensure that they are used coherently and that we continue to shape and evolve with them. For example, we are now actively teaching food systems resilience based on the work of the Global Food Security ‘Resilience of the UK Food System’ programme coordinated by John Ingram2, 3. Also, we are looking at ways to help build skills in managing conflict and constructive negotiation. This will be increasingly important as individuals entering the workplace will have to collaborate with more organisations and projects that cross the sectoral boundaries. COVID-19 has offered some opportunities to adapt and deliver food systems training in a virtual way, enabling us to transcend geographical boundaries and increase inclusivity. We have also found many opportunities this year to collaborate with others working in this space, such as Table4 and Map the System5. How to get involved IFSTAL is actively looking for collaborations to continue to broaden the reach of this important capability building. This could be, for example, in the form of short courses for an organisation or an integrated intervention for a change programme. Do get in touch to discuss your interest. Rosina Borrelli, Workplace Engagement Lead, IFSTAL, University of Oxford The ‘Interdisciplinary Food System Teaching and Learning’ (IFSTAL) programme was launched in April 2015 with catalyst funding from HEFCE to establish a collaboration between five partner institutions: University of Oxford; City, University of London; University of Reading; University of Warwick; and the Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health (LCIRAH) – an interdisciplinary collaboration between Royal Veterinary College (RVC); London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM); and School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). The second phase of IFSTAL started in October 2019 as a continuing collaboration between Oxford, Warwick and LCIRAH, and is supported by funding from RVC and Oxford. Email [email protected] Web ifstal.ac.uk/contact–us/ References 1Barile, S., Franco, G., Nota, G. and Saviano, M., 2012. Structure and dynamics of a “T-Shaped” knowledge: From individuals to cooperating communities of practice. Service Science, 4(2), pp. 161- 180. 2https://www.foodsystemresilienceuk.org/ 3Hansen, A. R., Ingram, J. S., & Midgley, G. (2020). Negotiating food systems resilience. Nature Food, 1(9), 519- 519. 4www.tabledebates.org 5https://mapthesystem.sbs.ox.ac.uk/home Volume35, Issue2June 2021Pages 64-66 FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation