College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Are you passionate about making the food system more sustainable, healthy, and just? So are we.

UVM is a global leader in food systems education, research, and collaboration. We work to develop solutions to global food systems challenges through world-class transdisciplinary research, teaching, and outreach dedicated to improving economic, ecological, and human wellbeing. 

UVM is an academic pioneer in food systems, as the first university in the country to offer undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in Food Systems. UVM’s scale, as a land-grant university in a small state, provides students, staff, and faculty access to both diverse resources and an approachable campus community. This setting sustains relationships that integrate distinct disciplines in the natural and social sciences, as well as the humanities.

Explore Our Offerings

Undergrad interviewing someone at farmers market

Undergraduate Programs

The Food Systems undergraduate program educates on all aspects of the food system, including agricultural systems; food production within a changing climate; food and health; food security; federal, state and local policy development; and understanding the complete dynamics of a global food system.
Researchers working in kitchen

Food Systems Graduate Study

The transdisciplinary master’s and doctoral programs prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to become tomorrow’s thought leaders across multiple domains, from on-farm practices to nutrition policy.
Food Systems Research Institute logo

Food Systems Research Institute

UVM's Food Systems Research Institute (FSRI) funds collaborative research that puts people and the planet first, unites disciplines and communities, and explores complex questions about food systems.
Crowd gathers in a field

Extension

Through higher education, research and outreach, UVM Extension supports families, develops local leadership and participatory decision-making, advances sustainable agriculture and forestry, and empowers business while protecting natural resources.
Two students and a teacher look at a document in a field

The Institute for Agroecology

Through a program of research, learning, action, and connecting across world geographies, the Institute for Agroecology is building a more equitable and sustainable food systems by challenging the status quo and centering equity, participation and social transformation.
A man walks through a field

The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships

The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships supports UVM’s food systems network by connecting faculty, researchers, and students with Vermont communities to advance research and partnerships that benefit rural wellbeing.
A hand at ground level near a seedling

The Gund Institute for Environment

The Gund mobilizes scholars and decision makers to understand and tackle critical environmental challenges, including sustainable agriculture. Gund scholars work to confront this monumental challenge while protecting the the natural systems that agriculture requires.
Farm apprentice in field carrying shallots at the Burlington Interval Community Farm

Continuing Education

From farmer training, to the business of maple syrup, the professional programs at the University of Vermont provide learning opportunities for food systems movers and shakers in Vermont and around the world.
RALLY CAT'S CUPBOARD

Rally Cat's Cupboard

Rally Cat’s Cupboard is a student-run food pantry at UVM that seeks to address food insecurity among the campus community.

Recent headlines

New Research Offers "Alternative Farmhouse" Model to Identify Barriers, Opportunities for Agriculture to Build a Healthier World

Alumna Kristina Zontini's Super Secret Ice Cream is Super Big Success

Beyond “Good” and “Bad” Foods: Reimagining How We Teach Nutrition

Two UVM Doctoral Candidates Are Awarded Prestigious USDA Predoctoral Fellowships

Who Gets to Choose a Plant‑Based Diet?

UVM to Host Global Food Systems Conference on “Just Transformations”