VVZ API is not affiliated with ETH Zurich. Data might be outdated or incorrect. Please view the official ETHZ Vorlesungsverzeichnis for binding information.
Design Ideas for Sustainable Food Systems
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:13:57
Abstract
In this course, you will explore pathways to sustainable food systems across environmental, social, political, and economic dimensions. In interdisciplinary teams, you’ll tackle real-world cases, work with stakeholders across the food value chain, and use visual and auditory storytelling to share ideas and inspire change.
Objective
By the end of this course, participants will be able to: 1. Identify and explain the key elements of food systems, their interconnections, drivers of change, major challenges, and desired outcomes of sustainable food system transformation. 2. Analyze and evaluate current food system challenges using systems thinking and food system mapping approaches that integrate multiple stakeholder perspectives, consider trade-offs and feedback loops, and anticipate unintended consequences. 3. Apply interdisciplinary, and where possible, transdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach-es to a real-world case study, using design thinking to develop innovative interventions. 4. Create and pitch a science communication piece that uses compelling visual and auditory storytelling techniques to communicate the proposed intervention clearly, creatively, and accessibly to relevant stakeholders.
Content
Feeding a growing global population while promoting human health, protecting the environment, and ensuring social wellbeing is one of today’s most pressing challenges. Addressing sustainability in food systems requires the ability to understand and navigate their inherent complexity. Throughout the course, participants will explore food system challenges by examining subsystems, scales, and levels, while considering ecological, economic, social, political, and cultural dynamics. They will develop competencies in systems thinking, complexity navigation, and sustainability mapping, and apply these to real-world projects in collaboration with stakeholders. Based on real case studies linked to current food system challenges, students will build knowledge, skills, and motivation to propose transformative ideas. Working in interdisciplinary teams, participants will develop solutions guided by design thinking. The project-based learning environment at PBLabs integrates lectures, group work, case studies, workshops, excursions, and social activities. Participants will also receive training in engaging communication formats, learning how to pitch their ideas using effective visual and auditory storytelling. Partners and Contributors: The course brings together experts and practitioners from academia, industry, policy, development cooperation, and civil society organizations.
Resources
Lecture Notes
No formal script will be provided. Instead, participants will receive presentations, handouts, readings, and other relevant materials. All course materials will be made available on Moodle.
Literature
Participants will receive curated literature and resources via Moodle and/or in print. Additional sources may depend on the specific case study and project partners. Students are expected to actively search for and share relevant information to support their team’s project work.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC , DR
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- ungraded semester performance
Registration & Places
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise |
Design Ideas for Sustainable Food Systems
Summer school taking place outside of the semester (29.6.2026-10.07.2026) in and around Zurich.
This course also includes pre- and post assessments.
|
|
80 h semesterly |
Offered In
-
-
-
Sustainable Agricultural Development (The minor Transdisciplinarity for Sustainable Development was revised and renamed for the academic year 22/23. The course units that were previously offered are still part of the Sustainable Agricultural Development minor.)
-
-
Electives Courses (Elective courses can be chosen from the entire course programme of the ETH Zurich as well as from the course programme of the University of Zurich.)
-
-
-
-
-
-
Doctorate Environmental Systems Sciences (More Information at: )
-