Berkeley Food Institute

The Berkeley Food Institute seeks to transform food systems to expand access to healthy, affordable food and promote sustainable and equitable food production. We empower new leaders with capacities to cultivate diverse, just, resilient, and healthy food systems.

We focus on three food system themes and emphasize a holistic approach to address these pressing issues. Current examples of our work in each area include:

Promote equitable access to good food

Improve equity and health outcomes of food assistance programs
Expand access to organic food
Support urban agriculture opportunities

Advance fair and healthy jobs in food systems

Ensure fair and healthy working conditions within existing jobs
Foster new jobs that build economic security for working families

Accelerate the adoption of agroecology

Promote pollinator health through diversified farming systems and alternatives to pesticides
Advance policies to promote and protect soil health

graphic showing the intersections between Good Food Access, Agroecology, and Fair and Healthy Jobs

CREATING COLLABORATION

We bring together seven schools and colleges at UC Berkeley in a multidisciplinary effort to transform our food system. We coordinate work on food systems both inside and outside the university, serving as a hub and facilitating communication among many groups and individuals.

Engagement with 130 affiliated faculty and staff
Hosting the Center For Diversified Farming Systems and Food Labor Research Center, and collaboration with several other entities at UC Berkeley
Opportunities for student engagement
Hosting distinguished visiting fellows
Interaction with food system stakeholders including policymakers, non-governmental organizations, farmers, workers’ groups, media, food businesses, and the broader public

Berkeley Food Institute network connections between UC Berkeley Schools and Colleges and others in the community.

CORE PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES

We implement five interdisciplinary programs to achieve change. Each program has the following main projects and overlapping activities:

Education

Cross-disciplinary food systems education
Equity and Inclusion project
Expanding experiential learning opportunities

Research

Research grants
Focused research on diversified farming systems
and labor in food systems
Working groups

Policy

Policy training workshops for faculty
Policy engagement symposia
Policy brief consultancy for students
Communication of research to policymakers

Communications

Newsletter, website, media/social media, and presentations
California Matters video series
Communications training for faculty

Community Engagement

Community engagement/leadership fellowships
Urban agroecology and food justice training activities
Public educational events
UC Global Food Initiative projects