Lecturer in Systems Thinking for the Future of Agriculture

Position Summary:  

The SFS Center for Sustainable Food Systems, located in Greve, Italy seeks an enthusiastic, team-oriented individual to serve as part of a team of faculty and staff that delivers an interdisciplinary, hands-on learning experience to students spending a semester in Italy. On a full-time contract basis, the Lecturer in Systems Thinking for the Future of Agriculture will deliver the 50-hour Systems Thinking for the Future of Agriculture course during the fall and spring semesters. Additionally, during fall and spring, they will co-teach the 50-hour Directed Research course with other faculty members, leading a faculty-developed directed research project with a small group of students. 

This position will engage students in a classroom setting, but also through extensive time spent in the field. We encourage faculty to integrate as much fieldwork and hands-on experience into their courses as possible. Faculty are also integral members of the Center’s communal living model, eating and working with the student cohort. SFS programs require flexibility in working hours to accommodate different aspects of the academic program 

Additional responsibilities outside of teaching may include giving a cookery class to the students as part of the culture program, joining group lunches and weekly dinners and helping with the cooking during self-catered field trips, participation in community engagement days, involvement in student life, organization of laboratory space, and general Center upkeep. We are especially interested in candidates with experience teaching to a diverse student body, and demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence in a learning environment, conservation, and the Center’s host community.  

Center Focus:  

Our research at the SFS Center for Sustainable Food Systems analyzes the integration of environmental, sociocultural, and economic dimensions of food systems to achieve sustainability in different agroecological contexts. Conservation of wild ecosystems and/or agrobiodiversity is addressed in all research projects, which follow an interdisciplinary approach incorporating both natural and social sciences. Field research is carried out on vegetable and cereal cultivation, sheep, goat, and cattle rearing, artisanal fisheries in Sicily, vineyards and olive groves, and in multi-use agroforestry operations, conservation activities with National and Regional parks At the end of the semester program, students will present their research findings and experience to the local community, government, and key stakeholders from the program. 

Minimum Qualifications 

• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in Italy. Preference will be given to candidates who can provide services through an active Italian Partita IVA. SFS may consider alternative lawful engagement arrangements depending on the candidate's qualifications and applicable Italian labor requirements 

• M.S. and university-level teaching experience in agricultural policy, environmental policy, and/or food systems-related social science    

• Field research experience, preferably in the fields of agricultural policy, environmental policy, and/or food systems-related social science  

• Demonstrated commitment to creating inclusive learning environments 

• Demonstrated ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary teaching and research team 

• Track record of research publications 

• Experience leading forest walks and hikes 

• Experience teaching classes in the field 

• Demonstrated commitment to environmental issues 

• Fluent in English (all courses taught in English) 

Expectations for Faculty Conduct: 

 The School for Field Studies strives to create and maintain a work environment in which people are treated with dignity, decency, and respect. The SFS environment is characterized by mutual trust and the absence of intimidation, oppression, and exploitation. SFS will not tolerate unlawful discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment, of any kind. Through enforcement of this policy and by education of employees, SFS seeks to prevent, correct, and discipline behavior that violates this policy.  

All offers are contingent upon clear results of a thorough background check, which may include, depending on the candidate’s home of record and local requirements, a certificate of good standing or clearance from the local police precinct. Background checks will be conducted on all final candidates as deemed necessary. 

Course Descriptions: 

Systems Thinking for the Future of Agriculture: The necessity and urgency of halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity has been repeatedly called for by international organizations such as the UN, FAO, IPBES, EU, national governments and NGOs. More specifically, official strategies and reports such as the UN’s Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005), the UN’ s Agenda 2030 (2015), the IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2019), the FAO’s Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity across Agricultural Sectors (2020), the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy (2020), and the UN’s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022), are defining goals, targets and actions in order to reverse the loss of biodiversity.  

However, when it comes to implementing these strategies and action plans on the ground, there is the need to understand what the problems and opportunities of nature restoration at the local level are. This is particularly true for food systems in densely populated Europe, where almost no pristine natural area exists below 2000 meters of altitude. Instead of addressing the lessening/mitigating of food systems’ impacts on the environment to halt the loss of biodiversity, this program is adopting a change of perspective by focusing on the understanding, analysis, and assessment of making “nature’s return” sustainable for food systems. By looking at what is happening in Tuscany, students will explore the ecological, economic, and sociocultural complexities of sustainably managing natural restoration in ecosystems historically used by food systems  

This interdisciplinary course explores the complex dynamics of how traditional agriculture can teach us to rethink the future of food production and agri-environmental policies. The historical background of Tuscany, with its hilly landscape, and a millenial practice of farming, from the Apennine Mountain range, Chianti hilly landscape and Maremma flat coastal areas, the students will learn how to read the landscape with a historical perspective. 

Directed Research: This course provides students with the opportunity to apply ecological, biological, and/or social-scientific methods to a field research project that addresses a local issue related to the environment. We will also investigate the ways that various methods and theories distinguish (or don’t) fact from interpretation, cause from correlation, and advocacy from objectivity. The directed research topics are derived from the SFS Center’s Research Plan as defined by the Center staff and local stakeholders. Through the Directed Research project, students will contribute to a growing body of scientific research that informs local conservation and resource management decisions. SFS program lecturers lead a small group of students in this research component of the program. 

Applicants are encouraged to review the full course syllabi and programs descriptions on the SFS website: fieldstudies.org/italy