University of Cambridge
Sustainable Food: Production and Processing
The food system is being disrupted by climate change, geopolitics, emerging technologies and the destruction of natural resources. Explore scalable solutions and emerging pathways to create resilient and responsible food systems for a growing global population and a rapidly evolving market amid intensifying competition for resources.
Start date
29 April 2026
96%
Cohort-based learning
Group learning, expert guidance
8 weeks
Excluding orientation
English
Access resources from start date
7–10 hours per week
Self-paced learning online
Course overview
An estimated 318 million people are expected to face acute hunger in 2026 as climate shocks and conflict intensify food system instability.
Food loss and waste account for 8-10% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions – nearly five times the total emissions from the aviation sector.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (2024).
Duration: 8 weeks (excluding orientation)
Food systems are under strain from extreme weather events, rising costs, political tensions, conflict, growing populations, biodiversity loss, supply disruptions and changing consumer expectations. These pressures are making it harder for businesses to secure reliable and responsible supply, protect margins, support healthy diets and reduce environmental impacts. As risks increase, so does the need to rethink how food is grown, processed, delivered and traded to create a more resilient food system. The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s (CISL) Sustainable Food: Production and Processing online short course equips individuals and working groups with frameworks, insights, tools and the skills to create resilient food systems and lead in this shifting landscape. Over eight weeks, you will explore this landscape and the pathways you and your organisation can take to adapt, survive and compete in a transforming economy, while delivering sustainable food.
With guidance from CISL faculty and industry experts, you will discover innovative business models, technologies and processes, and what these mean for stakeholders throughout the value chain. You will also examine barriers that slow progress or limit the scale of solutions, as you learn the importance of partnerships and collaboration in transforming the food system. Supported by expert tutors and with access to the University of Cambridge’s research and thought leadership, you will develop practical strategies for leading this transformation in your own organisation or sector. Through peer-to-peer learning, live sessions and forum discussions, you will consolidate your learning and develop a Personal Action Plan to drive real-world change.
Is this sustainable food course for you?
This course is designed for professionals working in any part of the food system, from farming, production and processing to retail, finance and policy. If you are involved in making decisions about how food is grown, sourced, processed, packaged, labelled, distributed, regulated, marketed or consumed, this course will help you understand the changes reshaping the sector and what they mean for your organisation. Growers, farmers, landholders, agricultural engineers or technicians and agronomists will learn practical ways to strengthen resilience, improve resource efficiency, and deliver nutritious, affordable and renewable food.
Manufacturers, retailers or food service providers - such as supply chain managers, procurement teams, food and beverage managers, restaurateurs and entrepreneurs will explore innovative business models and value creation throughout the supply chain to support commercial and sustainability performance. Professionals in finance, consulting, marketing, advocacy or policymakers will gain a clear understanding of the trends, risks and opportunities shaping the future of food. You will explore how investment, regulation, incentives and public expectations influence the pace of change, and how to work with others to unlock progress.
CISL Connect: Online live sessions
CISL has developed three bonus CISL Connect: Online Live Sessions for all students joining any of our online business sustainability leadership courses. Through these sessions, you’ll get direct access to CISL's leading voices on today’s most urgent business topics – competitiveness, AI and resilience. This format gives you the chance to connect, collaborate and exchange ideas with a far broader global network of professionals beyond your cohort.
This course is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service, and may be applicable to individuals who are members of, or are associated with, UK-based professional bodies. The course has an estimated 70 hours of learning.
Note: should students wish to claim CPD activity, the onus is upon them. The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and GetSmarter accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation of hours or points.
This is your opportunity to unleash your potential for extraordinary impact. By completing a course with CISL, you'll develop the skills, confidence, and network to lead change in your sector, organisation and sphere of influence to make significant contributions to society. Extraordinary change happens when passionate and inspired individuals share a common purpose to drive meaningful impact for the collective good.
Course overview
Course overview
Duration: 8 weeks (excluding orientation)
Food systems are under strain from extreme weather events, rising costs, political tensions, conflict, growing populations, biodiversity loss, supply disruptions and changing consumer expectations. These pressures are making it harder for businesses to secure reliable and responsible supply, protect margins, support healthy diets and reduce environmental impacts. As risks increase, so does the need to rethink how food is grown, processed, delivered and traded to create a more resilient food system. The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s (CISL) Sustainable Food: Production and Processing online short course equips individuals and working groups with frameworks, insights, tools and the skills to create resilient food systems and lead in this shifting landscape. Over eight weeks, you will explore this landscape and the pathways you and your organisation can take to adapt, survive and compete in a transforming economy, while delivering sustainable food.
With guidance from CISL faculty and industry experts, you will discover innovative business models, technologies and processes, and what these mean for stakeholders throughout the value chain. You will also examine barriers that slow progress or limit the scale of solutions, as you learn the importance of partnerships and collaboration in transforming the food system. Supported by expert tutors and with access to the University of Cambridge’s research and thought leadership, you will develop practical strategies for leading this transformation in your own organisation or sector. Through peer-to-peer learning, live sessions and forum discussions, you will consolidate your learning and develop a Personal Action Plan to drive real-world change.
Is this sustainable food course for you?
This course is designed for professionals working in any part of the food system, from farming, production and processing to retail, finance and policy. If you are involved in making decisions about how food is grown, sourced, processed, packaged, labelled, distributed, regulated, marketed or consumed, this course will help you understand the changes reshaping the sector and what they mean for your organisation. Growers, farmers, landholders, agricultural engineers or technicians and agronomists will learn practical ways to strengthen resilience, improve resource efficiency, and deliver nutritious, affordable and renewable food.
Manufacturers, retailers or food service providers - such as supply chain managers, procurement teams, food and beverage managers, restaurateurs and entrepreneurs will explore innovative business models and value creation throughout the supply chain to support commercial and sustainability performance. Professionals in finance, consulting, marketing, advocacy or policymakers will gain a clear understanding of the trends, risks and opportunities shaping the future of food. You will explore how investment, regulation, incentives and public expectations influence the pace of change, and how to work with others to unlock progress.
CISL Connect: Online live sessions
CISL has developed three bonus CISL Connect: Online Live Sessions for all students joining any of our online business sustainability leadership courses. Through these sessions, you’ll get direct access to CISL's leading voices on today’s most urgent business topics – competitiveness, AI and resilience. This format gives you the chance to connect, collaborate and exchange ideas with a far broader global network of professionals beyond your cohort.
This course is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service, and may be applicable to individuals who are members of, or are associated with, UK-based professional bodies. The course has an estimated 70 hours of learning.
Note: should students wish to claim CPD activity, the onus is upon them. The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and GetSmarter accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation of hours or points.
This is your opportunity to unleash your potential for extraordinary impact. By completing a course with CISL, you'll develop the skills, confidence, and network to lead change in your sector, organisation and sphere of influence to make significant contributions to society. Extraordinary change happens when passionate and inspired individuals share a common purpose to drive meaningful impact for the collective good.
Get this course for your team
Leading organisations recognise the value of this course and invest in it to enhance their employees' skills and expertise.
What will set you apart
A sound understanding of how the food system is changing and the most urgent challenges to long-term food security.
Practical insights into innovative technologies, new business models and market opportunities that strengthen resilience, reduce environmental impacts and create additional value throughout the supply chain.
An ambitious Personal Action Plan with practical steps to support sustainable food transformation in your role, team or organisation, fine-tuned and strengthened through collaboration with your peers.
A broader network of sustainability professionals across the food system and meaningful peer relationships that strengthen your connection with the wider Cambridge community.
Unlimited access to edX’s Career Engagement Network, offering you exclusive resources and events to support your professional journey and drive your career forward.Course curriculum
Orientation module
Welcome to your Online Campus
Module 1
The rapidly changing context of food
Module 2
A new sustainable food future
Module 3
New business models and approaches for sustainable food
Module 4
Embedding sustainability into food supply chains
Module 5
Innovations in sustainable food production and processing
Module 6
Leading transformational change in your context
Module 7
Developing your sustainable food Personal Action Plan
Module 8
Collaborating to create sustainable food systems
What past students
think
Rosie Bradshaw
Consultant
This course has been an incredibly valuable experience and was consistent in quality across the board. The outside speakers were relevant and timely for the topics we were studying, and the material itself was an engaging mixture of different mediums including text, video and podcasts. Sustainability is such a broad, [...] intimidating subject to broach, but I've left this course with [the] tools to take these ideas and learnings into my wider network and start implementing change.
Course Convenors
David Farrell
Senior Associate, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and Chief Executive Officer, Blue North Sustainability
Martin Roberts
Sustainability and education specialist and former Director of Digital Learning, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
About the certificate
Learn how to shape sustainable food systems and earn an official certificate of completion from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. In order to be issued with your digital certificate, you’ll need to meet the requirements outlined in the course handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the course.
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We deliver market-led courses that equip working professionals with the expertise required to upskill, reskill or kickstart a completely new career. Through a data-driven approach, we analyze future skills requirements and ensure all courses address this need. We ensure that leading universities and institutions are your expert guides and our people, technology, and resources are your engine – together we power more than just education, we power your potential.
Read more about GetSmarter here and edX here.
Find out more about GetSmarter’s approach to digital learning, course design, and online delivery here.
Payment options
You can pay your course fees before the course starts, or you may opt for a split payment plan on courses that are nine weeks and shorter. For courses 10 weeks and longer, there is a three-part payment plan available. To find out more about payment options please visit our Payment and Financing page, or contact an enrollment specialist, to find out which option you qualify for.
Manage your time
GetSmarter's learning model is designed to help you, as a working professional, improve your skills without compromising on work and family responsibilities. The course work is broken up into weekly, manageable bite-sized modules, with incremental deadlines, designed to help you pace yourself over the duration of the course and allow you the legroom to work when it suits you best.
At the beginning of each module you'll be presented with the course content and assignments necessary for completion. You also have access to your Success Adviser who will help you manage your time, and support you with any administrative or technical queries you might have.
Seek employer assistance
By improving your skills and industry knowledge, you'll have an influence on the success of your organization. Why wouldn't you ask your boss to help you fund your studies if it's going to have an impact on the way you do business?
Of our past students, 37 percent have received financial assistance from their employers. You can ask for help, too. Here is a guide to show you how to request financial assistance from your employer.
If you are a Learning & Development (L&D) manager, or involved in training and upskilling for an organization, you can request information regarding our corporate offering on our GetSmarter for business page.
How to change your start date
As part of our commitment to your professional development, GetSmarter offers you a two-week period to change your course start date or request your money back if you’re not fully satisfied.
To qualify for a deferral of your course start date, or to cancel your enrollment and receive a refund of your course fee, your request would need to reach our Success Advisers before the release of Module 2. For more information, please read our Terms and Conditions.
Discover the Online Campus
The Online Campus will be your virtual classroom for the duration of your course. Through its easy-to-use interface you'll have access to a diverse variety of course content formats including: interactive videos, module notes, practice quizzes, presentations, assignment briefs, and additional web resources.
On the Online Campus, you'll also be able to ask questions and interact with your fellow students and teaching team through the discussion forums. If you are looking for your Online Campus login, please visit your Account page here.
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