Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
About two billion people in the world do not have regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food. A world with zero hunger is a key piece of building a better future for everyone. But a multi-dimensional approach is needed to ensure food security for all — from ensuring proper distribution and protection, to transforming food systems to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable world, to limiting food waste and supporting local farmers — everyone can play a role in helping to eliminate hunger in their own way.
Infographic and Overview Why It Matters Things To Do The Eight Targets
Sustainable Development Goal #2 explores several ways communities (big and small) can help fight hunger, improve nutrition and make more sustainable food choices. At the University of Minnesota, agricultural research and state-wide outreach work is at the heart of the University’s land-mission. This includes providing programs across our campuses and our state to decrease food insecurity, reduce food waste, and promote more nutritional and sustainable food options, partnering with farmers and food producers to develop best practices and share knowledge that will help improve not only the end product but the environmental impact of their work, and educating future generations of students to be hunger fighters in their communities and aware of food insecurity and its ties to sustainability worldwide.
RESEARCH AND EXPERTISE
2020-2021
- Building community collaborations: Stimulating interdisciplinary research around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Duluth - Julie Etterson, Head of Biology at University of Minnesota Duluth
- Human Rights and the SDGs in Response to COVID-19 - Amanda Lyons, Executive Director, Human Rights Center at the University of Minnesota Law School
- Small and medium scale livestock stakeholder participation process - Kathy J. Draeger, Statewide Director, U of M Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships at University of Minnesota Extension
2021-2022
- Reducing Waste in Production and Consumption of Clothing through Intelligent Decision-Support Tools - Lucy E Dunne, Professor, Apparel Design in the College of Design
2023-2024
- Efforts in Global Food Security Education: Catalyzing interdisciplinary educator professional development connecting global issues to local impact - Laura L Rice, Teaching Assistance Professor, Agricultural Education in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
OUTREACH AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Share Food Security Knowledge and Promote Sustainable Agricultural Practices
Below are just a few of the University outreach programs where a key component is to share food security knowledge with the community.
The Foodscape and Farm at the Arb Programs onsite and in classrooms at the UMN-run Minnesota Landscape Arboretum publicly demonstrate sustainable gardening and fruit production as well as offer production training programs for urban and rural producers and farmers.
Operated by the College of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS), the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum strives to be a leader in sustainability and horticultural best practices by sharing examples of sustainable practices and dynamically teaching these practices to Minnesotans.
UMN Extension’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) supports research and outreach on passive solar greenhouses which are designed to extend small- and mid-scale farmers’ growing seasons and limit the amount of fossil fuel required to grow crops during cold winters.
Extension’s Federally Recognized Tribal Extension Program focuses on securing traditional Ojibwe food systems by building and strengthening capacity of diverse networks of community members, Tribal and natural resource professionals. This work includes a number of published resources related to the stewardship of lands and water as well as gathering wild grown plants for food and medicine.
The Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) is a partnership between the UMN College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, UMN Extension, and the Sustainers' Coalition, a group of individuals and community-based nonprofit organizations. MISA is a cooperative effort between these groups to develop and promote sustainable agriculture in Minnesota and beyond.
The UMD Land Lab serves as an incubator for solutions-based research to meet community needs in addition to being a demonstration site for sustainable agricultural practices.
Events and Educational Opportunities Aimed at Farmers and Producers
Below are just a few of the programs targeting local farmers and food producers.
Courses and events offered by UMN Extension service under the keyword 'Farmer'. Search also under keyword 'food' for more events, courses and webinars. Note these events could be in person or online.
UMN Extension and CFANS regularly partner to offer free field days for farmers, consumers, businesses, and others who are interested in learning about new winter annual and perennial crops that offer ecosystem benefits. The Forever Green Initiative focuses on developing new crops to ensure agricultural production to strengthen economies while protecting water and other resources.
The UMN Precision Agriculture Center's 2024 On-farm Precision Agriculture Research Network Meeting is an annual opportunity to share and discuss the results of 2023 on-farm precision agriculture trials and plan for 2024 on-farm trials. The participants included collaborative growers, crop consultants, university researchers, graduate students, an USDA ARS scientist, Minnesota Department of Agriculture scientists and industry collaborators.
UMN Extension's Farm-to-school practices connect schools with fresh and healthy food grown or raised by Minnesota farmers. The program includes advice and training for farmers interested in starting in this market and growing their connections.
Organized by the UMN's Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, "Blazing Trails" is a project that brings free workshops about local food regulations to every part of Minnesota. The goal is to ensure the entire state has access to information and resources about how to navigate food regulations to help individual food entrepreneurs and local food systems move forward.
UMN Extension's Cottage Foods Producer Food Safety Training is approved to meet the tier 2 training requirement of the Cottage Foods Exemption law and the Home-processed Pet Treats Exemption. The course applies the rules from the law and safe food handling practices that will help producers make and sell safe cottage food products in Minnesota.
The best way to learn successful beekeeping skills is through mentoring from experienced beekeepers. Without beekeeping mentorship, new beekeepers often experience avoidable challenges resulting in colony death. The UMN Bee Squad’s Mentoring Apiary Program provides learning opportunities for beekeepers of all experience levels and even has a special program aimed at Veterans.
The USDA defines a beginning farmer as someone who has ten years of experience or less — the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum helps individuals begin or continue their careers as food system leaders with the Farm at the Arb Apprenticeship Program! This hands-on, technical training in vegetable growing is designed for beginning growers, skilled workers and those looking for a career change.
UMN Facilities and Planning Open to Farmers and Producers
Several University of Minnesota programs provide public access to university facilities and technology to improve sustainable farming practices. A few examples are provided below:
Forever Green is an initiative at the University that is developing and improving winter-hardy cropping systems and partnering with farmers and farming collaboratives to promote the use and economic resilience of these crops to promote sustainable, productive regenerative agricultural systems. Click on the crops button to see a list of the 16 crops. Click on the Kernza Coordinated Agriculture Program button to see an example of partnership with industry and farmers.
UMN is home to 10 Research and Outreach Centers in communities throughout Minnesota. The centers support needs-driven research to enhance agricultural production. Significantly, each individual center focuses on regionally relevant agricultural research while having some outdoor facilities that can be used by the greater community. This includes the Horticultural display gardens at Morris, maintained forest and habitat areas at Cloquet and Hubachek, and walking trails and picnic spaces throughout Rosemount.
The Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships pairs communities throughout Minnesota with UMN Extension to advance sustainable food and agriculture systems based on input from 5 regional community boards. Scroll down the page to see the Food Systems programs currently being implemented. Note the ability of members of the public to submit idea briefs for RSDP support.
The UMD Land Lab serves as an incubator for solutions-based research to meet community needs in addition to being a demonstration site for sustainable agricultural practices.
The Joseph J. Warthesen Food Processing Center, provides the UMN with excellent food product research and teaching facilities. In addition to its primary function, the facility is available to industry to provide food processing and product development support. Additionally, it can provide a vital resource for food companies that are just starting-up, or are evaluating new process and product lines.
The Sensory Center is a testing service unit within the Department of Food Science and Nutrition. The Center provides a full range of sensory and consumer testing, including test design, data analysis interpretation and reporting. Their clients include food companies, private research corporations, and researchers from the UMN and other Universities.
K-12 Educational Programming Related to Zero Hunger
The UMN offers hundreds of programs each year to engage youth in every corner of the state. The Youth Central Website is provides a centralized location to learn about available youth programs across the entire UMN system--including several related to agriculture and nutrition.
Minnesota 4-H, a key program of UMN Extension, is the largest youth development program in the state, serving over 40,000 young people every year. They offer out-of-school, hands-on learning opportunities across Minnesota for youth in kindergarten through one year post-high school.
The Minnesota Youth Institute challenges high school students to solve local and global food security issues by connecting agriculture, science, health, economics, policy, social justice, and more.
The UMN Extension SNAP-Ed team partners with outside groups to offer a wide-variety of educational programming including several programs aimed at teaching youth about nutrition and healthy eating.
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum offers hands-on, K-6 science standards-based school programs that use plants and nature as inspiration. Programs include learning about how plants grow, learning about various habitats for plants and insects, and learning how pollinators are a key component in maintening our food system.
UMN Extension's Farm-to-School programs connect schools with fresh and healthy food grown or raised by Minnesota farmers. Among their initiatives are programs that serve local food at breakfast, lunch or during snack time, incorporate school gardens or food preparation within classroom lessons, engage students in trips to a farm or farmer presentations, and establish composting and waste management programs.
The Children's Garden, at the West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris, features several individual gardens and activities to explore and enjoy. They invite families to come and learn more about how to grow plants and the important role plants play in our daily lives. Experiences include a sensory garden, a vegetable garden and a playground structure.
UMN Centers and Initiatives Aimed at Developing Zero Hunger Knowledge and Innovations
More than ever before, today’s challenges to food security are complex. Producing food crops that require fewer inputs and make better use of dwindling natural resources is a goal of the Stakman-Borlaug Center (SBC) for Sustainable Plant Health. The SBC unites plant health experts from the UMN, other institutions, agri-industries and stakeholder groups to find durable, environmentally-friendly solutions to plant health challenges. Through research, outreach, and education, SBC experts are working at home and around the globe to ensure a food-secure and sustainable future.
The Healthy Weight Research Center (HWRC), in the School of Public Health, conducts research to better understand the causes of excess weight gain and to develop more effective measures for addressing obesity. HWRC investigators have pioneered a wide range of large-scale, externally funded research initiatives and have created innovative education and training modules.
Plant-based proteins are more in demand than ever before. As our society becomes more health conscious and at the same time concerned with the environment, demand for plant-based protein has steadily increased. The Plant Protein Innovation Center (PPIC) is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to studying plant and alternative proteins. The PPIC is proud to have 30 members which span the supply chain.
AI-CLIMATE is one of seven National AI Research Institutes announced on May 4, 2023, under the Biden-Harris Responsible AI Initiative. AI-CLIMATE, a joint effort between the UMN and a number of public and private Univerities, is creating a new scientific discipline and innovation ecosystem, where AI intersects with climate-smart agriculture and forestry. Their researchers are exploring compelling AI-powered knowledge and solutions.
GEMS Informatics (GEMS) is focused on producing and enabling the creation of research-ready, scientific-quality data, and turning that data into actionable information for farmers, scientists, governments or companies. GEMS services encompass the collection, sharing and analysis of data to drive digital solutions to the agri-food challenges of today, and tomorrow.
EDUCATION AND STUDENTS
UMN POLICIES AND ADMINISTRATION
Campus Food Waste
Programs Related to Student Food Insecurity
Nearly one in five University of Minnesota Twin Cities students worry whether they will run out of food before they have money to buy more, or have run out of food in the past year. There are a number of programs that monitor and address student food insecurity at UMN campuses. Several of them are highlighted below:
Boynton Health’s Nutritious U Food Pantry provides free, fresh, and healthy groceries to any UMN student struggling to get enough to eat. Nutritious U Food Pantry is open every other week during the semester. Any student can visit the food pantry for free and no proof of need is required.
The SNAP for College Students website, which is maintained by Boynton Health, provides an overview of the SNAP program, details on eligability, and how to best use your benefits.
The College Student Health Survey (CSHS) measures eight key areas: Health Insurance and Health Care Utilization, Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drug Use, Tobacco Use, Personal Safety, Financial Health, Nutrition and Physical Activity (including food insecurity prevalence data), and Sexual Health. Note: Results are published every three years with the latest being from 2024.
University-Based Hunger Interventions for Students and Staff
Being aware of the issue and having programs that monitor and develop potential solutions to student food insecurity is one thing but UMN campuses are also addressing the immediate needs of students and staff with several hunger intervention programs. Several of these programs are highlighted below:
Boynton Health’s Nutritious U Food Pantry provides fresh and healthy food to students who struggle to get enough to eat.
Champ’s Cupboard is a free food shelf offered to all UMD students. Students can pick from a variety of non-perishable items including rice, pasta, soups, sauces, and vegetables.
University of Minnesota Rochester webpage describing food resources available to students, faculty, and staff. This includes the UMR Food Pantry, Take and Heat meals available through a partnership with Kitchen Coalition, a local food bank, a 411 mailing list that alerts participants when free food is available.
Twin Cities Mobile Market is a grocery store on a bus! The Mobile Market brings affordable, nutritious foods right to your neighborhood. The bus visits neighborhoods that don’t have access to full-service supermarkets or grocery stores and in the past has made stops at the UMN campus. Each year the market serves nearly 10,000 customers at more than 20 sites around St. Paul and Minneapolis.
As part of Swipe Out Hunger's nationwide effort to combat college student hunger, each semester UMN students with meal plans can donate up to three guest meal swipes online or in person at Swipe Out Hunger drive tables in the UMN dining halls. The donated meal swipes are distributed to students who struggle to get enough to eat.
Campus-Based Sustainable Food Choices
All campuses have a commitment to sustainable food choices. Sustainable choices include sustainable sourcing, local food sourcing, vegetarian and vegan choices among others.
UMN Twin Cities Dining Services Health & Wellness Page describes initiatives related to vegan, vegetarian, and other healthy and sustainable food choices. On the page top menu under "Eat" there are menus labeled with sustainable choices and under "Sustainability -> Initiatives" note the commitment to sourcing responsible seafood on sustainability.
The Twin Cities campus has a broad commitment to providing sustainable food choices including ensuring foods are sourced responsibly, food waste is minimized and leftover food is donated when possible. Check out the latest offerings from Chartwells, the U's dining vendor, at the Sustainable UMN website below.
Every Wednesday mid-summer through late September the Twin Cities campus is home to a Farmer's Market. Additionally, CFANS students sell UMN-made meat and dairy products and honey year round at the CFANS Market.
The Morris campus is a founding member of the Pride of the Prairie which promotes local use of foods grown in west central Minnesota. Additionally, the Morris Healthy Eating project, funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, is working to expand the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits on campus, within the city of Morris, and in Stevens County.
Campus-Based Healthy and Affordable Food Choices
Across the UMN system campuses, there are a wide-variety of healthy and affordable food choices for students.
UMN Twin Cities Dining Services Health & Wellness Page. On the page top menu under "Eat" there are menus labeled with sustainable, vegetarian, vegan, and other healthy choices. Click on Filter this Menu by category button at the top of the page to choose vegetarian or Balanced U (where menus are labeled by as balanced, vegan, vegetarian and level of environmental and social impact). Access to a registered dietitian is also provided.
At the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the dining services website has information on dining locations and information on how menus are labeled with food allergy and dietary preferences (vegetarian, vegan, pork).
All students living in UMN Twin Cities residence halls are required to have an unlimited meal plan. Meal plans are optional for residents living in on-campus apartments. With an unlimited meal plan, students can visit the dining halls as many times as they want in a day/week and eat as much as they wish. Costs are per semester with three options available (Silver, Gold and Platinum).
The Crookston campus uses the SodexoMyWay website to help students make informed food choices. Click on a meal to find menus including calorie and nutritional content and dietary allergy and preference information (vegan, vegetarian, mindful). The nutrition calculator supports informed dietary choices and their onsite dietician is also on-hand to assist students with special dietary concerns.
University and Vendor Commitments to Related to Sustainable Food Sourcing and Purchases
Sustainable food purchasing, including from local farmers, is an integral part of the University's plan to reduce food waste while ensuring the UMN community has access to high quality and desirable foods.
UMN Food services sustainability homepage highlights work the campus is doing to promote local and healthy food.
On the Morris campus, they focus on eating locally sourced, sustainable and healthy food. They are a founding member of the Pride of the Prairie, one of the longest-running local food efforts in Minnesota higher education, which promotes local use of foods grown in west central Minnesota.
The UMD Land Lab is a food justice and environmental research and outreach center located just five miles from the UMD campus. It consists of 10 acres of actively-managed transitional organic farmland and a five-acre apple orchard and produces thousands of pounds of produce for Duluth campus dining services.
The UMN Campus Club is a Twin-Cities campus, member-based restaurant that prides itself on sourcing locally grown and produced foods. Food partners include both on-campus (Cornercopia and U of M Dairy) and a number of local food businesses and cooperatives.