Grow greener cities with an Urban Agriculture certificate
With the world quickly becoming more urbanized, there is an urgent need to strengthen city and regional food systems. Urban agriculture is becoming more and more popular across Canada, helping communities create sustainable cities. This Certificate in Urban Agriculture from The Chang School will help you excel in this growing field and help our cities become more resilient for years to come.
This agriculture certificate is designed to meet the requirement for professional accreditation and expertise in urban food production systems and development of green urban infrastructure. Created in partnership with the TMU Centre for Studies in Food Security, coursework covers urban agriculture fundamentals, best practices, and policy-making. It also provides training in green and natural infrastructure.
According to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, experts predict 123,000 job vacancies in Canada’s agriculture sector by 2029, so qualified urban agriculture specialists are in demand. There are many urban agriculture job opportunities, no matter what area you want to focus on. You can work in diverse sectors like urban planning, environmental studies, public health, international development, urban farming and more.
You can also complete your agriculture courses online, allowing you to finish your certificate on a schedule that works for you and your life. We want to set you up for success and gain meaningful employment as soon as possible, so the certificate has a practicum and project component that allows students to gain hands-on experience in urban agriculture, thanks to partnerships with both non-profit and entrepreneurial urban farms across Canada.
Are you ready to join the fight against climate change and help green our urban environments? Begin this urban agriculture certificate today and enjoy making a difference.
Who should take this Urban Agriculture certificate?
- You’re a business entrepreneur, ecological professional, urban or health planner, municipal planner, environmental advocate, development officer, urban food grower, or park staff or other urban agriculture worker and want additional training or expanded understanding of the overall scope of the field
- You’re a recent graduate with a related degree in nutrition and food, urban planning, sociology, or architecture and want to gain more specialization in urban agriculture
What will you learn while taking the Urban Agriculture certificate?
You’ll learn how to:
- Analyze the relationships between urban agriculture and multiple dimensions of urban management, including health and nutrition, social and cultural development, local economic development, and environmental management
- Plan for the development of green, natural infrastructure as part of the built urban environment
- Identify how urban agriculture can advance food security, food sovereignty, and environmental sustainability through planning and policy
- Apply participatory and gender-sensitive concepts, tools, and processes, such as situation analysis, action planning, and policy design with diverse urban agriculture stakeholders
- Apply urban agriculture in healthcare settings addressing mental health
- Apply urban agriculture to address social behaviour challenges, especially those related to you
Career Options
This certificate can prepare you for jobs like:
- Municipal planner or policymaker
- Coordinator or project manager in urban agriculture, plant innovation, or rooftop or community gardens
- Public gardens or field production staff
- Ecological planning coordinator, project manager, or consultant
- Sustainable development consultant
- Project manager in a local authority, urban planning or environmental department, or development agency
- Manager of a social-enterprise urban farm
- Entrepreneur in urban food production
Certificate Requirements
- 1 required courses
- 3 electives
- Cumulative grade point average (GPA) 1.67+
Admission Criteria
Recommended:
- OSSD with six Grade 12 U or M credits (including English), with a minimum average of 60 percent, or equivalent
OR
- mature student status with relevant work experience
Questions?
Contact Client Services ce@torontomu.ca
