Dietetic Educator – Sustainability

Sustainability > Case Studies > Dietetic Educator

Sustainable Collaboration: University College Dublin and Airfield Estate, Dublin, Ireland (2024)

At a glance

Airfield Estate and the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science (SPHPSS), University College Dublin (UCD) began a collaboration in 2017 which was extended to the School of Agriculture and Food Science (SAFS) in 2020.
A senior UCD academic from the SPHPSS has contributed to Airfield’s Education and Research Committee since 2020.
The collaboration has enabled student training and research relevant to sustainable food systems through BSc human nutrition undergraduate work placements, and MSc dietetics and PhD nutritional science projects for over seven years. It has allowed Airfield Estate to establish itself as a research body on both national and international stages.
- UCD gains access to the public and use of the farm, gardens, restaurant, and demonstration kitchen for practice-based training of students and research studies.
- Airfield Estate gains access to academic processes and research project supervision.
This UCD-Airfield Estate collaboration provides a mutually beneficial, relatively low-cost structure to create research, train students and access the public.

Background:

Airfield Estate is a 38-acre working farm and gardens located in the suburbs of Dublin, Ireland. Open every day to the public, its aim is to become Dublin’s Sustainable Food Hub in a world-leading, sustainable food city. Run as an organic and regenerative farm, the Estate completes the farm-to-fork story with a restaurant and farmers market supplied by the farm and gardens. As an organisation that has 230,000 visitors a year, and which has both an educational and research remit, it offers an opportunity for its local University, UCD, to collaborate on a range of projects. UCD, a public research university with over 38,000 students, is Ireland’s largest university.

Collaborations between Airfield Estate and UCD range from undergraduate professional work experience (9 months) to postgraduate masters and PhD projects. The Estate also facilitates UCD conferences and summer school visits that focus on the practical application of sustainable food systems as well as consumer behaviour change.

UCD students and supervisors work in partnership with the education and research department of Airfield Estate to create research projects from hypothesis to dissemination. Critical to this is the facilitation of ethical approval for these projects through the University. The participation of a high level UCD academic on the Education and Research Committee at Airfield Estate is also important as it supports Airfield Estate positioning itself for academic grant applications and ensuring that the Estate engages in relevant research.

The success of the collaborative approach between UCD and Airfield Estate is based on offering academic staff and students a whole system understanding and approach to food systems as well as access to and working with both food production experts and consumers. The research conducted by students on the Estate is consumer-centered and intervention-driven creating a testbed for programmes with potential to be scaled to national and international levels. Airfield Estate has email and social media access to a large public cohort offering an invaluable reservoir for conducting surveys, creating focus groups and accessing audiences for research dissemination events. UCD provides academic supervision of all placements and projects ensuring that they are ethically and rigorously conducted.

Lessons Learnt

1) The symbiosis of academic and non-academic education and research partners creates novel opportunities for education and research.

Having a non-academic partner with a focus on educating the public, advocating for sustainable food systems and a large database of customers, members, and followers on social media offers the academic partner a unique opportunity for education and research into consumer behaviour and consumers’ relationships with food. The facilities and proximity to the academic partner (3 km) allow for easy access for student placements and supervision, summer school educational visits, conference outings, and lectures. The provision of restaurant meals with food supplied by the farm and gardens demonstrates the practical application of a food systems approach.

UCD has been critical to the establishment of Airfield’s education and research department, contributing ethical review and approval for all research projects undertaken, the students to undertake the projects, and academic supervision. This ensures an ethical and rigorous process that protects vulnerable population groups is in place as well as facilitating the submission of high-quality research findings to national and international conferences and for peer-reviewed publication. The students and researchers from UCD working with Airfield Estate also provide an opportunity for the Estate to measure the impact of internally driven projects and programmes which is critical to future grant funding applications.

2) The non-academic partner must have a structure capable of planning and managing research.

Airfield Estate’s strategy contains several pillars, one of which is ‘Powerful Research’. As such, it has developed an Education and Research Committee with both external and internal stakeholders that meets quarterly and has created its own 5-year research strategy. The Board, Trustees and Senior management of the Estate are all supportive of the research conducted at the Estate and a model of both internal research (supported by 9-month work placements by BSc human nutrition students and an in-house research officer) and international research (European Union Horizon projects) has developed.

3) Selection of topics for research must be relevant and robust for both parties.

So as not to waste time and limited resources, as a self-funded non-academic body, Airfield Estate needs to plan and strategically and critically evaluate research that is relevant to its remit and to its potential to submit successful future grant applications. Hence, the decision-making process on what research projects are undertaken must be robust and meet the needs of both the non-academic and academic partners. The research data and end user of the intervention must also be clearly identified in advance, utilize the expertise of academic staff and must fulfil students’ academic programme requirements.

Other Relevant Examples

Hot Topic Resource Cluster: University Dietetic Educators integrating SFS (2023 Dec)

Food for Thought
• How can a non-academic partner contact a university (and vice versa) to begin a conversation on collaborating? Is there a structure within your organization or university for this?
• Memorandums of understanding are important to define the aims, relationships, and resources needed for the partnership.
• Piloting small interventions through local non-academic partners brings research to life for the public, enriches the offering and grant potential of the organization, and provides a high-quality and engaging learning experience for students.

Contact Information:

Prof Clare Corish, Professor of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, University College Dublin, clare.corish@ucd.ie
Director of Education and Research, Airfield Estate, education@airfield.ie

Written in collaboration with Dr Kirstie McAdoo, former Director of Education and Research, Airfield Estate

2024 September

German example on integrating sustainability in dietetic courses (2024)

*Figure 1: Status of Planetary Boundaries 2023; Azote for Stockholm Resilience Centre, based on analysis in Richardson et al 2023*

At a glance

This project developed a handbook with 60 hours of ready-to-use coursework on implementing the Planetary Health Diet and educational formats on transformative action and sustainability in training dietitians in Germany.
This project was funded by The German Federal Environmental Foundation (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, DBU) and run by KLUG e.V. (German Association on Climate Change and Health), VDD e.V. (German Association of Dietitians), and the School of Dietitians at the University Hospital Münster.
Lessons Learnt: Topics of sustainable and healthy diets and transformative education can be implemented as a singular course or integrated throughout the training of dietitians.

Background:

Nutrition, health, and the environment are closely linked and mutually dependent. In Germany, common dietary patterns and the associated food production pose a significant risk to the health of the population and the climate and health of our planet. The Planetary Health Diet developed by EAT-Lancet provides crucial starting points for a healthy diet within planetary boundaries.

However, the scientifically based, holistic concept is still insufficiently applied in the nutrition and health sectors and is missing in dietetic education curricula. The potential of such a diet, not only in the fight against planetary crises but also for improving population health, is still little known and is not used strategically.

*Figure 3: Implementation of the PHD in the teaching kitchen; own picture*

The project aimed to develop educational formats on the Planetary Health Diet and transformative action for training professionals in the nutrition and healthcare sector. The model and implementation were tested in a dietetics class.

After a successful trial of the model week on “Planetary Health and the Nutrition of the Future” with students from the School for Dietitians at the University Hospital Münster, the content was evaluated, revised, prepared and passed on to teachers at other dietitian schools in a train-the-trainer seminar with the purpose of scaling.

All materials are available to all schools via the VDD member area or the project lead of KLUG e.V.. Based on these elaborated materials and the evaluation, the design and implementation of a multi-part training course for already working dietitians and nutritionists (across associations) follows. In addition, an adaptation of the materials to the training of physiotherapists and occupational therapists is in preparation.

What Else? Other Relevant Examples

Food for Thought
Besides an increase in knowledge,
students experienced an increase in drive, confidence,
and assumption of responsibility towards fighting the climate crisis.

Contact Information:

Saskia Wendt, saskia.wendt@klimawandel-gesundheit.de

Austrian Dietary Guidelines (2024)

The 2024 Austrian Dietary guidelines were developed by the Competence Center for Climate and Health of Austria GmbH (GÖG) together with the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) and the Austrian Society for Nutrition (ÖGE). Both health and climate aspects were taken into account.

Visit the link to also download the brochure “Healthy eating, good for the climate” (in German) or it can be accessed or ordered via the brochure service of the Ministry of Social Affairs. The brochure contains healthy and climate-friendly recipes based on the plate model. It was developed by three universities of applied sciences for dietology on behalf of the Ministry of Health.

TABLE (website)

TABLE’s mission: ingredients for better dialogue. TABLE is a food systems platform that sets out the evidence, assumptions and values that people bring to debates about resilient and sustainable food futures. They explore the data, the biases and the beliefs behind those debates in order to support better dialogue, decision making and action.

TABLE is for everyone with an interest in food. Acting as an interface between the worlds of research and practice, our work reflects and interrogates real and relevant food system debates. We are in constant dialogue with people working within the food system, including civil society, policy makers, advocates and practitioners.

TABLE puts together many resources such as explainers, blog posts, podcasts, letterbox series, other publications in their resource library, and a list of events and job opportunities. They have a page in Spanish as well. TABLE es MESA en América Latina.

A useful resource for busy people is their summary series which break down some of their explainers into a brief format. Short summaries are now available for the following explainers:

What is regenerative agriculture?
What is ecomodernism?
What is feed food competition?
What is the land sparing-land sharing continuum?
What is agroecology?
What is food sovereignty?
Soy: food, feed and land use change
Rewilding and its implications for agriculture
Agricultural methane
What is malnutrition?
What is the nutrition transition?
What is ultra-processed food? And why do people disagree about its utility as a concept?

TABLE was created in collaboration with the University of Oxford, building on the work of the Food Climate Research Network; the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), via the SLU Future Food platform; and Wageningen University & Research, and then expanded to include la Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and Cornell CALS (USA).

Determining Health: Food systems issue brief (2024)

This issue brief explores the connections between food systems and human health and well-being in the Canadian context, as part of the Determining Health series of the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health. It is also available in French. This issue brief is intended for public health practitioners, decision-makers, researchers, and students looking to learn about the public health relevance of (industrial) food systems and the urgent need for their transformation.

The resource is divided into four sections:

Section 1 introduces food systems and their major components, defining food systems as the “webs of activities, people, institutions and processes that bring food from the fields, forests and waters to our plates, and beyond”.
Section 2 explains why food systems matter for public health policy and practice. It describes their importance for meeting populations’ nutritional needs and highlights key issues with Canada’s industrial food systems, the dominant type of food system in the country.
Section 3 draws on peer-reviewed and grey literature from 42 sources to explain five pathways linking industrial food systems to health inequities.
Section 4 concludes the document and underscores that all public health practitioners and organizations have a role in helping build healthier, more sustainable and just food systems.

Use this resource to

Build understanding of food systems and their major components
Facilitate discussion on how industrial food systems contribute to health inequities in the Canadian context
Support food system-related public health interventions

Sustainability-informed dietetics education: key messages for educators and national dietetics associations (2024)

Browne S, Corish C, Nordin S, Carlsson L. Sustainability-informed dietetics education: key messages for educators and national dietetics associations. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2024; 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13322

Background

Dietetics curricula currently fail to meet the educational needs of the future dietetic workforce to contribute expertise in sustainable, healthy food systems in the settings in which dietitians work. A ‘Global Networking Event on Sustainable Food Systems in Nutrition and Dietetics Education’ was held in June 2023 with the goals of building relationships among international stakeholders and informing the development of shared curricula.

Methods

Plenary lectures, panels and roundtable discussions were held over 2 days, designed to provide the background required to generate informed actions. Topics included recent research from practice and education, competency standards and relevant policy documents, examples from the field, ‘big questions’ about scope and student perspectives. Key messages were summarised thematically to inform educators and national dietetics associations.

Results

Fifty-five delegates attended from 11 nations representing education, research, dietetic associations, industry and diverse practice backgrounds. Key priorities identified for educators included co-development of curricular frameworks and pedagogical theory, practical training supports and solutions to limited time and expertise. Key recommendations for national dietetics associations included strategic promotion of sustainable food systems in dietetic roles and practical supports.

Conclusions

Outcomes are anticipated to stimulate ongoing discussion, collaboration and actions on sustainable food systems education within the dietetics profession leading to shared curricular models and supports.

Highlights

Sustainable food system (SFS) competency requirements and curricular integration are inconsistent globally and lack robust frameworks to support dietetics education.
There is a need to define the scope of practice for SFS within dietitians’ roles.
Current opportunities in education include scaffolding existing topics and activities with signature pedagogies for sustainability, harnessing transferrable knowledge and skills to adapt to future SFS roles, and establishing interdisciplinary food systems teaching and learning activities.
National dietetics associations can act to support SFS in the professional role of dietitians.

How Practitioners Can Influence Planetary Health (2024)

Published by Orgain, written by Mary Purdy, MS, RDN. This 12-page article is inclusive of a useful list of resources and references with 9 suggestions for putting recommendations into practice.

In addition to the topics they raise, two other issues are key for Sustainable Food Systems:

🥤 🛒 PLASTICS are a huge part of the problem in all parts of the food system from production to processing to consumption. We can avoid plastic and help our clients and networks to do the same.

🌳 🦗 There are thousands of INDIGENOUS SPECIES around the world – diverse flora, fungi, and fauna – which can help to heal our planet & people.

Nutrition and Dietetics Professionals Sustainable Food Systems Knowledge Seeking Behaviour (2024)

Citation: Powell, R., Carlsson, L., & Callaghan, E. (2024). Nutrition and Dietetics Professionals Sustainable Food Systems Knowledge Seeking Behaviour. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2024.2321231 (paywall)

Abstract

Sustainable food system (SFS) competence is a new and recognized knowledge area for nutrition and dietetics professionals (NDP). This research seeks to describe the SFS knowledge-seeking behavior of NDP.

Secondary data analysis of 231 anonymous self-assessments collected between September 2020 to December 2021 indicate a high proportion (41%) of self-assessed “beginners” in this topic at a mixture of career stages.

There was a preference for learning about topics that already have significant public attention globally. More advanced practitioners sought more applied information.

These results are informative for updating education and professional development tools for NDP.

Teaching nutrition and sustainable food systems: justification and an applied approach (2023 Sep)

**Four pillar method of analysis. Prompts to consider when evaluating characteristics of a food product using the sustainable, resilient, healthy food and water system framework.**

Campbell, C., & Feldpausch, J. (2023). Teaching nutrition and sustainable food systems: justification and an applied approach. Frontiers in Nutrition. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1167180.

Systems thinking is an essential skill for solving real-world problems, supporting lasting, impactful change, and creating desired futures. Transdisciplinary teaching and learning should be integrated into higher education to ensure students have the knowledge and skills to prosper in an ever-changing world. Education that addresses the interconnectedness of food systems is fundamental in cultivating future generations equipped to mitigate complex problems, such as hunger, nutrition-related chronic disease, and the climate crisis.

Connecting the food, agriculture, and nutrition sectors is vitally important for improving human and planetary health and well-being. While we continue to acknowledge that it is critically important to teach systems thinking in the context of sustainable food systems limited resources are available to facilitate this type of learning. Historically, a “triple-bottom-line” approach focusing on economic, environmental, and social perspectives has been used to define sustainability. In contrast, including nutrition and health may provide a more robust view and even greater consideration for the system in its entirety.

The sustainable, resilient, healthy food and water system framework, addressing all four pillars, can be used in higher education to help evaluate the sustainability of food and compare methods of production, place, and dietary patterns. This paper justifies the need for addressing sustainability issues in the context of nutrition and provides an educational approach to support student understanding and application of a systems thinking approach.

In addition to the resources cited in the descriptions of the four pillars; the Food Systems Dashboard, Our World in Data, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest may be beneficial references to consider for multiple pillars.

Note: Even though the article is written from the perspective of and with examples from the USA, the teaching approach could easily use other examples from any region of the world.

Innovative Food Systems Teaching and Learning (IFSTAL)

IFSTAL (Innovative Food Systems Teaching and Learning) is a cross-university, interdisciplinary food systems training programme for postgraduate students to address global food challenges.

There is an urgent need to train a cohort of professionals who can address and resolve the increasing number of fundamental failings in the global food system. The solutions to these systemic failings go far beyond the production of food and are embedded within broad political, economic, business, social, cultural, and environmental contexts. The challenge of developing efficient, socially acceptable, and sustainable food systems that meet the demands of a growing global population can only be tackled through an interdisciplinary systems approach that integrates social, economic, and environmental dimensions.

IFSTAL is designed to improve post-graduate level knowledge and understanding of food systems from a much broader interdisciplinary perspective, which can be applied to students’ studies. Ultimately, these graduates should be equipped to apply critical interdisciplinary systems thinking in the workplace to understand how problems are connected, their root causes, and where critical leverage points might be.

Led by the Food Systems Research Programme at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, IFSTAL is a pioneering consortium of institutions: Oxford University, Warwick University, Royal Veterinary College, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)

At a glance

Background:

Lessons Learnt

Other Relevant Examples

Contact Information:

At a glance

Background:

What Else? Other Relevant Examples

Contact Information:

Use this resource to

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Highlights

Related links

Abstract