BS or BA MAJOR

What You’ll Study

Our Sustainable Agriculture and Food Studies program is in-depth and interdisciplinary. Not only will it uniquely prepare you for a career in farm management, non-profit leadership, research, cooperative extension, veterinary medicine, and advocacy — it will enable you to literally sow the seeds of a better world.

You’ll study the principles and practices of four approaches to sustainable agriculture: certified organic, biodynamic, biointensive, and permaculture. Our entire campus becomes your laboratory. Learn and experiment with the College’s own food system, from the College Farm and Garden to Gladfelter Cafeteria and Cowpie Cafe and finally to the Composting Facility. You’ll push your limits on a capstone project involving original research with faculty guidance on a topic of your choosing from soil carbon dynamics and mycoremediation to nitrogen fixation and nutrient cycling.

The level of complexity of our farming operations is well beyond that of a typical college farm, and the commitment our students show to mastering these complex tasks is inspiring. Spanning 365 days each year – in all weather and all times of day and night – Warren Wilson students are doing the things that make our farm a leader in higher education.

Chase Hubbard '95, former Farm Manager

Get Your Hands Dirty

Your major will involve hands-on learning, both on our Farm or Garden Crew and through an internship with an established sustainable commercial farm. You can manage a farm business, build fence lines, birth calves, manage an apiary, and learn countless other skills. Study the history of land use at the College, in continuous operation and cultivation since 1894 — the best college farm in the nation. Specialize in cattle and sheep, pigs and poultry, business management, beekeeping, draught horse maintenance, or herbalism on the Farm or Garden Crew. You even have the opportunity to apply your knowledge during study-abroad courses in Cuba and Malta.

Change the World, One Crop at a Time

Learning sustainable agriculture at Warren Wilson will broaden your horizons to the many social and ethical impacts that food production can have. As part of our Community Engagement Commitment, you can collaborate with local and regional organizations committed to the building of a sustainable and resilient food system. Here are a few of our community partners:

• Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
• Organic Growers School
• Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project
• Buncombe County Beekeepers Chapter
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Buncombe County Soil and Water
• NC State’s Amazing Grazing program
• King’s Agriseeds
• Hickory Nut Gap Farm
• A Growing Culture
• Mother Earth News Fair