Explore challenges facing global and local food systems and examine innovative responses offering promise toward building sustainable food futures.

What is unique about this program?

• Explore the diversity of Ecuador’s agricultural centers from the Amazon to the Andes.
• Experience Spain’s culinary traditions, artisanal methods, and family farming.
• Witness agroecological farming practices amid increasing climate uncertainty on industrial and smallholder farms in South Africa.

SIT's International Honors Programs provide unmatched exposure to issues and actors with a social justice lens. IHP programs will fill your days with classes and site visits, leaving most evenings and weekends free.  The program requires tolerance for small groups, openness/curiosity about difference, and willingness to accept structure with a high level of adaptability to change. With strong attention to safety and security, students gain access to people and places that would normally be inaccessible. 

Students looking to engage in independent travel with considerable free time should consider whether this program model is a good fit. For more information on SIT’s independent travel policy, please visit their website.

What is unique about these locations?

Quito, Ecuador
One of the most biodiverse countries in the world, Ecuador is home to three distinct ecological zones: the Pacific coast, the Andes Highlands and the Amazon rainforest. Explore Quito’s urban agriculture program, born as a response to increasing food insecurity in the poorest areas of the city. Meet activists, visit NGOs and learn from locals about how the practices of the Good Life and giving legal rights to nature impact sustainability practices. Trek south through the stunning Andes, passing by Machachi, Lasso, and Riobamba, to learn from farmers and local communities about varied models of agricultural production and how food affects their livelihoods.

Barcelona, Spain
Join the Barcelona Urban Research Institute (IDRA) and its impressive network on a journey to explore Catalonia’s agri-food model. As you navigate this iconic Mediterranean region, discover the intricacies of local fisheries and public markets, uncover the environmental and social impacts of the pig industry, and scrutinize the global agri-food regime while exploring potential alternatives. Encounter grassroots initiatives and local farmers involved in regenerative and adaptive agriculture, contributing to the development of food sovereignty. Engage in discussions about land and labor, the proliferation of cheap food, knowledge displacement, and rediscover forgotten recipes.

Lilongwe, Malawi
Explore perspectives on food security from farmers and local leaders in Lilongwe, comparing efforts to increase yields through agricultural subsidies with improvements to food sovereignty and nutritional security via alternatives such as permaculture. Journey south to rural communities near Ntcheu and live among smallholder farming families while studying the effects of cultural traditions, climate change, drought, ecology, migration, and international aid regimes on agricultural histories and futures.

Things to consider before applying

• Review the information on the Education Abroad Office’s Get Started page for important considerations on academics and finances, and a guide to next steps
• Still have questions?  Visit the Get Advice page and learn how to connect with an Education Abroad Advisors
• Want to keep up to date with Cornellians Abroad? Follow Education Abroad on social media, @cornelliansabroad, @CornellEducationAbroad

How do I apply?

Applying to study abroad is a two-step process. You may complete both steps simultaneously, but the Cornell approval process must be complete before your program advisor in the Office of Global Learning can submit any approval or nomination to the program.

1. For Cornell Approval, click on the "Apply" button on this webpage. Applications are approved by the Office of Global Learning on a rolling basis until the application deadline listed on this page.
2. For Program Admission, complete an external application directly on the program’s webpage, using the link in the “Snapshot” section. (Note: This deadline may be in advance of the general Cornell deadline for approval. Many programs fill by rolling admission.)