In three semesters, you’ll be ready to work on your own farm or in other food system areas, like operating a greenhouse, restaurant, or food system policy.
Do you have a green thumb? Grow the food of the future with a career in sustainable agriculture!
Get a career that impacts local food distribution or work directly with the foods we eat - at the only higher education institute in Kansas to offer this program. In three semesters, you will experience all seasons of planning, production, harvest, and sales at the Open Petal Farm, JCCC’s on-campus three-acre farm.
Get your hands dirty! As a JCCC student, you will:
- Learn how to grow and direct market produce from your farm.
- Understand how to get a price advantage and capture full retail or close to retail value.
- Master the management a farmer’s market.
- Practice selling your produce to chefs.
- Develop community-supported agriculture (such as subscription services).
Real-world Sustainable Agriculture experiences are part of the JCCC curriculum
Earn while you learn! Get a paid internship with Open Petal Farm or the on-campus composting/recycling program.
Serve on JCCC’s Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) and have a voice in the allocation of the Sustainability Initiatives Fund.
Join the Student Environmental Alliance and promote environmental awareness and sustainability within our campus community.
Learn from faculty with advanced degrees in agriculture and horticultural science, and decades of experience in market farming and agriculture.
A career with a future for growth
Your certificate in sustainable market farming opens the door to a variety of careers:
- Manage a farmer’s market
- Operate a greenhouse
- Create food system policy for communities or governmental agencies
- Oversee a composting program
- Work as a chef or staff in a restaurant that uses/grows/purchases sustainably produced food
Increase your marketability with courses in sustainable agriculture, horticulture and culinary arts. Expand your knowledge with elective options ranging from entrepreneurship to environmental science to sociology.
Most of our students have their tuition partially or fully covered through scholarships specifically designed for Sustainable Agriculture students. You might be eligible for one of these scholarships at JCCC if you:
- Are enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours
- Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or higher
- Fill out a scholarship application at jccc.edu/scholarships
Transfer to a 4-year school to build on your skillset. JCCC partners with Kansas State University for your bachelor’s, and potentially master’s degree in Horticulture. JCCC Transfer Information and Services has information on transferring your JCCC credits to another school. Make an appointment with an Academic Counselor to explore your options.
Homework help, we got it!
The JCCC Academic Resource Center offers free tutoring in almost any subject. And our small sustainable agriculture classes — most classes have fewer than 25 students — means you’ll get one-on-one attention and feedback from your professors.
Contact info
Deborah Williams, Professor and Chair, Environmental Science and Sustainable Agriculture
Phone: 913-469-8500, ext. 4671
Location: CLB 426
Email: dwilli63@jccc.edu
