Conversion of farmland to non-agricultural uses presents a challenge to future food production and ecosystem services in US and Canada. Expansions of housing, transportation, industry, retail sales, schools and other developments are driving land out of farming. In the US there is annual conversion of 500,000 ha away from food and fibre production systems. Coupled with 1% annual population increase, this will reduce today's 0.6 ha per person to 0.3 ha by 2050. Canada has more land and smaller population, but farmland losses are occurring in fertile areas near coasts and in level valleys where highest quality land is located. Current rates of increase in agricultural productivity will not compensate for this land loss. Compared to US, there are more specific tools and legislation at the provincial level in Canada that provide opportunities for controlling sprawl. Important in both countries is general lack of awareness and concern about loss of productive farmland, a situation that could be improved through education. Stimulating collective understanding of this growing problem and providing viable solutions could provide the basis for national policy strategies to promote and assure sustainable food systems for the future and enhance the capacity to maintain vital ecosystem services.

Phenomenon-based learning in agroecology provides a rationale and platform for bridging academia and society. Learning based on reflective experiences on farms and in communities has provided the foundation and the core of an agroecology course in Norway since 2000. Student teams work with university teachers and stakeholders in ‘open-ended cases’ to identify key constraints and future possibilities. This learning strategy uses real-world situations on the farm and in the community where solutions are not already known to instructor or clients. Employing natural science and social science methods, the teams examine and evaluate production, economic, environmental, and social dimensions, as integrated into whole systems. The students then design and evaluate future scenarios and work out plans of action. The result has been a strong foundation for responsible action in students' future endeavors in education and development.

Agricultural colleges and universities in industrial countries are faced with declining numbers of students and the need to carefully evaluate alternative structures and functions to meet the challenges of a sustainable food supply. Current education and research are compartmentalized into classical departments and disciplines that often ignore the complex realities of natural, agricultural, and other human-designed systems. Communication with the agricultural industry likewise is confined to answers to specific questions that are perceived to be within the domain of specialized research and expertise. There is relative isolation from the natural resource environment and the urban society context. We propose two models for greater integration of learning activities among departments as well as moving more research and education into the field and food system. These alternative strategies broaden the concept of ‘faculty’ to include educators from farming, business, government, and non-profit groups, and promote team research and education within the context of the natural environment and with urban society. This type of action research and action learning can provide answers to immediate questions as well as contribute to a long-term, sustainable, locally-based food system through students who are prepared to deal with complex issues in the future.

Our aim is to describe open-ended case studies for learning real-life problem solving skills, and relate this approach to conventional, closed-ended decision case studies. Teaching methods are open-ended cases in agroecology, an alternative to traditional strategies that lead students through prepared materials and structured discussions to determine an outcome already known to the instructor. Our method promotes a culture of curiosity. Multiple evaluation criteria show how this learning strategy provides students with practice in researching, envisioning and designing potential scenarios for clients in the field. In agroecology case studies, students and instructors are co-learners in a discovery process that includes gathering information from key clients, interviewing major stakeholders, and building an understanding of the current context of the local farming and food systems. Two agroecology courses in Norway, a field course in the US Midwest, and an experimental course in Sweden and Vietnam illustrate this learning strategy. Student evaluations of learning have been highly positive, and skills and methods from courses have been applied in their thesis projects and professional careers. Practical results reveal that students are well prepared for an uncertain, complex, multi-dimensional and dynamic future, have the capacity to develop alternative future scenarios, and have practiced methods to evaluate options based on production, economic, environmental and social criteria and impacts. This innovative strategy is offered as a complement or alternative to conventional decision case studies and evaluated as an approach to experiential learning, an important and effective method for adult learners.