Dr. Jackie Ricotta Co-Edits a New Book on Organic Food

Dr. Jackie Ricotta, a Delaware Valley University professor of horticulture, recently helped create a new textbook on organic food. The book, “Organic Food, Farming and Culture,” was published by Bloomsbury. Dr. Ricotta co-edited the book with Dr. Janet Chrzan, a nutritional anthropologist from the University of Pennsylvania.

The textbook is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to organic food and farming. Dr. Chrzan, Dr. Ricotta, and other contributors cover topics including organic food and organic farming principles; the history of organics; how organic food is grown, distributed, and consumed; the nutritional benefits; and the social and cultural meanings attached to the concept “organic.”

“Organic Food, Farming and Culture” also includes practical, real-world examples and case studies from organic farmers, chefs, restaurateurs, students, and concerned consumers. The book includes exercises, discussion questions, and further reading suggestions to help educators and students engage with the content. There are also illustrations of farms, food, and organic processes included in the text.

An engaging introduction to organic agriculture, this book is essential reading for those interested in food studies, sustainable agriculture, food security, environmental studies, nutrition, and health.

At DelVal, Dr. Ricotta teaches students in the University’s undergraduate plant science department and, the graduate public policy program. She also teaches students in the Organic Farming Certificate Program. DelVal and Rodale Institute, the global leader of regenerative organic agriculture, created the Organic Farming Certificate Program together. The 36-credit, one-year certificate program prepares students to enter the rapidly-growing organic industry. Students spend two semesters at the University and one semester at Rodale Institute.

When she is not educating new organic farmers, Dr. Ricotta spends her time working with a variety of organizations that support farmers and agriculture. She serves on the board of directors of the New Jersey chapter of the Northeast Organic Farm Association and, is active with the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and the Bucks County Foodshed Alliance.

About the Organic Farming Certificate Program
Delaware Valley University and Rodale Institute, the global leader of regenerative organic agriculture, created the Organic Farming Certificate Program in 2012. The 36-credit, one-year certificate program prepares students to enter the rapidly-growing organic industry. Students spend two semesters at the University and one semester at Rodale Institute. Students take courses such as Commercial Vegetable Production, Organic Food, and Fiber, Principles of Sustainable Agriculture, Plant Health Management and Soil Biology. Farming practicums take students out of the classroom to work on successful, organic farms shadowing experienced mentors. To learn more about the Organic Farming Certificate Program, please visit delval.edu/organic. Important Information about the educational debt, earnings, and completion rates of students who attended this program can be found at DelVal.edu/organicGE.