What do a Lubbock cotton farm, New York textile recycling facilities, a Capitol Hill policy briefing, New York rooftop farm and a South Carolina fiber farm have in common? For students in UNT's Transformational Leadership in Food and Fiber study tour, they're all stops on the same journey, one that traces how the clothes we wear and the food we eat move from the farm to the final consumers.

The study tour is the signature experience of a four-year USDA-NIFA-HSI funded grant led by Associate Dean Dr. Jiyoung Kim, and Co-PI Dr. Christy Crutsinger, Director of the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management. Each year, Dr. Kim teaches the course as part of the grant, taking students beyond the classroom to visit organizations, institutions, and businesses tackling sustainability across the food and fiber supply chain. Past tours have taken students to Lubbock, Washington D.C., South Carolina, New York, and sites across North Texas.

The trips are just one piece of a much larger initiative. The project is designed to build leadership skills in undergraduate and graduate students and prepare them to take on the challenges facing agriculture and the food and fiber industries — from the farm, through manufacturing and distribution, to the retail shelf where consumer choices ultimately shape the market.

Beyond the study tour, the grant supports a full slate of activities: an annual leadership symposium, hands-on research workshops, a workshop for high school students, and a Certificate in Sustainable Food and Fiber — giving students at every stage a way to get involved.

Together, these efforts reflect a simple idea: that solving the food and fiber industry's biggest challenges takes leaders who understand the entire supply chain, from soil to store shelf.

Learn more about the Farm Food Fashion program.