Obiettivi formativi
Transforming Food Systems for Sustainability This course examines how food systems can adapt and transform in response to the complex environmental and societal challenges of our time. Rising pressure on land and water resources, the accelerating impacts of climate change, soil degradation, and the desertification of once-productive regions are reshaping the conditions under which food is grown, distributed, and consumed. Meeting global nutritional needs under these constraints calls for more than incremental change—it requires a fundamental rethinking of current models. Agriculture sits at the crossroads of many of these issues. It not only sustains human populations and economies but also plays a critical role in managing natural resources and maintaining ecological balance. Farmers, in this context, are not just producers—they are stewards of the land, whose decisions affect biodiversity, carbon cycles, and the long-term health of soils and water systems. Drawing on insights from Earth sciences, the course explores the environmental pressures associated with today’s food systems—from land conversion and deforestation to emissions and freshwater use. It highlights the deep interconnections between agriculture, climate systems, and planetary boundaries, providing a framework for understanding both risks and opportunities. Students will also explore forward-looking strategies for more resilient food systems. These include nature-based solutions and approaches grounded in the bioeconomy, which seek to harmonize productivity with ecological integrity. The course introduces the role of emerging technologies and “re-engineering” systems—while critically assessing their real-world applications, constraints, and potential. Case studies and hands-on examples will help students evaluate how innovation, policy, and land stewardship can align to support sustainable food futures.
Prerequisiti
Basic notions of theoretical framework of Sustainability.
Risultati di apprendimento attesi
Critical thinking on the global food system today, including the current state of food and agriculture, how governments support the system, the threats and opportunities the sector is facing, and what the future of food and farming might look like;
Experiment project-based approach using real cases such as supply-chain contracts and food bio-districts
Understanding the main features and challenges of emerging technologies developed in the digital agriculture and their role in the agenda 2030
Understanding of data analysis techniques and sensors used. Study of innovative start-up solutions in the food-tech
business.
Contenuti Del Corso
Earth Science and planetary boundaries;
The incoming Vision for Food and Agriculture;
Nature-based solutions for agriculture;
Agenda 2030, the SDGs and connections between goals, indicators and technologies;
Common agricultural policy & Recovery and resilience plan;
Global Food Systems;
Food and Agricuture as Heritage;
Foodtech and Agriculture 4.0
Agrifood tech definition; innovative digital technologies for the
production, storage, processing, packaging, control, distribution of food;
Technologies for traceability and food safety;
design of new
solutions to satisfy new consumption models;
creation of
new food products, packaging;
remote sensing and Earth observation; space farm;
Big Data and IoT solutions: new approaches to 'describe', 'predict',
'prescript'
Testi Di Riferimento
Readings, Slides and materials provided by instructors. Suggested books:
- Katherine Richardson et al. ,Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries.Sci. Adv.9, 2023
-Galanakis, Charis Michel. Food technology disruptions London [etc.] Elsevier Academic Press, 2021;
-Castrignano, Annamaria. Agricultural Internet of Things and Decision Support for Precision Smart Farming. Ed. Annamaria Castrignano. London, England: Academic Press, 2020;
-Zaman, Qamar. Precision Agriculture: Evolution, Insights and Emerging Trends. London, England: Academic Press, 2023;
-Galanakis, Charis Michel. Food authentication and traceability London Academic Press, 2021;
-Zhang, Chen., Yu. Gong, and Steve. Brown. Blockchain Applications in Food Supply Chain Management Case Studies and Implications. 1st ed. 2023. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2023;
-Wurgaft, Benjamin Aldes. Meat planet : artificial flesh and the future of food. Oakland University of California, 2019
Metodologie Didattiche
Lectures, class discussion, project group work, individual assignment.
Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento
Students will be evaluated as follows:
20% - attendance and proactive participation in class
35% individual evaluation (20% individual assignment during the course + 15% final exam)
45% project group-work
Students that do not attend the course (i.e. Erasmus students or explicitly authorized students) will be evaluated during the final exam: 55% of the grade oral questions; 45% will be based on a project-based assignment to be discussed in the final exam. Students that do not attend the course are invited to send an email to the teaching staff at least 60 days before the exam session starting date, to discuss the above-mention criteria.
Criteri per l’assegnazione dell’elaborato finale
Interest in the subject
Settimana 1
The session is devoted to the introduction to the course and its working method. Students are guided to understand the multidisciplinary and experimental aspects of the program.
Earth Science, Cities and People: Which phenomena characterize Earth, Territories, and people?
Students will understand what is Earth Science and Earth Climate, looking at the components of the Earth's system, and particularly at the climate one. These notions allow to introduce the role of knowledge and scientific method and to provide useful insights to apply it. Students are guided to understand the role of remote and participatory observation for risks mitigation, as well as the significance of scales.
Settimana 2
Ecosystems & Nature-based solutions within Agriculture
How is nature reacting? Observation can be oriented to deepen nature's reactions to stress or behaviours. Nature represents a powerful tool to tackle many pressing issues that cities face. Rising fields of study focus on ecosystem services and nature-based solutions. For what attains the former, these studies refer to the possibility of taking advantage of the services nature automatically provides. An example of this can be the flood management properties certain plants have. For nature-based solutions, instead, we refer to “solutions that are inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help build resilience.
Settimana 3
“Environment & food evolution up to 2050”
We need to think about food as the next frontier in any serious effort to address climate change. How food and farming are determining the fate of planet Earth? What are the issues to address, and what is the impact of the food industry on water, land, and biodiversity? What are the choices to be made? How the UN and EU are tackling these issues? Students will share an action plan and mature a new (critical) approach to the topic.
Students will have the opportunity to discuss about food production system and sustainability through documentaries.
Settimana 4
Vision for Agriculture and Food
On 19 February 2025, the European Commission presented its "Vision for Agriculture and Food," outlining strategic priorities for the agri-food sector through 2040. This document responds to farmers’ concerns voiced during recent protests and reflects broader international challenges. It marks a shift in EU agricultural policy, laying the groundwork for the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), with a stronger focus on protecting farmers’ interests. Key priorities include ensuring fair income for farmers and fishers, enhancing competitiveness and sustainability with a focus on food sovereignty, supporting generational renewal, promoting quality production and fair trade, simplifying administrative procedures, and encouraging innovation through targeted investments. The Vision also incorporates several long-standing policy positions advocated by Italy at the EU level.
The lab explains and experiments how to interpret the state of the art of a territory, its desired change and define a strategic plan to promote virtuous approaches towards agriculture composed by a coherent set of:
Aims
General objectives
Specific objectives
Actions & Interventions
The group project-work will be introduced with a focus on supply-chain contracts & food bio-districts. Materials will be uploaded on Luiss Learn.
Settimana 5
The global food system: a systemic approach
Food systems (encompass the entire range of actors and their interlinked value-adding activities involved in the production, aggregation, processing, distribution, consumption, and disposal of food products that originate from agriculture, forestry, or fisheries, and parts of the broader economic, societal, and natural environments in which they are embedded. The lesson will contribute to a better understanding of how a diverse range of food systems functions is critical to ensuring that these systems develop in such a way that minimizes their negative impacts and maximizes their positive contributions. The complexity of food systems requires a more holistic and coordinated approach. Many food security and nutrition challenges are complex problems with contested solutions that transcend disciplinary, divisional, and institutional boundaries. These challenges in increasingly globalized food systems result from interactions across different scales and levels. They require integrated actions taken by all stakeholders at local, national, regional, and global levels, by both public and private actors, and across multiple fronts- not only in agriculture, but also trade, policy, health, environment, gender norms, education, transport and infrastructure, and so on. This plan requires a systemic approach. The students will become familiar with this concept and framework.
Settimana 6
Water management in Agriculture
Water is a fundamental resource for many well-being (water-food-energy nexus), it is at the base of ecosystems functioning and its availability and cycle are strictly dependent on climate change, as well as the coupled human-nature systems (HNS). The main regulation in the context of water resources management is provided by the Water Framework Directive (WFD; 2000/60/CE) which defines a legal framework setting out rules for the correct (a) water protection, (b) quality restoration, and (c) its sustainable use. When it comes to water resources management in agriculture and, in particular, water needs/uses estimation for agricultural land management, things to keep in mind range from the efficient use of water resources, the reduction of its cost production, up to the maximization of crop production and support to agricultural policies.
Settimana 7
Financing sustainable and innovative investments for agriculture | Common Agricultural Policy & Strategic Plans 2023-2027
The post-2020 reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has redefined the framework for the programming and governance of this crucial EU policy, which remains the largest expenditure item in the Union’s budget. In its new form, CAP programming 2023-2027 is consolidated for each Member State into a single plan known as the CAP Strategic Plan. This plan integrates the three key components of CAP interventions: direct payments to support the profitability of the agricultural sector and market interventions for competitive agri-food supply chains, forming the first pillar; and rural development policies, comprising the second pillar.
This new framework has allowed Italy to develop a comprehensive strategy to support its agri-food sector and rural areas.
Settimana 8
Financing sustainable and innovative investments for agriculture | Recovery and resilience plan - investments for agriculture: the Italian case-study
The Plan, developed within the framework of Next Generation EU, aims to revive the country after the pandemic crisis, stimulate the ecological and digital transition, and promote a structural transformation of the economy, starting with addressing gender, territorial, and generational inequalities. It also represents a response to a changing international context, particularly in light of the implications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Its investments and reforms must adhere to the "Do No Significant Harm" (DNSH) principle, meaning they must substantially contribute to ecosystem protection without causing harm to the six environmental objectives outlined in EU Regulation 852/2020. Regarding the agricultural sector in Italy, investments are focused on Mission 2, "Green Revolution and Ecological Transition," particularly within Component 1, "Circular Economy and Waste Management," and Component 4, "Protection of Land and Water Resources".
Settimana 9
Re-engineering our food: the (clean) meat revolution; GMOs and gene editing.
New breeding techniques
According to data from the United Nations, nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions originate from agriculture and related land use. Livestock is identified as one of the major contributors. In this context, some governmental climate advisory bodies have suggested encouraging the public to reduce meat consumption as a possible measure to mitigate environmental impact.
This situation raises broader questions for scientific and societal debate: To what extent is meat consumption central to modern dietary habits? Is it necessary to reduce or eliminate meat from our diets? What alternatives currently exist, such as plant-based substitutes or cultured meat?
The session will explore these questions by examining plant-based and cultured meat alternatives. It will provide a critical framework for understanding the nutritional, health, and technological dimensions involved, encouraging reflection based on scientific evidence without promoting a single viewpoint.
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Agriculture faces a multitude of challenges today. Climate change is causing droughts, heat stress, and variable growing conditions. Increased agricultural pests and plant diseases threaten yields and crop nutrition. As a society, we not only want to secure food for a growing population, but we must also improve our food systems' economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Technology gave the ability to select through genetic improvement more profitable crops, enhancing such aspects as quality and productivity. The lesson will explore the main genetic methods highlighting the differences, the benefits, and the concerns.
Settimana 10
This week will be dedicated to advancing with group work.
Settimana 11
Novel farming systems: urban (indoor) agriculture and smart micro-gardens.
Business case study
Settimana 12
Project Delivery and key take aways