{"id":204284,"date":"2025-03-24T09:58:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T09:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unipi.it\/education\/courses\/phd-programmes\/physical-chemical-mathematical-and-biological-sciences\/scienze-agrarie-alimentari-e-agro-ambientali\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T15:18:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T14:18:27","slug":"agricultural-food-and-environmental-sciences","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.unipi.it\/en\/education\/courses\/phd-programmes\/physical-chemical-mathematical-and-biological-sciences\/agricultural-food-and-environmental-sciences\/","title":{"rendered":"Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coordinator<\/strong>
\nProf. Daniele Antichi
\ne-mail: daniele.antichi@unipi.it<\/p>\n

Administrative seat<\/strong>
\nDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Project description<\/strong><\/p>\n

The PhD programme in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences is a three-year postgraduate PhD course offered by the Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences (DiSAAA-a) at the University of Pisa. The programme focuses on the sustainability of agri-food systems and is aligned with the European Union’s \u201cFood 2030\u201d strategy. It spans several ERC domains, including LS9 (Applied Life Sciences), LS2 (Genetics, Genomics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology), SH3 (Environment, Space and Population), and SH1 (Individuals, Institutions and Markets).<\/p>\n

The programme starts from the premise that agri-food sustainability must be achieved through a wide range of activities\u2014from production to consumption\u2014engaging a variety of stakeholders and mobilising both natural and industrial resources. Pursuing sustainability implies that the necessary specialisation in agricultural sciences must be accompanied by a strong commitment to considering systemic implications, including the unintended consequences of specific technological solutions.<\/p>\n

The programme also acknowledges that sustainability is a multidimensional concept, which must be evaluated through a variety of criteria\u2014environmental, social, economic, and health-related\u2014so that technological strategies can be selected by overcoming conflicting interests, perspectives, and priorities. For this reason, the active participation of stakeholders is essential in defining sustainability goals and research approaches.<\/p>\n

To meet these challenges, we have designed an interdisciplinary programme that brings together agricultural sciences and a range of biological disciplines. The research activities are structured around three main thematic areas:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Biological Foundations of Sustainability<\/li>\n
  2. Sustainability of Agri-Food Production Systems<\/li>\n
  3. Food Quality and Safety<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    PhD candidates take part in teaching activities such as courses, seminars, summer schools, and conferences organised by the University of Pisa and other institutions in Italy and abroad. Each student follows a personalised study plan aimed at acquiring an in-depth knowledge of specific scientific topics, alongside the development of broader professional skills.<\/p>\n

    Specifically, in the first and second year, students attend both general courses\u2014open to all PhD students at the University of Pisa\u2014and courses specific to this PhD programme.<\/p>\n

    The University also offers cross-disciplinary training, including two \u201cScientific English\u201d courses (in the first and second year), and various workshops such as Career Labs for Doc, Research and Knowledge Management, Valorisation of Research Results and Intellectual Property, and Gender Issues Analysis.<\/p>\n

    PhD candidates in this programme also attend targeted courses such as \u201cFundamentals of Statistics for Agricultural Research\u201d (first year), \u201cPublishing in International Scientific Journals\u201d (first year), \u201cInnovative Methodologies in Agricultural Sciences\u201d (second year).<\/p>\n

    All students are encouraged to spend at least six months abroad at high-level research institutions during their second and\/or third year. At the end of each academic year, students must submit a research progress report and deliver a public seminar in English.<\/p>\n

    To be awarded the degree, each candidate must have published at least one article in a peer-reviewed indexed journal. The final thesis, written in English, is assessed by two external reviewers from other Italian or international universities, followed by evaluation from an internal examination board appointed by the Academic Board of the PhD programme, which confers the title of PhD graduate.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Course objectives<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Compared to a few decades ago, agricultural sciences have made significant progress towards embracing the principles of sustainability. The limits of industrial agriculture\u2014based on high fossil energy consumption and extreme specialisation\u2014are now widely recognised, along with the benefits of ecosystem services linked to agriculture. However, in the coming decade, agricultural sciences will face new and significant challenges.<\/p>\n

    A large proportion of food production in Europe still relies on unsustainable practices: heavy dependence on external inputs (such as feed, fertilisers, pesticides), excessive use of natural resources like water and land, high emissions of carbon and nutrients, and simplification of production processes, which undermines nutrient cycling and biodiversity conservation. However, global population growth and the need to ensure safe and reliable access to food are placing increasing pressure on agricultural systems, which have long been challenged by climate change.<\/p>\n

    This scenario raises serious concerns about the resilience of agri-food systems and calls for adaptation and mitigation strategies, as highlighted in the COP21 agreements. The FAO, in outlining the Sustainable Development Goals, has clearly stated that agriculture must significantly reduce its environmental impact in the coming decades, improve access to food and key nutrients for a growing global population, ensure fair incomes for farmers, and help sustain rural communities.<\/p>\n

    This means addressing all three fundamental aspects of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. The use of a wide range of emerging technologies \u2013 based on omics sciences, information technologies, robotics, and artificial intelligence \u2013 could contribute to achieving these goals. At the same time, there is a growing recognition, also among international organisations, of the need to align technological innovation with agroecological principles, so that farming systems can be redesigned with the specific needs of rural communities and local territories in mind.<\/p>\n

    In this context of growing demand for enabling technologies capable of improving the efficiency of agricultural systems while reducing their environmental impact, the so-called bioeconomy revolution offers major opportunities\u2014driven by advances in biomass conversion into bioproducts.<\/p>\n

    The PhD programme in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences is designed to train researchers\u2014also through partnerships with public and private institutions and enterprises\u2014equipped to address the challenges of sustainability in the agri-food sector, by improving production efficiency, ensuring high nutritional quality, and guaranteeing food security.<\/p>\n

    The main research topics addressed within the programme include:<\/p>\n