International collaborations
The Master’s Course in Agrifood Sustainability benefits from several collaborations at the National and International levels.
Some of the most important names in the field of Agroecology and food production are involved in teaching either as visiting professors or part of other types of visiting schemes: prof. Miguel Altieri and Clara Nicholls (University of California, Berkeley, 2022-2025), Prof. Pablo Tittonell (University of Groningen; 2025-2026), Prof. Anna Peterson (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; 2025-2026), Prof. Georg Carlsson (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; 2025-2026), Hussein F. Hassan (Lebanese American University, 2025).
The Plant Germplasm Bank of the University of Pavia (https://terraeambiente.dip.unipv.it/it/dipartimento/risorse/banca-del-germoplasma-vegetale), one of the main facilities of the Master’s Course in Agrifood Sustainability, is part of AEGIS (A European Genebank Integrated System), (https://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/aegis/about-aegis/overview), and ENSCONET Consortium (https://cordis.europa.eu/docs/results/506/506109/127976201-6_en.pdf), which place our seed bank in the context of the most important European networks of their kind. Our seed bank also collaborates with the Global Seed Vault of Svalbard, managed by the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the Millennium Seed Bank of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK).
For further details: Prof. Graziano Rossi, graziano.rossi@unipv.it
Agrifood Sustainability is connected to several European institutions for projects on soil quality related to agrifood production, such as: Charles University of Prague, CZ; Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF); Leibnitz Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie, Potsdam, DE; University of Tübingen, Volker Hochschild, DE; German Research Foundation (DFG), University of Florence, IT; Fachhochschule Stuttgart, DE; University of Bydgoszcz, PL; Moscow State University Lomonossow, RU; University of Pietermaritzburg RSA.
For further details: Prof. Michael Maerker, michael.maerker@unipv.it; Prof. Claudia Meisina, claudia.meisina@unipv.it
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
The project “Development of a DNA-free genome editing protocol and characterization of germination profiles in biofortified rice” is carried out in collaboration with Dr. Inez Slamet-Loedin, Senior Scientist and Head of Rice Genetic Design and Validation Unit (RGDV) at IRRI. This is a PhD project dealing with the production of high-iron and high-zinc rice lines using the CRISPR-Cas approach and the subsequent characterization in terms of seed vigour and germination efficiency by employing several phenotypic, physiologic, molecular and imaging techniques. In addition, seed priming techniques will be implemented to further improve the selected biofortified rice lines with additional traits of agronomic interest, such as drought tolerance.
For further details: Dr. Anca Macovei, anca.macovei@unipv.it
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB)
The collaboration includes two research project funded in the frame of the Arturo Falaschi Program during 2011-2012, carried out in the group of Dr. Narendra Tuteja. The projects “MicroRNAs targeting helicases from rice: validation and response to abiotic stress” and “Low-dose rate gamma radiation as a tool for the study of DNA damage and repair mechanisms in rice: role of transcription factors and microRNAs” allowed to explore some molecular aspects associated with abiotic stress tolerance in rice.
For further details: Dr. Anca Macovei, anca.macovei@unipv.it
CUBWAM project (Chemical Upgrading of Biowaste to Advanced Materials) in collaboration with the Universities of Venice and Sidney, "Photo- and Mechano-Chemistry for the Upgrading of Agro- and Sea-food Waste to advanced polymers and nanocarbon materials"
This project targets the waste streams of the fishery and fruit preserve industries as a source of biomolecules and biopolymers (chitin, chitosan, and lignocellulose, respectively) with the aim of implementing innovative sustainable processes for their conversion into high added value products and materials for cosmetic, nutraceutical pharmaceutical sectors. The overarching goal of the project is the identification of a flexible waste biorefining scheme where waste management, chemical treatment of residues, and commercial promotion and salability of the products are integrated. Agricultural residues in particular are discarded or used to produce low-value fertilizers or fuels, although the pomaces from blackberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, wild strawberry, pomegranate and blueberry – currently managed as a waste – are a source of precious biomolecules and of lignocellulose. In this context, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is considered as a green technology for the recovery of precious biomolecules (mostly polyunsaturated oils and terpenes) from agricultural waste. SFE allows preliminary extraction of the pomace wastes, generating two streams: one of high-value cosmetic and nutraceutical and a second of lignocellulose that goes to the secondary photochemical upgrading. On the other hand, hydrothermal (HT) processing of waste biopolymers leads to new biomaterials such as carbon dots with advanced opto-electronic and photochemical properties and attractive photocatalytic activity that will be the basis for further upgrading/applications. The carbon dots will go either go on to the development of photocatalytic upgrading technologies or directly to the associated companies for applications in the respective sectors.
For further details: Prof. Stefano Protti, stefano.protti@unipv.it
AGRISCALE
A collaboration between the University of Pavia and Egerton University, as well as Jomo Kenyatta University of agriculture and technology in Kenya has already been active since some time, thanks to international projects, such as Agriscale, Reforming agri-entrepreneurship education in sub-Saharan Africa (https://www.agriscale.net/). The same applies to other universities in Uganda and Zambia.
COOPEN-Kenya Project
The University of Pavia is Partner of the project “Nakuru, Kenya: valorization of local seeds and their resilience” led by Fondazione Slow Food International and funded in the frame of Call for Innovators - Food and Sustainable Agriculture (Coopen Initiative) - Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo. The main goal of the project (start: October 1st, 2021) is to address the challenge of crop biodiversity in Kenya, by promoting a sustainable agriculture based on local varieties and cultivation of climate-change resilient crop plants. The project aims at preserving the local biodiversity at the level of seeds, improving local knowledge on the care and proper conservation of seeds, as well as procedures to enhance germination. A parallel activity will be dedicated to improve local knowledge on healthy and nutrient food consumption and the awareness about the beneficial impact on health at both individual and community level. Knowledge on seed conservation/vigorization procedures (innovation) will be transferred, by means of a training course, to a team of selected Kenyan agronomists who will in turn train village leaders. A parallel study will be carried out to assess the level of food knowledge and a training course will be held, aimed at knowledge transfer/sensibilization on the relevance of nutrition for health.
For further details: Prof. Alma Balestrazzi, alma.balestrazzi@unipv.it; Prof. Graziano Rossi, graziano.rossi@unipv.it; Prof. Hellas Cena, hellas.cena@unipv.it
BENEFIT-Med Project
The University of Pavia coordinates the project “Boosting technologies of orphan legumes towards resilient farming systems in the Greater Mediterranean Region: from bench to open field (BENEFIT-Med) funded in the frame of the PRIMA Call - (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) (https://prima-med.org/funded-projects-2021/). This three-year project (start: June 1st, 2022) promotes the valorization of seed quality in neglected, but highly resilient, species (orphan legumes) as tools to develop innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture, applied to the vulnerable regions of the Mediterranean Basin. BENEFIT-Med is a multidisciplinary project resulting from the synergic interaction of 11 partners: University of Pavia, Università di Sfax (Tunisia), Agricultural University of Athens (Greece), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l’Environnement-INRAE (France), Associação BLC3-Campus de Tecnologia e Inovação (Portugal), Benaki Phytopatological Institute (Greece), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology-Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research (Germany), Institute Hassan II of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine (Morocco), University of Casablanca (Morocco), University Ferhat Abbas-Setif 1 (Algeria), and the Seed Company AGROLAND s.a.- Katsis Bros (Greece).
For further details: Prof. Alma Balestrazzi, alma.balestrazzi@unipv.it