Teachings and Professors

STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE
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The structure of the course is based on frontal classes, as well as field visits.

There will be 48 hours of lessons in the classroom, divided between 8 different teachings.

Three field visits will be carried out in selected sites representing interesting examples for the main topics of the training course.

The attendance of at least 90% of the activity hours is mandatory to obtain the final certification.

Teaching Hours of lesson
Landscape History, Valorization and Planing 6
Integrated valorization of biocultural resources 6
Soil and water conservation: traditional and sustainable techniques 6
Traditional building materials 3
The GIAHS programme: how to prepare a GIAHS proposal 6
Traditional knowledge and sustainable innovation 6
Agrobiodiversity and rural communities 6
Agroecology 6
Total hours of lesson 48
Teaching Landscape History, Valorization and Planing
Professor Mauro Agnoletti – University of Florence – mauro.agnoletti@unifi.it
Hours of lessons 6
Course program

The concept of time and space. Methods and approaches in landscape history. The case of Italy from roman to medieval times. Timber production and forest changes, case studies from the Alpine area. Historical food production and landscape. Afforestation and watershed management on mountain areas. Nature conservation and socio economic changes.  The transformation of the landscape mosaic: case studies. The Italian National register of Historic Landscapes.  Landscape  and dry stone terraces: case studies.

Reading Material: Agnoletti M., 2013, Italian Historical Rural Landscapes, Cultural Values for the Environment and Rural Development, Springer Verlag / Agnoletti M., 2005, Landscape changes, biodiversity and hydrogeological risk in the area of  Cardoso between 1832 and 2002 (Regional Park of the Apuane Alps), Regione Toscana, Firenze. / Agnoletti M., 2000, Introduction: the development of forest history research, in Agnoletti & Anderson (EDS), Methods and approaches in forest history, CAB International, Wallingford and New York. 1-20.

Teaching will be based on a mixture of lectures, student discussions, student debates and other activities.

Teaching Integrated valorization of biocultural resources
Professor Silvia Scaramuzzi – University of Florence – silvia.scaramuzzi@unifi.it
Hours of lessons 6
Course program Objectives: Acquiring the foundations for an economic, environmental and socially sustainable valorization of a GIAHS site.
This module will be based on the analysis and evaluation of the background and the identity of a GIAHS, in order to define the vision for its most competitive and sustainable future development. Students will become confident in using tools for: a) analyzing historical, cultural, environmental resources of the territory and its stakeholders; b) developing a strategic local thinking in order to integrate the resources.
Knowledge of frameworks and tools of analysis, valorisation and management of biocultural resources will be acquired in this module.
SYNTHETIC Program
1. Territorial Capital: concept; identification of biocultural resources: the importance of participatory methodologies; governance and sustainability
2. The role of typical products: concept; protection tools; valorization strategies
3. Rural tourism for a sustainable valorization of biocultural resources: dynamics; experiential tourism; case studies from Italian and international projects.Teaching methods: Class sessions will feature lectures, seminars, case study analysis, group discussion. Online resources such as presentations and readings will be available.
Teaching Soil and water conservation: traditional and sustainable techniques
Professor Giulio Castelli – University of Florence – giulio.castelli@unifi.it
Hours of lessons 6
Course program The module will present the theoretical background and the main insights to evaluate the role of traditional soil and water conservation systems in potential GIAHS sites. A specific focus will be dedicated to terracing systems and water harvesting technologies. A series of case studies will be presented.
Teaching Traditional building materials
Professor Leonardo Conti – University of Florence – leonardo.conti@unifi.it
Hours of lessons 3
Course program The course on Traditional Building Materials aims to develop the following knowledge: agricultural, morphological and ecological functions of natural stone and dry-stone walls; Historical information and their widespread in the Mediterranean Basin. Policies for protection and valorization of the rural landscape characterized by terraced systems. Analysis of the main building features of dry-stone walls and terraced systems, causes of deterioration and restoration techniques. Several case studies of agricultural terraced landscapes (Tuscany, Pantelleria Island, Lebanon and the Canary Islands) will be presented to analyze each specific situation based on their building features. At the end of the course, the students will have acquired helpful knowledge for a correct interpretation of the terraced agricultural landscape.
Teaching The GIAHS programme: how to prepare a GIAHS proposal
Professors

Antonio Santoro – University of Florence – antonio.santoro@unifi.it

Francesco Piras – University of Florence – francesco.piras@unifi.it

Hours of lessons 6
Course program The aim of the course is to provide students with the basic tools for preparing a GIAHS proposal. The course will focus on the presentation of different GIAHS sites and proposals, including the main characteristics regarding food systems, agrobiodiversity, traditional knowledge, cultural organization and landscape. Different proposals will be analyzed to highlight how a good proposal should be made and what information should include.
Teaching Traditional knowledge and sustainable innovation
Professor Marco Fioravanti – University of Florence – marco.fioravanti@unifi.it
Hours of lessons 6
Course program

Traditional Knowledge (TK) consists of practical (instrumental) and normative knowledge concerning the ecological, socio-economic and cultural environment. As a dynamic expression of perceiving and understanding the world, it can give, and historically has given, a valuable contribution to science and technology, and more in general to the development of Human civilization.

This module aims to show how TKs systems can be used as a strategic tool for supporting the sustainable development of the territory.

After a short introduction about TKs Systems and their main characteristic features, examples will be given about TKs in the Agro-forestry chains. Particular attention will be paid to the pedagogical aspect of the “knowledge potential” and on its implication to personal and collective identity. The strategy of transition from Product design to System product design will be also introduced, applying the “community map” approach for establishing socio-cultural and economical priorities for community development, mainly oriented to increase the resilience in the development of local communities.

Teaching Food and agrobiodiversity
Professors Francesco Sottile – University of Palermo
Hours of lessons 6
Course program

Compositional analysis of food: Moisture and Water activity; Crude fat analysis; Carbohydrate analysis; Protein analysis. Markers of genuine milk and cheese composition, milk thermal treatments by means of enzyme indicators (alkaline phosphatase and lactoperoxidase). Maillard reaction. Vegetable oil composition: triglycerides, fatty acids, minor polar fraction. Chemical physical characteristics of natural fatty acids: determination of fatty acid in 2-monoglicerides. Assessment of conformity to botanical origin. UV-VIS assay. Markers of virgin olive oil Markers of oxidation.

Food Technology: definitions, synoptic table of processes and unit operations in the food industry. Food Quality: ISO standard definition, customer expectations, food product specifications and quality profile. Food process analysis: conceptual steps, application to extra virgin olive oil case study.

The Sensory Evaluation Laboratory–environment. The subjects: recruitment, selection and training; Scaling procedures. Sensory test classification. Difference tests:  paired difference test, triangular test, duo-trio, ranking test. Descriptive methods: Descriptive Analysis, CATA, Similarity methods: Sorting and Projective mapping.  Hedonic tests: acceptability and preference tests.

Teaching Agroecology
Professor Enric Tello – University of Barcelona – tello@ub.edu
Hours of lessons 6
Course program After presenting some basic notions of agroecology as a science, practice and movement based mainly on the FAO Agroecology Knowledge Hub, the session will focus on how to monitor the performance of agroecological landscapes. The recent FAO report “From nature-negative to nature-positive production” will be used to explain how to understand the sustainability of traditional peasant or indigenous farm systems by conducting circular bioeconomic analyses like the multi-EROI accounting, and the Energy-Landscape Integrated Analysis (ELIA). A basic notion underlying this approach is to maintain healthy reproduction of agroecosystems through the “law of sufficient return” when farmers co-produce with nature.

 

Applications are open!
Application deadline: 15th April 2024.
The ranking of the admitted participants will be published at the end of April 2024.

 

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