KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: Students will learn about the global agrifood system, the functioning of agrifood markets, market failures and issues in the current food systems and approaches to mainstream sustainability.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze strengths and weaknesses of different agrifood system models, understand the relationships between the environment, human societies and the economy, and their influence on agrifood system sustainability and the shift towards sustainable development.
MAKING JUDGEMENTS: By the end of the course, students will be able to critically evaluate policy and market approaches to promote sustainability in agrifood systems, and their connections with the Sustainable Development Goals
COMMUNICATION SKILLS: By the end of the course, students will be able to elaborate fact-based opinions and use theoretical and factual knowledge to critically discuss complex topics and their wider socio-political and economic context.
LEARNING SKILLS: By the end of the course, students will have developed critical thinking abilities which are essential to autonomously select, understand and analyze a variety of data and information sources related to agrifood systems and their application to real-life contexts.

Fundamentals of microeconomics, macroeconomics and marketing.

1. Agrifood system models, history and evolution.
2. Agrifood supply chains.
3. Agrifood systems and sustainability issues.
4. Mainstreaming sustainability in agrifood systems.
5. Policies and institutions for sustainable agrifood systems

Study materials will be provided by the teacher. Course slides and additional materials (book chapters, lectures and scientific articles) will be available on Moodle 2 and the Course Teams.

1. Agrifood system models, history and evolution.
1.1 Introduction and key concepts.
1.2 Main agrifood system models.
1.3 The global food system.
2. Agrifood supply chains.
2.1 Agricultural marketing.
2.2 Short and long food supply chains
3. Agrifood systems and sustainability issues.
3.1 The concept of sustainability in agriculture.
3.2 Environmental, social and economic sustainability, negative impacts and issues in the current food systems
4. Mainstreaming sustainability in agrifood systems.
4.1 Environmental sustainability.
4.2 Economic sustainability.
4.3 Social sustainability
5. Policies and institutions for sustainable agrifood systems.
5.1 International institutions and agencies, their roles and functions.
5.2 Policy approaches for sustainable agrifood systems

Lectures, case study discussions, individual work, team work and cooperative learning.

Class contents and exam requirements are the same for both attending students and non-attenders.

Student learning will be assessed trough an exam consisting of two parts: 1. Production, presentation and discussion of an original written report on a specific case study, related to the course topics. The evaluation will take into account originality, coherence with writing guidelines (which will be presented during the course), clarity of exposition, quality of the presentation and discussion. Evident and uncritical use of AI for text generation will lead to the report being disqualified from evaluation. 2. Written exam including closed and open-ended questions on the topics covered in class. The grading system ranges from 18/30 to 30/30. The final mark will be the average (50% report; 50% written exam) of the two parts. In order to pass the exam, students must get the minimum grade (18/30) in each of the two parts, which . To earn the highest mark (30/30 cum laude), students must demonstrate not only extensive and complete knowledge of the topics covered in class, but also distinguished ability to critically apply theoretical knowledge to the analysis of real-world scenarios. Students are required to observe ethically correct conduct during all learning assessment activities. Any form of plagiarism, copying, or misconduct will be dealt with according to the University's Code of Ethics and Conduct.

This course focuses on some topics closely related to one or more objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations SDGs:
1-No poverty
2-Zero hunger
3-Good health and well-being
5-Gender equality
8-Decent work and economic growth
10-Reduced inequalities
12-Responsible consumption and production
13-Climate action
14-Life below water
15-Life on land