One of the world’s greatest challenges is to secure access to adequate supplies of healthy, safe and high-quality food for all, and to do so in an environmentally sustainable manner. Achieving this requires placing the sustainable management of natural capital at the core of food production systems. Resilient environments, sustainable production practices and the protection of agrobiodiversity can improve dietary diversity and quality, generate income for smallholder farmers and support the restoration and preservation of ecosystems. 

Modern commercial agriculture relies on a limited number of crops, reducing its ability to adapt to environmental changes and stresses. The loss or lack of adaptive capacity is concerning in the face of accelerating climate impacts. This is particularly relevant to mountain areas. Mountain farmers are preserving many rare varieties of cultivars in functioning biodiverse agro-ecosystems, yet they face growing pressure to change traditional practices due to harsh environmental conditions and climate change.  

Integrating agrobiodiversity into food systems means linking science, agriculture and economy to develop new food production strategies that can be implemented in a changing environment. This includes promoting diversified crops and practices as a resource and increased variety as a strength in agro-ecosystems.  It also involves identifying markets for biological products, developing appropriate value chains and marketing strategies and preserving local crops. 

It is essential to enable community-driven food systems that provide the best possible outcomes for producers and consumers. In such systems, producers and consumers are connected through short, transparent and direct value chains. Producers are incentivized to develop or conserve quality-based production models that are then rewarded with a price premium by consumers. In return, consumers gain access to culturally appropriate, safe and nutritious food at affordable prices.

In the first week, the course focuses on the importance of biodiversity in agriculture, with particular attention to biodiversity’s role in enhancing the resilience and adaptability of cropping and farming systems to climate change. In the second week, the course covers sustainable mountain agriculture, innovation in agrobiodiversity and urban farming, agroecology and organic certification, as well as business models and value chains with a focus on coffee production. 

The course presents principles and practices for gathering agrobiodiversity data through participatory and empirical approaches, and for their utilization to develop management strategies that improve resilience and adaptability. 

The course also analyses the economic value of agrobiodiversity in food systems as an incentive for conservation. It examines the most critical management aspects along the agricultural value chain, ranging from production to marketing and consumption. 

A set of tools and methodologies for improving market access of neglected and underutilized foods and the role of gastronomic heritage as a driver for rural development will also be presented, along with relevant case studies. 

As 2026 has been proclaimed the International Year of the Woman Farmer, this edition of the course will be dedicated to recognizing, valuing and strengthening the role of women farmers in mountain areas, with particular emphasis on their contribution to agrobiodiversity conservation, resilient food systems and sustainable rural livelihoods. 

The aim of the course is to equip participants with the knowledge, tools and understanding to enhance productivity and improve marketing strategies in sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. 

The training will include lectures by speakers from a range of national and international organizations. 

Upon successful completion of the course (75 percent attendance of the course is required), participants will be awarded 6 CFU/ECTS credits (Crediti Formativi Universitari/European Credit Transfer System). 

The application deadline for the 2026 course is 20 July 2026. 

Please note the number of participants will be limited. Click here to complete the application form.