I am a full Professor of Food Policy and a researcher with 30+ years of experience in research projects at international, EU, national, regional and local levels. My research focusses on sustainable rural development and the sustainability of food systems, as well as the related innovation processes. By now, this work has resulted in 90+ scientific publications, 15+ book chapters, several books and other academic contributions.

In the last 20 years, I have been involved in nearly 20 EU-funded research projects and coordinated four of them – TRUC (Transforming Rural Communication) and GLAMUR (Global and Local food Chain Assessment: a multidimensional performance-based approach), DESIRA  (Digitisation: Economic and Social Impacts in Rural Areas’) and CODECS (Maximising the CO-benefits of agricultural Digitalisation through conducive digital ECoSystems) .

Apart from my research work, I have coordinated the UNIPI bachelor’s programme in Viticulture and Enology, and I am now director of the post-graduate course AGRITECH – Sustainable Digital Agriculture. Since 2009, I have also been an expert for the European Commission in agricultural research policies. In 2020 I have taken on a new role as the editor-in-chief of the journal ‘Agricultural and Food Economics’.

Key research interests

• Rural development strategies
• Marketing of local food and sustainability of food systems
• Innovation in agriculture and rural areas
• Role of small farms in rural development and in food security

Core competences

• Agricultural and rural economics
• Rural sociology
• Agricultural and food policy
• Rural and regional development

Current EU-funded projects

DESIRA – Digitisation: Economic and Social Impacts in Rural Areas

LIAISON – Better Rural Innovation: Linking Actors, Instruments and Policies through Networks

ROBUST – Rural-Urban Outlooks: Unlocking Synergies

See the list of all projects the group is involved in here

Some recent publications

Bacco, M.; Brunori, G.; Rolandi, S.; Scotti, I.; Smart and sustainable food: What is ahead? Future Foods 39-48 2022 Academic Press

Duncan, J.; DeClerck, F.; Báldi, A.; Treyer, S.; Aschemann-Witzel, J.; Cuhls, K.; Ahrné, L.; Bisoffi, S.; Grando,S.; Guobys, L.; Brunori, G. Democratic directionality for transformative food systems research Nature Food 3 3 183-186 2022 Nature Publishing Group

Metta, M.; Ciliberti, S.; Obi, C.; Bartolini, F.; Klerkx, L.; Brunori, G.; An integrated socio-cyber-physical system framework to assess responsible digitalisation in agriculture: A first application with Living Labs in Europe Agricultural Systems 203 103533 2022 Elsevier

Singh, B. K; Fraser, E. DG; Arnold, T.; Biermayr-Jenzano, P.; Broerse, J. EW; Brunori, Gianluca; Caron, P.; De Schutter, O.; Fabbri, K.; Fan, S.; Food systems transformation requires science–policy–society interfaces that integrate existing global networks and new knowledge hubs Nature Food 1-3 2022 Nature Publishing Group UK London

Brunori, G., Branca, G., Cembalo, L., D’Haese, M., Dries, L. (2020) Agricultural and Food Economics: the challenge of sustainability
(2020) Agricultural and Food Economics, 8 (1), art. no. 12, https://DOI: 10.1186/s40100-020-00156-2

Galli, F., Prosperi, P., Favilli, E., D’Amico, S., Bartolini, F., Brunori, G.
How can policy processes remove barriers to sustainable food systems in Europe? Contributing to a policy framework for agri-food transitions
(2020) Food Policy, art. no. 101871, https://DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101871

Galli, F., Cavicchi, A., & Brunori, G. (2019). Food waste reduction and food poverty alleviation: a system dynamics conceptual model. Agriculture and Human Values, 36(2), 289–300. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-019-09919-0

Lamine, C., Garçon, L., & Brunori, G. (2019). Territorial agrifood systems: A Franco-Italian contribution to the debates over alternative food networks in rural areas. Journal of Rural Studies, 68, 159–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2018.11.007

Maye, D., Kirwan, J., & Brunori, G. (2019). Ethics and responsibilisation in agri-food governance: the single-use plastics debate and strategies to introduce reusable coffee cups in UK retail chains. Agriculture and Human Values, 36(2), 301–312. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-019-09922-5

Check my other publications: