About

Direzione

CRISTIANA PEANO

President of CISAO. Full professor in the field of fruit and tree crop production at the Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences at the University of Turin. She collaborates with the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and Slow Food Italy on projects related to Presidia, Gardens in Africa and Terra Madre Communities. For years, she has been involved in research and consultancy in the field of international cooperation.

SABRINA BONETTO

Director of CISAO. Currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Earth Sciences. Trained as a geologist, her main areas of interest and research include the enhancement of liquid and solid georesources, environmental sustainability, territorial planning, and the geological-technical characterization of materials, as well as the production of renewable energy through alternative energy sources. She has research and consultancy experience in the field of international cooperation.

Contact Us

Presso: Dip.Scienze della Terra
Via Valperga Caluso, 35
10124 Torino

Comitato di gestione

RICCARDO FORTINA

Associate Professor in Nutrition and Animal Feeding at the Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences at the University of Turin. He has served as the director of CISAO, president of the SAVE Foundation and founder and president of R.A.R.E. – Association of Native Breeds at Risk of Extinction. For CISAO, he focuses on animal nutrition, breeding techniques and the quality of animal productions in arid environments. He is the author of over 120 scientific and informative publications.

DANIELE DE MENEGHI

Associate Professor in Infectious Diseases of Domestic Animals at the Department of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Turin. He has served as the president of CISAO and is primarily involved in veterinary public health, animal health and production in tropical environments with a One Health approach. He is responsible for numerous international cooperation and mobility projects and is the author and co-author of 157 publications, including research products, book chapters and manuals.

PAOLO BARGE

Research Technician at the Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences at the University of Turin. He obtained a Ph.D. in Animal Science from the University of Turin and has collaborated on cooperation projects in Africa. Within the scope of CISAO, he focuses on issues related to the use of renewable energy sources.

ALESSANDRO GUSMAN

Associate Professor in Cultural Anthropology at the Department of Cultures, Politics and Society at the University of Turin. He specializes in the Anthropology of Religions, Urban Anthropology and Religion and urban integration particularly focusing on refugees and asylum seekers. He is responsible for the project "TOAfrica: initiatives for advanced training on sub-Saharan African societies."

STEFANO BECHIS

Research Technician at the Interdepartmental Department of Sciences, Project, and Policies of the Territory. Graduated in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Turin, he is the author of over 70 scientific and informative publications, primarily focusing on the themes of energy efficiency and renewable energy in agriculture.

Our Team

EGIDIO DANSERO

Full Professor of Economic and Political Geography at the Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Turin and Vice-Rector for Sustainability and Cooperation for Development at the University of Turin. Starting from early studies in urban and industrial geography, research interests have expanded into the fields of political and economic geography, territorial, environmental and development policies, development cooperation. More recently, focus has been on alternative food networks and local and urban food policies in the Global North and South.

ELISA BIGNANTE

Associate Professor at the Department of Cultures, Politics and Society. With over 15 years of experience in research and teaching in the field of development geography and the use of participatory research methods with local communities in the Global South. She has focused on development geography, extensively working on international aid projects in Africa and Latin America.

GABRIELE LORIS BECCARO

Full Professor of Arboriculture at the Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences at the University of Turin. For years, he has been involved in cooperation activities in the countries of the Indian Ocean. He is a member of the scientific board of the Ph.D. program in Sustainable Development and Cooperation (SUSTNET) and a member of the scientific committee of the UNESCO Master's program in Socio-Environmental Sustainability of Agri-Food Networks.

MARTA MOSCA

Ph.D. in Anthropology with experiences over university and the international cooperation sector. Her activity focuses above all on applied anthropology and participatory research methods within development projects. She is mainly involved in gender and development, feminist approaches to cooperation and applied research. Today, she collaborates with the University of Turin and CISAO on various international cooperation projects in Africa.

GIADA TALPO

Head of Communications at Cisao. She has over 15 years of experience in the agri-food sector. She is dedicated to projects aimed at protecting biodiversity and promoting environmental sustainability, contributing to the enhancement of sustainable agricultural practices and raising awareness of the importance of environmental conservation.

LEONE DE VITA

Researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Turin, where he collaborates with CISAO on research and international cooperation projects. With over twenty years of experience in managing socio-educational, environmental and sustainable development initiatives, he has coordinated projects in Africa and Latin America for organisations such as Fondazione Gruppo Abele Onlus and Consorzio Ctm Altromercato.

FABRIZIO CANNIZZARO

Researcher at the Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences of the University of Turin. After obtaining a degree in International Cooperation in Agriculture from the University of Turin, he joined CISAO, where he works on territorial analysis using indicators and GIS software and on issues related to political ecology and agroecology.

RICCARDO BREGOLIN

Researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Turin. He holds a degree in International Cooperation in Agriculture from the University of Turin. At CISAO, he investigates the impact and effectiveness of agroecological production in international cooperation projects using specific sustainability models and indicators.

ELENA DE PETRILLO

Post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Environmental, Land and Infrastructure Engineering at the Politecnico di Torino. Her research focuses on the hydrological aspects of food globalisation and the effects of climate change and land use on the alteration of the soil-plant-atmosphere system. During her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Politecnico di Torino, she had the opportunity to approach socio-hydrology, integrating the hydrological aspects of the food system with social ones, from global to local scales.

GIOVANNI GAMBA

Post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences, University of Turin. He works on the biology, ecophysiology and propagation of fruit tree species, focusing on the sustainability of orchards through environmental indicators and innovative agronomic practices in temperate and tropical environments. Lecturer on the UNESCO Master’s programme in Socio-Environmental Sustainability of Agri-Food Networks and on the PhD programme in Sustainable Development and Cooperation (SUSTNET).

ELISA ARMANDO

PhD candidate in Anthropological Sciences at the University of Turin, focusing on intimacy dynamics and gender roles among Congolese refugees in Kampala, Uganda. She holds a Master of Research in Anthropology from University College London, a Master’s degree in International Sciences from the University of Turin and a Master’s degree in Political Science from Université Lumière Lyon 2. Her academic interests include gender-based violence, intimacy dynamics and reproductive health in the African Great Lakes region.