UNISG will launch an online summer program focused on sustainability and food policy, starting July 19 and running through October 25, 2010. The school will be organized into eight interlinked subject areas and will include an online segment (40 hours), running from July 19 until mid October, as well as a face-to-face seminar (8 hours) during the Terra Madre event in Torino, October 21 to 25, 2010.

The program's ultimate aim is to produce a guideline document for each area, addressed to stakeholders seeking to adopt food policies encompassing the latest analyses of ecological, economic, social, and sensory sustainability. Alongside the food communities present during Terra Madre, the draft document will be discussed and finalized during the workshops on October 22. The final version will be presented at the Terra Madre closing session on October 24.

For each of the eight subject areas, one or more internationally acclaimed experts on various aspects relating to sustainability and food policy will contribute. This year’s program will feature the following experts and subject areas:  

1. Social systems and transformations – Wolfgang Sachs and Serge Latouche
2. Energy and systemic productions – Jeremy Rifkin and Gunter Pauli
3. Biodiversity and ecosystems – Fritjof Capra, Gary Nabhan, and Marcello Buiatti
4. Goods, common resources, and exchanges – Stefano Zamagni
5. Law, rights, and policies – Stefano Rodotà and Christoph Spennemann
6. Sustainable education – Manfred Max-Neef
7. Traditional knowledge, gender, and immaterial values – Vandana Shiva and Carlo Petrini
8. Pleasure and well-being – Tim Lang

The program is coordinated by professor Andrea Pieroni and Cinzia Scaffidi, Director of the Slow Food Study Center.

A total of 40 students will be accepted into the program, and five academic credits (ECTS) will be conferred. The fee of €1000 covers the online program, classes, and workshops during Terra Madre, and some scholarships are available. The application deadline is May 31, 2010.

For more information, including admission requirements, deadlines, and other details, please visit the program website at or email foodpolicies@unisg.it.