Master in Agrifood Innovation Management University of Trento

The Master’s degree program in Agrifood Innovation Management is designed to meet the demand of graduate students for professional and scientific skills in the field of agri-food innovation management, product enhancement, and improvement of quality management systems. These will be crucial drivers of economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 emergency.

The degree aims to train and develop agrifood innovation managers, who will be able to promote innovation in the agrifood industry, encourage the development of new business initiatives and endorse positive change at the supply chain level. These actions are geared to enhance and add value to specialties and high-quality produce of the area in which the agrifood innovation manager operates and facilitate the transition towards more sustainable agrifood production systems.

This highly interdisciplinary degree offers a training program that aims to stimulate innovative solutions in agrifood supply chains, from primary production to processing and commercialization. The degree also provides knowledge and understanding of the evolution of food culture and trends in agri-food markets.

Program Overview

The Master's degree course in Agrifood Innovation Management is the result of the collaboration between the University of Trento and the Edmund Mach Foundation and is hosted in the San Michele all'Adige campus: a center equipped with infrastructures and technologies that allow the transfer of theoretical and applied knowledge.

In addition to classrooms, there are study rooms with computer stations, two teaching laboratories fully equipped for biology and chemistry activities, experimental greenhouses, several laboratories equipped for the analysis of agri-food products and food processing, an educational wine cellar and a farm with specific areas used for field teaching activities.

The province of Trento is an area characterized by a strong synergy between research, production, and promotion. This creates an ideal context for a degree program that aims to bring students closer to the job market.

The Steering Committee of this degree program is composed of the degree course coordinator, instructors nominated by the Center Council, a student representative, an administration manager, and 15 experts from the academic and professional arena who were nominated by the Center C3A Council.

First year

Second year

Elective courses

• Eco-sustainable methods for the prevention and management of invasive alien species
• Ecology and epidemiology of ectoparasites of agricultural and health interest with reference to alien species and zoonotic organisms
• Innovative and sustainable techniques for minor and specialty crops in the Alps
• Sustainable rural land use and landscape planning
• Water Resources Management Methods
• Sustainable management of terrestrial ecosystems in relation to global changes and anthropic alterations
• Tourist destination management
• Consumer demand and new trends in consumption and diets
• Nutritional and nutraceutical characteristics of food and role of nutrients in the diet
• Novel food production and processing methods (cell cultures, insects, textured vegetable proteins).

The programme is completed with an internship (2 credits) and the final thesis (20 credits).

Learning outcomes aim at acquiring knowledge in:

• biology, physiology, genetics of the production and harmful agents and their interaction in the ecosystem
• innovative and sustainable production, conservation and transformation methods of crop and alpine short-cycle animal farming as well as their impact on the chemical-physical and sensorial qualitative characteristics of agrifood products
• innovative strategies, solutions and methods for the quantitative-qualitative improvement of agricultural production, adaptive defense against biotic and abiotic stresses via a more sustainable use of natural resources and a reduction of the impacts on environmental and human health
• new strategies and methods to introduce innovation in agrifood production and processing
• principles for sustainable agrifood production and innovative solutions for the reduction of the anthropic impact of agriculture on the environment, with emphasis on risk and opportunities that rural areas may encounter
• key principles of marketing applied to the agrifood sector, with focus on innovative products, national and international markets and their evolution
• key principles of law related to agrifood production and commercialization, protection and promotion of technological innovation, including ethical principles
• machines and plants for the production, storage, and transformation of agri-food products, design, selection criteria with attention to the most innovative aspects also related to sensors and automation, control systems, and data analysis

At the end of their studies, graduates will be able to:

• improve crop and animal production in terms of quality and sustainability and increase the competitiveness of supply chains thanks to the introduction of advanced techniques and technologies, the use of traditional and innovative genetic improvement tools, the implementation of advanced agronomic practices including storage and transformation in post-harvest, the use of biotechnology and biological techniques for crop defense and animal nutrition in extensive farming to improve animal welfare
• develop or optimize innovative and sustainable production processes including aspects related to production, genetic improvement, defense, engineering, agricultural economics, marketing, industrial standards, and regulations
• design, introduce and independently manage and test the innovation in traditional supply chains, also considering the production of new types of food, with attention to the market demand and consumer preferences
• program, plan and conduct analyses, process collected data with advanced mathematical models and IT tools; critically interpret the results; write reports within research project and development of research proposal which aims to improve agricultural production and its sustainability

The course aims at training a high-level professional figure, specialized in the planning and management of innovation in agri-food supply chains, with a specific focus on the improvement of agronomic management and storage in medium-small farms and in other realities, such as:

• companies operating in the production, storage, transformation, and marketing of plant and animal products;
• cooperatives;
• public and private entities that offer specific services in the agri-food sector
• public and private research and consultancy institutions, national (Ministries, Regional and Provincial Departments, Professional trade associations, National Certification Service, Technical Services of Local and Territorial Administrations, Environmental Agencies, Associations for the protection of productions, certification bodies for agricultural production, etc.) and international organization in the public sector (European Commission, EFSA, FAO, etc.);
• large retail centers and chains;
• freelance agronomist profession.