This course aims to provide knowledge and practical skills useful for a sustainable and safe development of agri-food productions. Students will learn strategies and technologies to optimize the resource use, as well as to minimize and/or valorize agricultural waste. The course will provide theory and practice to evaluate the environmental issues connected with production systems, in the context of a more circular economy. In addition, the course will analyze the main risks related to agricultural works, with the aim of planning safer activities.

At the end of the course the student is expected to have acquired knowledge on: • sustainable development and circular economy; • available strategies and technologies for optimizing the use of resources; • available strategies and technologies for the waste minimization and/or its material and energy valorization; • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to quantify potential environmental impacts of products and processes; • the main causes of accidents or damage to the health of workers in agricultural works and strategies to reduce their risk. In addition, the student is expected to be able to apply this knowledge and develop skills to: • identify, evaluate and compare technologies and solutions for optimizing the use of resources; • identify, evaluate and compare technologies and solutions for the waste minimization and/or valorization; • perform a life cycle assessment and interpret the results in the context of a more circular and resource efficient economy; • plan operations and activities in a correct and safe way. This course contributes to the development of a professional figure having competences and skills to make informed decisions for a sustainable and safe development of agri-food productions.

No pre-requirements.

Sustainability module – Part A (2 credits, ING-IND/25) • The road map of sustainability from Rio Conference to Next Generation EU. • Concept of Sustainable Development and linkage of agro-industrial ecology to sustainability. Use of resources, choice of raw materials. Energy strategies and perspectives. • Products and processes of food value chains. Macroscopic mass and energy balances in the most common production scenarios. • Fossil fuels: overview of production, costs, and development prospects. Alternative fuels and renewable sources. • The ecological transition: concept, definition, and application of the meaning of sustainable agriculture and circular economy, based on PNRR vision. • Sinergy between sustainable agriculture and digitalization: concept and application. Sustainability module – Part B (2 credits, ICAR03) • Role of natural resources in the economy and man’s efforts to modify the earth to his needs. From the birth of the “Environmental debate” to Net-Zero by 2050 pledges. • Circular economy. Core CE concepts and strategies to achieve a higher resource efficiency. The EU action plan(s) for the Circular Economy. The EU Circular Economy monitoring framework. Circular economy indicators. • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA methodology to evaluate the environmental profile of production and consumption systems. Origin and basic principles of LCA according to ISO 14040 standards. • Challenges for the calculation of local and global environmental impacts related to agricultural systems. Modelling yield, carbon sequestration and biogenic emissions. Challenges for the calculation of impacts due to land use changes. Use of LCA to compare intensive and extensive agricultural systems. Environmental impacts related to the valorization of agricultural by-products and waste. • Basics of green communication and green labelling schemes, with focus on EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF). • Use of an LCA software application with practical examples on agricultural processes. Safety module (2 credits, ING-IND/28) • General information on safety issues. • The organization of activities; main sources of risk for workers and typical accidents occurring in workplaces. • Analysis of occupational risks; causes of accidents and strategies for the containment of accidents in agricultural works. • Risk of accidents and damage to the health of workers resulting from dust, handling of loads, storage of materials and vibrations. • Risks linked to particular conditions of confined spaces. • Risks related to water, electricity and fires. • Risks related to noise produced by machines and plants. • Risk related to accident with machineries and vehicles used in agriculture. • Risks due to the working at heights.

The course is structured in (A) theoretical lessons, (B) Life Cycle Assessment laboratories, (C) a team project and (D) exercises on the safety module. The IT laboratory will be used to carry out the Life Cycle Assessment practice exercises which require the use of a software. Team projects must be carried out by teams of 4 to 5 students and is finalized to produce a report on the LCA of a product or process. Detailed guidelines will be distributed. The exercises on the safety module will cover environments typical of agricultural activities. For each of them the risks will be analyzed and the procedures for their minimization defined. These exercises are carried out by the students in groups and are assisted by the teachers.

• Powerpoint Slides available at the Politecnico web site. • Weidema, et al., Assessing the environmental impact of agriculture, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2019 • Analysis of the Waste Report for the current year (downloadable from the website of Regione Piemonte, or from other international portals). • Consultation of institutional websites (Ispra, enea, cobat, coeu, conai, coreve, cial) • Suggested books available in the Department library • Internet links to free docs and papers on sustainability and safety in agriculture • Additional supplementary materials (uploaded in the Politecnico web site).

Modalità di esame: Prova scritta (in aula); Elaborato progettuale in gruppo;

Exam: Written test; Group project;

... The final examination consists of a written test (1,5 hours) made of open (essay) questions on the topics of the course and short exercises. The final mark is given 70% according to the mark obtained in the written examination (passmark 16/30) and 30% according to the mark obtained in the Team Project report. In order to attend the final exam it is necessary: -to register via web site of the Politecnico within the deadline; -to submit the Team Project report any time, but not later than 5 days before the written examination. The written examination must be in legible English. The use of teaching material during the exam is not allowed.

Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.