Laurea Magistrale (Second cycle degree/Two year Master - 120 ECTS) in Precise and Sustainable Agriculture

EXPERT IN THE APPLICATION OF PRECISION AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE TECHNIQUES

FUNCTION IN A WORK ENVIRONMENT:
Graduates of this second cycle degree/two year master programme:
- deal with the economic and management aspects related to the introduction of technological innovation in agriculture, with a particular focus on crops and livestock;
- deal with the management aspects of cultivation systems for the production of feed for livestock, with a particular focus on advanced technological systems for the production and storage of hay;
- are involved in the design and management of plant and tree cultivation systems, with a particular focus on the introduction of the most advanced technologies for precision and sustainable agriculture;
- work in managerial roles in the technical and commercial sectors and in the research and development departments of companies operating in the agro-industrial and livestock sectors;
- collaborate with public and private companies, cooperatives and consortia operating in the primary, agro-industrial an animal production sectors, where they perform management roles for agricultural and agro-livestock businesses;
- collaborate with public and private companies and/or organisations at the local, national or international level to formulate, apply and update specific regulations in the agro-industrial and livestock sectors, with a particular focus on aspects related to the sustainability of agricultural production (sustainable and precision agriculture) and products of animal origin (precision livestock);
- carry out research for public bodies (universities, CREA, CNR, etc.), research institutes and private companies;
- work as consultants on international development programmes, with a particular focus on the dissemination and application of animal husbandry techniques and sustainable crop production.

SKILLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUNCTION:
- ability to evaluate economic feasibility and to plan the introduction of innovative production processes to agricultural businesses;
- ability to apply agricultural management models based on digital technologies - ability to use technology in the digitalisation of agricultural business such as ICT (Information Communication Technology), IoT (Internet of Things) and Big Data;
- ability to select technologies and to manage and use machines with and without equipment in precision agriculture;
- ability to process and manage the data recorded by the on-board machine sensors - ability to apply geographical information systems in combination with global positioning systems in order to determine spatial variability at the business level;
- ability to use data processing methods to make informed decisions in support of precision agriculture techniques;
- ability to use model-based approaches to the sustainable management of water resources in agriculture and in the application of technologies for precision irrigation;
-ability to apply precision agriculture techniques to plant cultivation and orchard management.

In particular, the skills acquired will enable graduates to interpret data deriving from technologies typical of precision agriculture (e.g. sensors, prescription maps) in order to manage nutrition, irrigation, product quality and fruit loads as well as draft prescription maps using geostatistical techniques:
- ability to apply precision farming techniques based on the monitoring and control of production, reproduction, health, behavior, animal welfare and environmental indicators, through wearable and/or internal sensors, biosensors, cameras and microphones; the skills acquired will enable graduates to interpret the data collected in order to improve the management and design of livestock businesses;
- ability to use conservative agronomic techniques that use fewer non-renewable resources, to manage the agro-ecological aspect of productive systems, to apply techniques to control the cycle of soil elements to ensure a rational management of soil fertility also through knowledge of the types and formulations of innovative fertilisers and agro-industrial biomass (e.g. the livestock sector);
- ability to use genetic biotechnologies in order to obtain new varieties tolerant or resistant to biotic and abiotic stress, to use microbial biotechnologies to develop inoculants for the bio-control and bio-stimulation of the microbiota-soil-plant system;
- ability to adopt the principles of environmental sustainability in an integrated and biological defence against plant diseases and parasites as well as to apply precision defence techniques to prevent, monitor and control cultivation pathogens;
- ability to define and achieve objectives in the selection of species of zootechnical interest in relation to the various productive systems; the ability to apply the principles of genetic improvement, including the collection of phenotypic information and pedigree data in the livestock population;
- the skills necessary to model the nutritional needs of domestic animals in order to feed individual or groups of animals, through the calculation of the nutrients provided by feedstuffs and precise diet formulations;
- the ability to use innovative management technologies to improve sustainability in the farming of monogastric and ruminant animals, with a view to improving productive and reproductive efficiency as well as the efficiency and sustainability of the production of poultry, eggs and aquaculture.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES:
- businesses dedicated to production and marketing in the primary and agro-industrial sector and in sectors dedicated to animal products and their transformation;
- businesses dedicated to the manufacture of technical products for agriculture and animal husbandry: e.g. machines, systems, feed, supplements, guarding, fertilisers, agrochemicals;
- business operating in the seed, biotechnology and microbiology sectors;
- public and private service providers that offer advice and support in the development of innovative and sustainable agricultural systems;
- producer associations;
- public bodies such as Ministries, Regional Councils, Professional Associations, Plant Protection Services, Zooprophylactic Institutes;
- national and international governmental and non-governmental organisations that operate in the agricultural sector for aid and development programmes in countries in transition or development (FAO, WFP, WORLD BANK, etc.);
- organisations responsible for the development and dissemination of innovative production processes based on precision and sustainable agriculture;
- graduates of the master's degree programme may take the State exam to qualify for registration in section A of the Register of qualified Agronomy and Forestry specialists;
- graduates with sufficient credits in appropriate subject groups, will be able to take entrance exams for training programmes to teach in secondary schools, in accordance with the applicable legislation;
- access to public sector employment is through a competitive examination;
- access to organisations, including international ones, may be regulated by specific procedures.