#WEUNITUS

XXXVI CICLO | Pinca Vittoria

PINCA VITTORIA

PhD student in Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods – Curriculum politica agroalimentare.

Cicle: XXXVI

Tutor: Simone Severini; Sara Savastano

Thesis title: The Role of Neglected and Underutilized Species in Building the Resilience of Poor Mountain Communities. Two Case Studies from Western Nepal

Email: vttoriapinca@hotmail.com

Curriculum Vitae

 

  • Personal profile and research interests

    Junior economist and experienced gender specialist with a strong background in agricultural economics, gender equality, and rural development. My work integrates impact assessment, capacity development, and agroecology, with a focus on promoting resilience through neglected and underutilized species (NUS) in challenging environments.
    My research centers on enhancing the resilience of vulnerable communities through the sustainable use of agro-biodiversity, particularly NUS, and the integration of gender-sensitive approaches in agricultural and environmental policies.

  • PhD project

    Project Title:
    The Role of Neglected and Underutilized Species in Building the Resilience of Poor Mountain Communities. Two Case Studies from Western Nepal
    Summary:
    The research explores the effectiveness of Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) as a strategy for enhancing agricultural resilience and diversification in Western Nepal’s mountain regions, focusing on wild olive and finger millet. NUS, known for their resilience to harsh climatic conditions, emerge as potential catalysts for economic, social, and environmental benefits within these vulnerable farming communities.
    The study employs a dual-case approach, examining the introduction of olives and the integration of finger millet into local farming systems. The first case study assesses olive cultivation’s multifaceted impacts, utilizing the Social Return on Investment (SROI) to quantify economic, social, and environmental returns. This holistic evaluation reveals that investing in both wild and domesticated olive varieties can generate significant economic benefits, labor opportunities, women’s empowerment, and environmental gains, including slope stabilization and CO2 sequestration.
    The second case employs a Positive Mathematical Programming (PMP) model to simulate the baseline situation of small, medium, and large farm households and projects future scenarios considering decreased cereal yields by 2050 and the dietary integration of finger millet. The findings highlight finger millet’s role in climate adaptation, enhancing dietary diversity and complementing staple cereals.

  • Publications

    Pinca, V., Valle, S., De Muro, P., Savastano, S., & Severini, S. (2024). Assessing the economic, social and environmentalpotential of wild and domesticated olive growing options in a far Western District of Nepal. Agricultural Systems, 214, 103841.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103841