Nicola Favretto

Nicola serves as a Research Fellow at the University of Leeds, UK, bringing a PhD in Environmental Sustainability and a decade of experience conducting mixed-method, multi-level environmental research across dryland sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. His expertise encompasses participatory livelihood impact assessments in agro-ecosystems, policy and stakeholder analysis, and research project management, which he has applied across various international organizations including the United Nations University, United Nations Development Programme, and European Commission. As the Environmental Economist and Project Coordinator of the Economics of Land Degradation Initiative at the United Nations University, he spearheaded the development and implementation of capacity-building initiatives, notably creating Massive Open Online Courses on environmental sustainability that attracted thousands of participants. His research interests focus on sustainable land management and ecosystem service valuation, agriculture and rural development, climate change mitigation and adaptation for sustainable development, and sustainable energy solutions.