Rural Development and the Preservation of Cultural Heritages (CIGR working group 11)

Chair: Dr. Pietro Picuno (University of Basilicata, Italy)
Presenters: Dina Statuto, Giuseppe Cillis (University of Basilicata, Italy)

Date: Wednesday, May 12, 10:00 - 11:30
Location: Online
Language: This panel discussion will be in english
Cost: include in Registration

Discussion panel description:

Mission of the Working Group WG11_RDPCH is to consolidate, increase and exploit the role that Agricultural Engineering may play for the development of rural Society and its activities, in the framework of an enhanced preservation of cultural heritage and its related landscape in the rural environment. Rural communities everywhere are indeed often susceptible to long slow declines, if agriculture is no longer economically viable and younger generations move to cities in search of better opportunities. In this scenario, the role that would be played by Agricultural Engineers may reveal decisive for supporting the strategic technical and socio-economic development of rural areas, by proposing, testing and implementing new ways for the preservation and valorisation of their cultural heritage.

The main scope of the WG11_RDPCH activities will be an improved contribution to the creation of outputs, outcomes and benefits aimed to an integrated management approach to Rural Development and the Preservation of Cultural Heritage. The boundaries of these scientific areas and application domains would be efficiently addressed by Agricultural Engineers, thanks to their aptitude to a multi-disciplinary approach to plan, organize and implement activities aimed to:

  • Identify existing problems as well as assets;
  • Discover innovative solutions and approaches from good practice examples;
  • Uncover the elements and take the best from them;
  • Adjust, combine and compile the good practice in a new scientific approach;
  • Create a new good practice for regionally specific cases.

The first activities of this WG11_RDPCH will be to Identify issues through strategic problem statements. 

About the chair

Photo PicunoPietro PICUNO is Full Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Basilicata (Italy). Expert in Farm Buildings and Rural Land, his specialization is on: Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (Farm buildings structures and equipment; rural land survey and planning; vernacular farm buildings). Civil and Environmental Engineering (Greenhouse structures and technology; plastic material; agricultural plastics recycling; biodegradable films). Ecological Engineering (Rural landscape analysis; sustainable planning of bio-based value chains). He is Author of more than 170 scientific publications, as well as of the entry on: “Polymers in Crop Protection” of the “Encyclopedia of Polymer Applications” (Taylor & Francis, 2018). He has participated into several projects financed at international level. He is Academic Senator of the University of Basilicata. He is Chairman of the CIGR Working Group on: “Rural Development and Preservation of Cultural Heritage”.

Program