The focus of the group is on the study of the impacts of agricultural, forestry and rural policies on rural areas and markets

The research group develop analysis of agricultural and forestry policies, applied at different levels (international, national and regional); policies significantly influence the activities and results of companies.
In particular, rural areas have for years benefited from specific policies that have an impact on the economic, environmental and social aspects of the involved populations, providing tools to support economic activities and markets. In the forestry field, too, the public role is of great importance, given the prominence of the ecosystem services provided by the forest, the fight against climate change and market regulation.

The members of the group analyse the impacts of policies on the agro-forestry market and evaluate useful strategies to identify new prospects for sustainable development. These include, for example, new forms of business organisation, such as cooperatives and consortia, land associations and business networks. Moreover, classic marketing methods are being studied alongside new forms able to increase profitability for the companies while guaranteeing social sustainability (e-commerce, social media, alternative direct sales networks). The latter aspect, for example, has recently been the subject of an in- depth study of the so-called "Alternative Food Networks", including direct sales, farmers' markets and Solidarity Purchasing Groups.

• NODES-PNRR. The NODES project - DIGITAL AND SUSTAINABLE NORTHWEST - with Spoke 7, deals with the secondary agro-industry in Piedmont. With this project, digital and sustainable solutions are being sought to innovate products and processes in the animal (especially beef and dairy products) and plant (apple, hazelnut, wine) supply chains. With the aim of increasing the competitiveness of local food companies, which are directly involved in all the exploratory phases, issues related to packaging, communication, consumer needs and expectations are addressed with the most advanced digital technologies, from nanosensors to robotics. The theme of sustainability, from the perspective of the circular economy, spans all the supply chains under analysis.
• Alternative Food Networks: an Interdisciplinary Assessment (AFNIA), 2012, finanziato dalla Compagnia di San Paolo - Call 3 - Strategic Research Grants, Università di Torino.

• Bruzzese, S., Blanc, S., Novelli, S., & Brun, F. (2023). A Multicriteria Analysis to Support Natural Resource Governance: The Case of Chestnut Forests. Resources, 12(3), 40
• Bruzzese, S., Blanc, S., Paletto, A., & Brun, F. (2023). A systematic review of markets for forest ecosystem services at an international level. Canadian Journal of Forest Research
• Merlino V.M., Mastromonaco G., Borra D., Blanc S., Brun F., Massaglia S. (2021). Planning of the cow milk assortment for large retail chains in North Italy: A comparison of two metropolitan cities, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 59. doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102406
• Blanc S., Massaglia S., Borra D., Mosso A. & Merlino V. M. (2020). Animal Welfare and Gender: A Nexus in Awareness and Preference When Choosing Fresh Beef Meat? Italian Journal of Animal Science 19(1):410–20. doi:10.1080/1828051X.2020.1747952
• Pippinato, L., Blanc, S., Mancuso, T., & Brun, F. (2020). A sustainable niche market: how does honey behave?. Sustainability, 12(24), 10678.

• Italy
  Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo (CRC), Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino (CRT), Coldiretti Cuneo, Confagricoltura Cuneo, UNAAPI (UNione Associazione Apicoltori Italiani), Ministero Agricoltura Italiano (MIPAAF), Regione Piemonte, Regione Lombardia, CREA-Centro Politiche e Bioeconomia (sede di Torino), IRES (Istituto di Ricerche Economiche e Sociali), Università degli Studi di Milano, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Dipartimento di Economia e Statistica "Cognetti de Martiis", Dipartimento di Culture, Politica e Società, Università di Palermo, Università di Scienze Gastronomiche di Pollenzo.
• France
  INRA PACA (Institut National de la recherche agronomique, Avignon-Sophia), ADAPI (Association pour le développement de l’apiculture en PACA)
• Greece
  Agricultural University of Athens