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Dr Nicola Favretto
Associate Lecturer and Researcher

Profile

Biography

Dr Favretto is an interdisciplinary social scientist and Lecturer in Human Geography, whose work bridges social policy and environmental sustainability by addressing the environmental, socio-economic, and policy aspects of sustainable development. Holding a PhD in Environmental Sustainability, he utilises a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to analyse livelihoods, policies, and institutions, particularly within the context of climate change and its social repercussions. His expertise focuses on how environmental changes exacerbate poverty and global inequalities, particularly affecting marginalised communities.

Dr Favretto's research, spanning sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Europe, specialises in participatory livelihood impact assessments in agro-ecosystems, highlighting the role of environmental governance in promoting more inclusive and sustainable development. He conducts policy and stakeholder analysis, provides strategic advice on climate-resilient solutions, and designs projects that address the multifaceted challenges of international development.

Having undertaken both research and managerial roles with international organisations such as United Nations University, United Nations Development Programme, and the European Commission, Dr Favretto focuses on bridging science-policy gaps. His work emphasises the intersection of social inequality and environmental change, offering insights into how policies can better address the social impacts of climate change through equity-focused, sustainable solutions.

Areas of expertise:

  • Climate-resilient development strategies
  • Environmental justice and addressing inequality
  • Sustainable land management and ecosystem service-based solutions
  • Sustainable energy for poverty alleviation
  • Multi-stakeholder engagement

Modules taught

  • Equitable and Sustainable Futures
  • Sustainable and Just Futures
  • From Foundations to Innovations in Human Geography Research
  • Geographical Perspectives for Environmental Issues
  • Introduction to Research Skills
  • Research Skills and Methods
  • Energy Transitions and Low Carbon Futures
  • Engendering Change

Qualifications

  • PhD, Environmental Sustainability, University of Leeds
  • MSc, International Economic Integration, University of Pavia
  • BSc, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca

Research

Overview

Dr Favretto has led the design, coordination, and implementation of diverse research and capacity-building initiatives at the nexus of climate resilience, environmental governance, and sustainability transitions. His work is rooted in active stakeholder engagement and capacity development, with a strong emphasis on translating academic insights into actionable strategies for addressing complex environmental challenges. He frequently collaborates with non-academic partners, including through the delivery of e-training modules that have reached thousands of registered participants. Dr Favretto has also convened and moderated several high-level science-policy dialogues and authored a range of policy-oriented reports and brief.

 

Dr Favretto’s key research and capacity building projects include:

 

  • 2024-2025. Climate-resilient agriculture: Linking yield modelling to human responses to climate change, York Environmental Sustainability Institute (YESI) Discipline Hopping Fellowship.
  • 2023-2025. Livelihood diversification among women farmers in Nigeria’s flood-resilient drylands, York Environmental Sustainability Institute (YESI) International Fellowship.
  • 2022-2025. Opportunities for climate resilient development across vulnerable geographies in Europe, funded by the University of York.
  • 2021-2022. Harnessing climate change mitigation benefits through tree restoration in drylands of Northern Nigeria, UKPACT
  • 2020-2021. Building the evidence base for climate smart agri-food systems, GCRF-AFRICAP (BBSRC).
  • 2020. Advancing the impacts of socio-ecological restoration through multi-stakeholder partnerships in South Africa, ESRC Impact Acceleration Account Fund.
  • 2019-2020. African Climate Resilient Landscapes project, World Universities Network (WUN).
  • 2018-2020. Building economic development and social welfare of small farming communities in Paraná, Brazil, through climate compatible development, Newton Institutional Links.
  • 2016-2020. Exploring co-benefits and trade-offs in climate mitigation, adaptation and development in South Africa and Madagascar, ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP).
  • 2016-19. Interuniversity Learning in Higher Education on Advanced land Management - Egyptian Country, Erasmus+.
  • 2016-18. MOOC: Connecting economy & ecology through integrated landscape management. How to design sustainable business models?, European Network for the Advancement of Business & Landscape Education (ENABLE) project, Erasmus +.
  • 2018. MOOC: Integrating soil degradation concerns and solutions into policy processes, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
  • 2018. Reversing land degradation in Africa through scaling-up EverGreen agriculture, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
  • 2015. MOOC: Options and pathways for action: Stakeholder Engagement, Economics of Land Degradation Initiative.
  • 2014-15. Sustainable Liquid Biofuels from Biomass Biorefining (SUNLIBB), EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
  • 2014-15. Advancing knowledge on the costs, benefits, trade-offs of sustainable land management in southern Africa’s rangelands – Botswana case study, Economics of Land Degradation initiative.
  • 2009-14. Powering Mali with sustainable biofuels? Livelihood opportunities and policy challenges of Jatropha curcas, PhD thesis, University of Leeds.

Publications

Full publications list

    • Favretto N, Stringer LC. Enabling climate-resilient development: A multi-scalar assessment across vulnerable geographies. Global Environmental Change. Accepted for inclusion in Special Issue "Resilience rising: Thriving amid climate challenges" (in progress)
    • Mohammed UM, Favretto N . 2025. Livelihood diversification among women farmers in Nigeria’s flood-resilient drylands. Climate Risk Management 48: 100708.
  • Favretto N, Stringer LC, Barau AS, Jibrin JM, Ado S, Yakubu IB, Dallimer M. (In press). Restoring dryland ecosystems: local knowledge, native species, and tree restoration policies and practices in northern Nigeria, In: Imran Khan YD, Jibrin JM, Gholkar M (eds) Land restoration through ecosystem-based approach: contexts from drylands of the global south, Springer Nature 2025
  • Favretto N, Shackleton S, Sallu SM, Hoffman T. 2021. Editorial for Special Issue: ‘Collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagement in landscape governance and management in Africa: lessons from practice’. Land 10: 285.
  • Favretto N, Stringer LC, Dougill AJ, Kruger L. 2021. Knowledge exchange enhances engagement in ecological restoration and rehabilitation initiatives. Restoration Ecology 30: e13565.
  • Favretto N, Shackleton S, Sallu SM, Gordon C, Methner N, Outa G, Sola P, Sikutshwa L, Williams PA, eds. 2021. Collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagement in landscape governance and management in Africa: lessons from practice. MDPI, 222pp. ISBN 3036514775.
  • Afzal N, Afionis S, Stringer LC, Favretto N, Sakai M, Sakai P. 2021. Benefits and trade-offs of smallholder sweet potato cultivation as a pathway toward achieving the sustainable development goals. Sustainability 2021: 552. 
  • Favretto N, Afionis S, Stringer LC, Dougill AJ, Quinn CH, Ranarijaona Tiana HL. 2020. Delivering climate-development co-benefits through multi-stakeholder forestry projects in Madagascar: opportunities and challenges. Land 9: 157. 
  • Sakai P, Afionis S, Favretto N, et al. 2020. Understanding the implications of alternative bioenergy crops to support smallholder farmers in Brazil. Sustainability 12: 2146. 
  • Favretto N, Dougill AJ, Stringer LC, Afionis S, Quinn CH. 2018. Links between climate change mitigation, adaptation and development in land policy and ecosystem restoration projects: lessons from South Africa. Sustainability 10: 779. 
  • Favretto N, Afionis S, Stringer LC, Buckeridge M. 2017. Policy and diplomacy in the production of second generation ethanol in Brazil: International relations with the EU, the USA and Africa. In: MS Buckeridge, AP de Souza (eds.), Advances of basic science for second generation bioethanol from sugarcane and their impact on technology. Springer. 
  • Favretto N, Stringer LC, Dougill AJ, Dallimer M, Perkins JS, Reed MS, Atlhopheng JR, Mulale K. 2016a. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to identify dryland ecosystem service trade-offs under different rangeland land uses. Ecosystem Services 17: 142-151. 
  • Favretto N, Luedeling E, Stringer LC, Dougill AJ. 2016b. Valuing Ecosystem Services in Semi-Arid Rangelands through Stochastic Simulation. Land Degradation & Development 28: 65–73. 
  • Afionis S, Stringer LC, Favretto N, Tomei J, Buckeridge M. 2016. Unpacking Brazil’s leadership in the global biofuels arena: Brazilian ethanol diplomacy in Africa. Global Environmental Politics 16: 127-150. 
  • Dougill AJ, Akanyang L, Perkins JS, Eckardt F, Stringer LC, Favretto N, Atlhopheng J, Mulale K. 2016. Land use, rangeland degradation and ecological changes in the southern Kalahari, Botswana. African Journal of Ecology 54: 59-67. 
  • Favretto N, Stringer LC, Dougill AJ. 2015. Towards improved policy and institutional coherence in the promotion of sustainable biofuels in Mali. Environmental Policy and Governance 25(1): 36–54. 
  • Reed MS, Stringer LC, Dougill AJ, Perkins JS, Atlhopheng JR, Mulale K, Favretto N. 2015. Reorienting land degradation towards sustainable land management: Linking sustainable livelihoods with ecosystem services in rangeland systems. Journal of Environmental Management 151: 472-485. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.11.010.
  • Favretto N, Stringer LC, Dougill AJ. 2014. Unpacking livelihood challenges and opportunities in energy crop cultivation: perspectives on Jatropha curcas projects in Mali. Geographical Journal 180(4): 365–376.
  • Afionis S, Favretto N, Buckeridge M, Van Alstine J, Stringer LC. 2013. The Environment in Latin America and the Caribbean in the aftermath of the Rio+20 Summit, In: Europa Publications (Ed) South America, Central America & the Caribbean 2014, The Europa Regional Surveys of the World, Routledge, pp. 17-21.

 

SELECTED REPORTS AND POLICY BRIEFS

External activities

Overview

  • Associate Fellow, Higher Education Academy (HEA)
  • Visiting Research Fellow, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds

 

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS

  • 2025, (Invited speaker) ‘Unlocking climate resilience: what enables progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals?’, Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity, UK
  • 2025, (Invited speaker) ‘Climate resilient development in Europe: a multi-scalar perspective on vulnerable regions’, Cardiff University, UK
  • 2023, Assessing opportunities for climate resilient development across highlands, drylands and islands, 6th Oxford Desert Conference, UK
  • 2023, (Invited speaker) Fostering climate resilient development in Italy, Ministry of the Environment, Italy
  • 2023, (Invited speaker) Nature positive solutions for climate resilience, Climate LinkUP webinar
  • 2023, (Invited speaker) Opportunities for climate resilient development, DesertNet International Academy Seminar
  • 2022, (Invited speaker) How to mobilise landscape restoration through collaboration and multistakeholder engagement in Africa: lessons from practice, 3rd Ecosystem Services Partnership Africa Conference
  • 2021, (Invited speaker) Improving the education system through innovative teaching and learning methodologies, University of Sassari
  • 2021, (Invited speaker) Building capacity to support long-term transdisciplinary research and resilient and equitable landscapes in the Western Cape, South Africa, University of Cape Town Webinar
  • 2019, (Organiser and Moderator) Linking land and water conservation to community development in ecological restoration policy and projects: lessons from South Africa, Symposium, 8th World Conference on Ecological restoration (SER2019), South Africa
  • 2018, (Invited speaker) Assessing ecosystem service co-benefits and trade-offs across alternative land management practices in Botswana’s rangelands: a multi-criteria decision analysis, 5th European Congress of Conservation Biology, Finland
  • 2018, (Invited speaker) Links between climate change mitigation, adaptation and development in land policy and restoration projects, Seedbeds of Transformation Conference, South Africa
  • 2018, (Invited speaker) Assessing successes and challenges of landscape restoration through holistic approaches, online lecture, Leiden University, The Netherlands
  • 2016, Governing sustainable energy transitions: the case of bioenergy in Mozambique, Association of American Geographers Conference, S. Francisco
  • 2015, (Invited speaker) Investment Platform for Land Degradation Neutrality in Central America, UNCCD Public-Private Dialogue Workshop, Costa Rica
  • 2015, (Moderator) Launch of the Economics of Land Degradation initiative reports’, UNCCD COP 12, Ankara
  • 2015, (Invited speaker) Land degradation in the context of the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals, Webinar, United Nations University, Canada and China
  • 2015, Applying Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to inform policies that better protect ecosystem services, 6th Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty, World Bank, Washington DC
  • 2014, (Invited speaker), Webinar, Summer School, Economics of Land Degradation initiative, Germany
  • 2013, ‘Bioenergy in Africa’, 4th International Conference, Ministry of Mines, Quarry and Energy of Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso
  • 2013, (Invited speaker) ‘Biofuel Investments in Mali’, Brazilian Development Bank, Brazil
  • 2013, ’Sustainable land management and livelihoods research’, 2nd UNCCD Scientific Conference, UNCCD, Germany
  • 2012, (Invited speaker) Seminar on energy and sustainable development, Yale University,
  • 2012, Biofuel policies in Mali, United Nations Development Programme, NY
  • 2012, Workshop on Sustainable Development, Columbia University, NY
  • 2012, Knowledge gaps in climate change research, University of East Anglia, UK
  • 2011, Energy and people: futures, complexity and challenges, Oxford University, UK
  • 2010, Towards low carbon, climate resilient societies, London School of Economics, UK
A photograph of Dr Nicola Favretto

Contact details

Dr Nicola Favretto
Associate Lecturer and Researcher
Department of Environment & Geography
University of York
Heslington
York
YO10 5NG