BINI VALERIO

Valerio Bini is Associate Professor of Geography at the Department of Cultural and Environmental Heritage of the University of Milan.
He holds a PhD from the University of Padua (2007). His thesis examined the impact of community-based development projects on rural villages in the central plateau of Burkina Faso.
He is vice-president of the Bachelor’s degree in Human Science of Environment, Landscape and Territory at the University of Milan, where he teaches Development Geography and Environmental Politics.
He has been lecturer at several educational and research institutions such as SciencesPo (2012-2016: African Spaces; African Urban Spaces); Institute for International Political Studies - ISPI (2018-: Geography for International Cooperation); University of Milan Bicocca (2017-: “Political Ecology” module at the postgraduate course in “Critical Theory of Society”).
He is member of the Editorial Board of two international journals (L’espace politique; Geography Notebooks) and member of the Scientific Committee of the Journal of Universities and International Development Cooperation – JUNCO.
Since 2020, he is coordinator of the “Geography and Cooperation” (Ge.Co) group within the Association of Italian Geographers.
He has been responsible for the University of Milan in two international development cooperation projects: “Social enterprise for women and development of local agricultural supply chains” (2015-16, funded by Fondazione Cariplo, Comune di Milano, Regione Lombardia); “Rural Energies for the fight against climate change” (2017-20, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation).
In the period 2012-18 he was president of the NGO Mani Tese (2012-2018) and he is currently president of the CSO Mani Tese Federation (2017-).

Quality and impact of publications
Valerio Bini’s publications are highly above the targets fixed for his academic position by the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (Anvur), in term of both quality and quantity. He is author of three books on international development cooperation (Urbanizzazione e trasformazioni territoriali nel Sahel, 2004; La cooperazione allo sviluppo in Africa, 2016; Combattere la deforestazione in Africa, 2020) and more than 30 papers on the same subject. His papers have been published in international and national journals listed among the most relevant in the field of Human geography by ANVUR.


Education

2002 – Master’s degree in Humanities from the University of Milan (Thesis in Geography)

2007 - PhD from the University of Padua

Main faculty positions

2007-2013: Post-Doc researcher, University of Milan

2013-2020: Fixed-term researcher, University of Milan

2020-: Associate professor, University of Milan


Scientific and institutional roles

Vice-President of the bachelor’s degree in Human Science of Environment, Landscape and Territory, University of Milan

Coordinator of the “Geography and Cooperation” (Ge.Co.) group within the Association of Italian Geographers

Member of the teaching board of the PhD Programme in Historical, Geographical, Anthropological Studies

Member of the editorial board of the journals “L’espace politique” and “Geography Notebooks”

Member of the Scientific Committee of the Journal of Universities and International Development Cooperation – JUNCO

President of Mani Tese NGO (2012-2018) and of the CSO Mani Tese Federation (2017-)

Coordination of research projects in the field of international cooperation

2017-20 – Rural Energies for the Fight against Climate Change (Kenya, funding agency: Italian Agency for Development Cooperation).

2015-16: Social Enterprise for Women and Development of Local Agricultural Supply Chains (Benin, funding agencies: Fondazione Cariplo, Comune di Milano, Regione Lombardia)

Other research projects

2019-: Researcher in the international project “Urban-Driven Innovations for Sustainable Food Systems – Urbal”

2010-14: Researcher in the international development project “Fight against Desertification and Food Security Support in the District of Boulkiemdè” (Burkina Faso, funding agency: Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

2012: Researcher in the international project “Grabbing Development - Towards new models of North/South Relations for Fair Exploitation of Natural Resources” (Guinea Bissau, funding agency: European Union)

Organization of conferences and panels (selection)
2020: Panel, “Quale futuro per la cooperazione internazionale? / What Future for International Cooperation?” at the conference “Beyond Globalization: Feedback”, University of Florence.
2020: Conference, “Imarisha! La lotta ai cambiamenti climatici e la cooperazione / The Fight against Climate Change, and the International Cooperation”, University of Milan.
2019: Panel, “Local Food Networks: Policies and Practices of International Cooperation”, at the Conference of the University Coordination for Development Cooperation (CUCS), University of Trento (with Giacomo Pettenati and Egidio Dansero).
2018: Panel, “Mos-aid: progetti e politiche di cooperazione allo sviluppo / Development Cooperation Projects and Politics” at the conference “Beyond Globalization: Mosaic”.
2017: Conference, “La cooperazione internazionale oltre lo sviluppo? Opportunità e opportunismi / International Cooperation beyond Development? Opportunities and opportunism”, University of Milan.
2016: Conference, “Alimentazione e società in Africa / Food and Society in Africa”, University of Milan.
2015: “L’Africa esposta. Realtà e rappresentazioni del continente africano nelle esposizioni universali / Exhibited Africa. Reality and Representations of Africa in World’s Fairs history”, University of Milan.

Recent participation to conferences and seminars in the field of international cooperation (selection)

2020: “Cooperazione internazionale e imprese private: il blocco sud-ovest della foresta Mau (Kenya) / International Cooperation and the Private Sector: The South-West Block of the Mau Forest (Kenya)”, at the conference “Beyond Globalization: Feedback”, University of Florence (with Stefania Albertazzi).
2019: “International Cooperation and Urban Food Systems: The Case of Urban Agriculture in Ouagadougou”, at the at the Conference of the University Coordination for Development Cooperation (CUCS), University of Trento (with Lassane Yameogo and Egidio Dansero).
2019: Workshop “Nutrire le città: sicurezza, sovranità alimentare e sviluppo urbano in Burkina Faso / Feeding the Cities: Food Security, Food Sovereignty and Urban Development in Burkina Faso”, University of Turin.
2018: “Attribuzioni illegali di terra nella foresta Mau (Kenya): i risultati della Commissione Ndung’u / Illegal Attribution of Land in the Mau Forest (Kenya): the results of the Ndung’u Commission”, Conference of the Italian Political Science Association, University of Turin (with Stefania Albertazzi).
2017: “Sostenibilità e giustizia ambientale. I progetti di new cities in Africa / Sustainability and Environmental Justice. The projects of new cities in Africa”, at the Conference “Beyond Globalization: Barriers”, University of Pescara.
2017: “The role of cooperation amongst cities, universities, research bodies and civil society organizations on Urban Food Policies in Africa as innovative actions in the cadre of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact”, at the Conference of the University Coordination for Development Cooperation (CUCS), University of Milan (with Egidio Dansero, Andrea Magarini, Yota Nicolarea, Roberto Sensi).
2017: “Le politiche urbane del cibo come terreno di cooperazione internazionale: il caso delle città africane / Urban Food Policies as a form of International Cooperation: the case of African Cities”, at the Italian Geographers Congress, University of Rome (with Maria Bottiglieri, Egidio Dansero, Alessandro Frigerio, Andrea Magarini, Yota Nicolarea).
2016: “(S)radicare il cibo in Africa: il caso della regione dell’Atacora (Benin) / (Up)rooting food in Africa: the case of the Atacora region (Benin)”, at the conference “Beyond Globalization: (Up)rooting, University of Turin.
2015: “I progetti di sviluppo immobiliare in Africa occidentale / Urban Development Projects in West Africa”, at the Conference “Urban Africa”, University of Turin (with Cristina d’Alessandro).
2015: Round Table discussion “Cooperazione allo sviluppo e geografia / Development Cooperation and Geography”, University of Florence.
2015: “La cooperazione allo sviluppo e la sovranità alimentare: politiche, strategie, pratiche / Development Cooperation and Food Sovereignty: Politics, Strategies and practices”, at the Conference “Cooperazione e Diritto al cibo. La cooperazione Internazionale per la sovranità alimentare / Cooperation and the Right to Food. The International Cooperation for Food Sovereignty”, Fondazione Fontana / Regione Trentino Alto Adige.