Francesco Maria Betti

Francesco Betti is a doctoral researcher at the Catholic University of Lille, particularly under the European School of Political and Social Sciences (ESPOL).

In his PhD project, he explores the intersection of food sovereignty and food democracy, examining their synergies and conflicts to propose holistic governance models for sustainable and equitable food systems. Francesco’s research focuses on addressing environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and social inequalities, strongly emphasising community resilience and inclusive participation.

Francesco holds an M.A. in Food Politics and Sustainable Development from ESPOL, where he researched the relationship between the Paris Agreement and green-grabbing to uncover how international climate policies shape corporate behaviours and land use practices. He completed his undergraduate studies (B.Sc.), undertaking Economics and Marketing in the Agro-Industrial Systems at the University of Bologna, Italy.

Drawing from his personal background as a farmer, Francesco has cultivated a keen interest in researching food sovereignty, land rights, climate governance, and sustainable food systems.