Dr. Ciro Gardi

European food safety authority, italy

Ciro Gardi is currently working in the Plant Health team of the European Food Safety Authority. Agronomist, soil scientist/ecologist, with PhD in crop science, has a deep knowledge of agricultural systems and of the interactions between land management, soil quality and ecosystem service provision.  Actively involved on all the aspects related to soil degradation, from research to policy support and awareness raising. He taught soil science at University of Parma and in international masters and courses. His main research activities are on the relationships between land use, agronomic management and soil quality, with particular emphasis on soil degradation processes, and their relationships with soil organic matter and soil biodiversity. He is experienced in GIS, remote sensing and soil survey research, which he has carried out in Italy and abroad. He has been a consultant and served as an independent expert for the European Commission, World Bank, OECD and several NGOs and he is currently member of the Global Soil Partnership (FAO).