Diana Lenzi, Professor of the Master in Food and Beverage Management and of the Online Master in Agribusiness Management, is the new president of CEJA, the Organization of Young European Farmers which brings together 30 agricultural associations and two million EU producers. Rome Business School announces it, congratulating Professor Lenzi for this new prestigious role, achieved thanks to commitment, competence and passion.
Professor, what does this role represent for you and which are the next objectives and challenges?
It is with immense gratitude towards the constituents and great sense of responsibility that I embrace this new adventure as President of Ceja. This is a crucial moment for European agriculture, with so many challenges and new objectives to reach. The sustainability of the food system and the rebalancing of the food chain are at the center of the political debate regarding agriculture, and I am convinced that it is only through and thanks to the efforts and engagement of the youth sector involved in the farming sector that these global goals can be achieved. I want to be the strong and powerful voice that echoes the thoughts and needs of all the young farmers of Europe. We want to be at the center of all discussions that regard the future of European agriculture, because we are the future of European agriculture.
In which directions will you concentrate your efforts and actions as President?
During my mandate we will be concentrating on the sustainability of the agriculture sector, using a practical and pragmatic approach that looks at the specifics and diversity of European farming and comes up with applicable solutions to make our sector is more efficient and therefore more sustainable. The results of our debates and consultations will be the base through which we approach policy makers requesting measures and taylored aid that can help us reach the sustainability goals that have been identified. The new CAP is a big chapter in our advocacy work, because we believe that every euro spent needs to be targeted to investments and expenses that truly address and boost the issue of sustainability in our sector, that modernise our sector without butchering its nature and spirit, and that can help attract and involve more youth, since at the moment only 11% of European farms are run by people under the age of 40.
What of this experience will you be able to transmit to Rome Business School students in your teaching?
I believe that my experience at CEJA can be relevant for the students of Rome Business School because it will expose me to so many different aspects of policy making, networking, advocacy, interdependence of nations and institutions, communication and business capacity building, that this can only be enriching for the students. So often have I already shared with them elements of the Sustainable Development Goals to give them a broader picture of how every business needs to allocate its resources and efforts to be a sustainable part of the global balance, and how our decisions of business models have an effect on this equilibrium, that I am sure that the CEJA experience can only enlarge this type of interconnection between the subjects I teach and my other personal expertise. I am an entrepreneur, a farmer, a farmers advocate, a woman and mother, and all of this comes to play when I teach and share with the students all I have the fortune to be exposed to.
Professor Diana Lenzi: her path
Born and raised in Rome, Diana Lenzi takes an active role in many sector associations such as Donne del Vino and Classico Berardenga. After her classical studies, she graduated in Political Science, and then devoted herself to her passion, professional cooking, graduating from the professional schools of Gambero Rosso. After a few years of total immersion in the kitchens of the most important Roman restaurants, in 2008 she was asked to manage the family winery, the Fattoria di Petroio in Castelnuovo Berardenga (Siena). In 2012 she joined i Giovani di Confagricoltura, of which she was national vice president for three years, and then president for the province of Siena until 2015. She was part of the WFO Gvmnasium, a capacity building and leadership program for young leaders of agricultural associations. She collaborates with the Rome Business School as Professor of the Master in Food and Beverage Management and the Online Master in Agribusiness Management, and with the University of the Arts of Florence (FUA) as Professor of the Wine Career Programs, and with other Universities.
