Sophia Carodenuto

Sophia Carodenuto is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography within the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Victoria. Her office is located in DTB B350, and she can be reached at carodenuto@uvic.ca or by phone at 250-853-3281. She holds a PhD from Freiburg University, Germany, and specializes in natural resources governance, supply chain sustainability, and global food systems with a focus on Africa.

Education:

• PhD in Geography, Freiburg University, Germany

Dr. Carodenuto's research focuses on the political geography of natural resource governance, particularly in global food systems. She investigates how trade, public policy, and political economies shape land use, social justice, and ecosystems. Her work integrates science with environmental policy to inform governments, businesses, and communities on land-use change, climate finance, and sustainability solutions. She is particularly interested in tropical forest-risk commodities and collaborates closely with policymakers, industry, and civil society.

Her recent publications (2022-2025) reflect a strong focus on cocoa supply chains, deforestation, and sustainability governance. Key themes include the role of traders in sustainability, equity in value chain policies, decolonization of food systems, and indigenous knowledge bridging. Her work often employs transdisciplinary methods and addresses challenges in West Africa, Canada, and Tanzania, with an emphasis on practical solutions for ethical production and consumption.

Dr. Carodenuto has not been listed as receiving any scientific awards in the provided information.

Dr. Carodenuto leads the Environmental Governance Group (envirogov.org) and has supervised students in her courses, though specific advisees are not listed. She has been principal investigator on multiple grants, including:

• SSHRC-funded projects on decolonizing chocolate, digital place-making in craft chocolate, cacao origin relationships, traders as sustainability governance actors, cocoa's living income in Ghana, and tracing zero deforestation cocoa.
• Mitacs Accelerate project on e-commerce and digital place-making.
• UVic LTSI project on Indigenous Environmental Stewardship.

Dr. Carodenuto leads the Environmental Governance Group (envirogov.org), a community-engaged research group that collaborates with global and local partners, including communities, policymakers, and companies. The group focuses on the political geography of natural resource governance and sustainable food systems.