My research focuses on food security related initiatives in the Global South. I work on aquaculture and specifically fish farming development, food innovation using neglected foods and indigenous knowledge, food safety and quality management as well as value chain management and development of gender-based value chains. The development of tertiary education (vocational and higher education) is a cross-cutting theme in all of my global engagements in research and education.

Projects

Global Foodnet: Ancient Crops for Food Security

Central Asia Finnish Education Institutes for Green Biotechnology and Food Security

Aquaculture and fisheries development in the Kyrgyz Republic

Green biotechnology for food security

Development of women fish farmer cooperatives in Nepal

Capacity Building in Fisheries and Aquaculture Education in the Kyrgyz Republic

Education collaboration opportunities between Finland and South Africa

Bridging existing and new approaches for science, technology and innovation cooperation between Finland and Africa

Food safety and quality management

Teachers of the future : Finnish-Namibian collaborative teacher education

Food product development from indigenous foods

Role of Finnish higher education in global food and nutrition security

Niti's research interests lie in the intersection between design methods, knowledge systems particularly local, traditional and indigenous knowledges, and participatory social design-driven transformation. She is currently exploring the relationship between post-colonial indigenous research paradigms (Chilisa 2019) and integrated product development strategies for holistic knowledge production that implements cognitive justice (Visvanathan 1997; 2021) for research at the Cultural Interface (Nakata 1997, 2007; Durie 2005). Over 30 years of professional creative practice in design and innovation. This includes 15 years of leading interdisciplinary teams for fieldwork using design anthropology methodologies (rapid ethnography, indepth interviews, day in the life, observations and shadowing in markets, farms, villages, borderlands and more). Fieldwork personally completed in South Africa, The Philippines, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and with local assistance in Benin and Malawi. Networks span the African continent. Public recognition of original knowledge production includes Invitation to mainstage of TED Global 2017 in Arusha Tanzania TEDTalk video https://www.ted.com/talks/niti_bhan_the_hidden_opportunities_of_the_informal_economy

My research explores the links between education and biodiversity conservation. I am particularly interested in how conservation NGOs implement education programmes in rural communities in Madagascar and how they affect local cultures, environments and knowledge systems. I have mainly been doing qualitative research using interviews, focus groups and participant observation as methodologies.

Projects

Unpacking the role of education as a tool for biodiversity conservation

Doctoral researcher in sustainability transformations with a focus on indigenous knowledges, agroecology practices, native seeds protection and intellectual property law for protection of ancestral knowledges. Economics and political science background.

My work is concerned with the relationship between power and knowledge, reflected in the dynamic between science and politics. I study the role of science and technology in global development projects, through multidisciplinary historical analysis. My current research focuses on the epistemic and political mechanisms underlying the use of pesticides in Mexican agriculture during the 20th century.

I have been recently working on a critique of mainstream ( neoclassical and neoliberal) Economics and its relation to producing Climate Change and Ecological crises. I am a member of EXALT ( Global Extractivisms and Alternatives Initiative--- www.exalt.fi) I have been working on the conceptualisation of "global extractivism" ( see our forthcoming Special Forum on Extractivsm in the Journal of Peasant Studies). With Hamed Hosseini I have ben developing the concept of "Transversal cosmopolitanism" as a dialogic form of co-construction of knowledge for transformative praxes.

Mika Kautonen, D.Sc., Adjunct Professor, is the Head of the Innovation Studies Group in TaSTI, Research Centre for Knowledge, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Finland. His and his research group's research interests relates especially to the expansion of innovation activities in present-day societies, to new stakeholder groups, sectors and countries. Therefore he is also interested in innovation activities and innovation policies in developing countries. Those innovation activities are of special interest that contributes to a more sustainable society.

Projects

Co-creation of a Namibian Smart Community (SmartCom)

I have been working in the field of education development and research for a reasonable period of time. gradually I become fascinated in the field of environment, society, and culture. My masters’ thesis at Future Generations University, USA was on water pollution and social change and I have explored the interrelationship of human behaviors and water pollution. I, also involved with some other projects related to water and climate change mentionable are 'Water, Food Security, and Climate Change: Local Knowledge Global Implications,' Bangladesh Sustainable Development Learning project: Saving river Bangshi through community participation and student engagement. Founding member of a community development organization name TREE-Training Research Education for Empowerment My involvement with the research and development projects related to water and climate change guide me to develop PhD research on ‘Culture, climate change, and water conservation: ‘water ecosystems and culture base adaptation practices in Bangladesh

I am doctoral researcher at the School, Education, Society and Culture (SEDUCE) program, Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki. My doctoral research project investigates how English subject pre-service teachers in Finland and Kenya learn technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) in readiness to fulfill the digitalization ethos stated in the national educational policy documents. I am a member of Foreign Language Education research group at the University of Helsinki and a participant in the Training Trainers for Teacher Education and Management in Kenya (TOTEMK) project.

I am a Doctoral student at the University of Eastern Finland. My research focuses on studying the spatio-temporal patterns of dengue fever in Medellin, Colombia (South America). Dengue fever is the most common mosquito-borne viral infection transmitted to humans. Dengue fever is present in more than 100 countries. The disease is now endemic in regions of Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, South East Asia, and the Western Pacific. The control of dengue has been a challenge, as these difficulties emerge from several aspects of different natures (political, ecological, socio-economical, behavioural). There is an increasing call to change how surveillance and control of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases are currently performed since classical control has proven ineffective in reducing the morbidity and mortality caused by these infections. My research proposal attempts to add relevant knowledge that will contribute to a more integrated approach to dengue fever surveillance and control in developing countries.