ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3385-972X. University Lecturer in Physiological Plant Ecology, Principal Investigator, Sensory and Physiological Ecology of Plants Research group (University of Helsinki), Docent in Plant Physiological Ecology (University of Eastern Finland), Information Officer (UV4Plants International Scientific Association), Editor-in-Chief (UV4Plants Bulletin). Ingeniero Agrónomo, especialidad Fitotecnia (Universidad de Buenos Aires), MSc en Producción Vegetal (Universidad de Buenos Aires), PhD in Science (University of Edinburgh). Teaching: Sensory and physiological ecology of plants, Ecosystems ecology, Statistics and design of experiments, Plant Photobiology.

Projects

Sensory and physiological ecology of plants. Bridge the gap between laboratory-based research and field applications.

Antti Autio is a Ph.D. student in the Doctoral Programme in Interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences (DENVI) at the University of Helsinki. He holds a master’s degree in Development Geography and his dissertation research focuses on smallholder farmer’s adaptation to climate change in East Africa from the perspective of political ecology.

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

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.

Omotomilola Ikotun is a researcher of the Time, Space and the Environment in Society Doctoral Programme at the University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu. Her research analyses pastoral access to water supply, pastoral inequality and the impact of environmental conflicts on borders, access to natural resources, and agriculture market access development in Nigeria and West Africa.

I am working on the Aid, Policy, and Growth nexus, which is close to development cooperation, policy intervention, and sustainable agriculture development. I am particularly interested in addressing the global shared responsibilities and contemporary issues of the food crisis, climate change, and poverty in developing countries.

I am professor of Tropical Silviculture and Director of Viikki Natural Resources Institute (VITRI) at the University of Helsinki, Finland. I am an expert in tropical forestry, climate change, forest ecology, and forest management.

Projects

Building Biocarbon and Rural Development in West Africa (BIODEV) – Work Package 3 (WP3): National policies and capacity strengthening

My research focuses on topics related to the environmental, economic and social dimension of biomass production. I have participated in a number of national and international projects linked to these research lines, often in the Nordic area. As a lecturer, I have been responsible for several courses oriented to graduate and PhD students, particularly related to statistical and research methods, supply and energy use of lignocellulosic biomass and bioenergy markets and policies, among others.

Projects

Training Masters in Ecosystem Services Management in Protected Areas - ECOSERVE

Decision Support for the Supply of Ecosystem Services under Global Change - DecisionES

Sustainable Management of Forest Resources

I am a research professor at Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). I have a PhD in production economics and farm management and a title of Docent in Agricultural Economics at the University of Helsinki. My research mainly focuses on the following topics: economics of animal health and welfare; bio-economic modelling of animal production management, animal disease outbreaks and interventions to reduce different types of animal health disorders; adaptation of agriculture to climate change; food safety management; edible insects; competitiveness of animal-based supply chains. I have worked in several national and international projects such as EU-funded projects PROHEALTH, LEAP4FNNSA and ProIntensAfrica, NEAT Erasmus network, GroupHouseNet Cost action, and FoodAfrica research for development programme.

Projects

Improving Food Security in West and East Africa (FoodAfrica I & II)

Projects

RuralVoice - Mobile Voice Based Services for Rural and Unprivileged areas of India and other Emerging Economies

Building rural renaissance and suburban development with interactive technology solutions in India – a research agenda