Torben Birch-Thomsen

Current Position

Associate Professor, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Geography Section

GLP Working Groups

Rural/Urban Systems, Shifting Cultivation

Current Residence

Copenhagen, Denmark

Professional Website

About Torben's Work

Fields of research:
Research within the field of environmental and socioeconomic effects of land use change and intensification. A particular focus has been on the relations between livelihood strategies of rural communities, farming system, land use changes and rural-urban linkages. Most recent research projects are 'Rural-Urban Transformation' (RUT, 2015-2021; https://ign.ku.dk/rut/) and ‘The role of rural-urban linkages for enhanced climate resilience in rural Tanzania’ (RUL4CLI, 2022-2027; https://ign.ku.dk/english/rul4cli/).

Additional research has been:
- in relation to introduction of new technologies (with focus on animal traction) into farming systems in the tropics, including evaluation of land and natural resources (PhD)
- on the vulnerability of small island communities in the Solomon Islands to climate change; research conducted in relation to the Galathea3 expedition, 2006.

Experience and geographical focus:
Have more than 25 years experience of participation in interdisciplinary research-, educational-, and capacity enhancement projects in East, West and Southern Africa (Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa, Mali, Ghana,) as well as South-east Asia (Malaysia, Cambodia) and Oceania (Solomon Islands).