Ann Åkerman

Background

My research as a physical geographer focused on soil erosion and nutrient losses from arable land in south of Sweden. For many years I worked in close collaboration with municipalities, farmers, consulting companies and other stakeholders in the implementation of various measures to improve water quality in south of Sweden, e.g. restoration of wetlands and rivers.

I lived in Zambia for 4 years, where I worked for a Sida-funded project on agricultural and rural development with strong focus on dissemination of  sustainable farming techniques to subsistence farmers.

Now at LUCSUS I have many different duties, mainly in communication, teaching and outreach activites.

Research

Recent research projects I have been involved in has focused on better understanding how simple, sustainable innovations (improved cook stoves and rain water harvesting systems) can be more effectively diffused in rural areas of the global South, Kenya.

Outreach activities

Engaging with local actors

I work with a variety of organizations outside of  LUCSUS. An important partner is Sydvatten, which produces drinking water for a major part of the south of Sweden.  In the long-term project Think H2O! Sydvatten offers teachers and their students in upper secondary school, a two-day school camp at lake Bolmen, which is one of the most important resources for drinking water in Sweden. Together with Sydvatten I am involved in the planning and implementation of this school camp where 800 students yearly participate. Several other teachers from LUCSUS are also involved in this outreach activity.
 

Film making

The last years I have been involved in producing films for different research projects at LUCID and LUCSUS, as an alternative mode of knowledge dissemination.
Here are some of the films I produced:

Smokeless Kitchen, improved cook stoves, Kenya

Improving rural livelihoods in Africa through the diffusion of sustainable innovations, Kenya

What happens to rural life and to the rights of people and nature when parts of a river system are privatized? Turkey

Using human urine as fertilizer, Uganda

Making Research Matter More – from knowledge to action with farmers in Uganda.

Go to our YouTube channel and see all the videos we have produced at LUCSUS »

Teaching

At the LUMES programme, Lund University International Master’s Programme in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science:

• Earth Systems Science,
  lectures and 3 day field trip
• Water and Sustainability,
  lectures and 1 day field trip
• Urban and Rural Systems and Sustainability,
  lectures and 1 day field trip
• Deciphering Landscape: Understanding the Social and Ecological Dimensions from Multiple Perspectives 
  Course convenor, lectures, seminars and fieldtrip

At  the LUMID programme, Lund University Master Programme in International Development and Management:

• Sustainable Development and Natural Resource Management,
  lectures and seminars