We are very pleased to welcome Hanne Bat Finke from the University of Southern Denmark and Nancy Lissete Morales Diaz from the National Polytechnic Institute of Durango, in Mexico. Both are staying for 3 months, until the end of May.
Hanne has a professional background as a landscape architect, educated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. She also has 15 years experience of running her own landscape studio from a rural district, during which time she has developed a growing interest in the societal perception of landscape values. This led her to study for a PhD at the Danish Centre for Rural Research (University of Southern Denmark) for which she is receiving funding from the Danish Ministry of Housing, Urban and Rural Affairs. During Hanne’s stay in Lincoln, she will be comparing British and Danish approaches to rural development and helping to write an article about rural businesses and their relationships with their local environments and landscapes.
Nancy is completing her Masters degree with a dissertation about improving livelihoods in a community of apple farmers in Mexico. She is applying a sustainable livelihoods and community capitals framework and has been carrying out participatory investigations. As well as learning about new research methodologies, Nancy will be collaborating with Susan Marango to compare ideas about how community groups can engage in sustainable development.
Research updates to follow…