Anders Wästfelt

Anders Wästfelt is a Professor of Human Geography at Stockholm University, Department of Human Geography, where he has been working since 2020. Previously, he served as an Associate Professor (Docent) in Human Geography from 2012-2020. His academic journey includes a PhD in Human Geography from Stockholm University (2004), a Master's degree (1997), and a Bachelor's degree in Urban and Regional Planning (1993). He is a member of both The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities (since 2022) and the Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry (since 2015).

Wästfelt's research focuses on agricultural landscapes and the re-valuation of agriculture in society, examining the mechanisms driving change in agricultural organization within global integration. His work combines agricultural historical perspectives with landscape geography, drawing on classical agricultural economics, relational conceptualizations of space, and scale and distance issues. He has special expertise in image analysis, particularly remote sensing of agricultural landscapes, as well as interests in temporalities, landscape heritage, and agriculture museums. His approach integrates theoretical frameworks with empirical analysis of agricultural transformations across different historical periods and geographical contexts.

His recent publications reveal a strong focus on Mediterranean agricultural systems (particularly olive cultivation in Sicily), historical farming systems in Sweden, rural poverty in Northeast China, and the relationship between landscape heritage and biocultural conservation. His work demonstrates an interdisciplinary approach that bridges historical geography, agricultural economics, and cultural landscape studies, often using innovative methods of spatial analysis and remote sensing interpretation.

Wästfelt is actively involved in several significant research projects including Hyping Agriculture and Transit (HAT) in 15-minute Cities, PLUS Change (Participatory Land Use Strategies), and CarbonAct (a verification tool for carbon farming). He has supervised numerous PhD students and continues to mentor several doctoral candidates working on diverse topics from Judaization of the Naqab to floodplain land use in Southern Sweden and biocultural heritage in Sicilian olive growing.