Ola Westengen

Ola Westengen serves as a Professor at the School of International Environmental and Development Studies (Noragric) within the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). His research critically examines the intersection of agricultural development, biodiversity conservation, and food security, with particular emphasis on seed systems resilience in contexts of climate vulnerability and poverty across Africa.

His core research domains include:

• Agrobiodiversity dynamics and crop evolution under climate stress
• Community-based seed systems and seed bank functionality
• Policy frameworks for food security and genetic resource governance
• Cultural dimensions of crop diversity management
• Empirical analysis of smallholder adaptation strategies

Analysis of his 2023-2025 publications reveals a methodological focus on longitudinal panel data from Uganda, Malawi, and Ethiopia, examining how rainfall shocks and market imperfections shape seed access. A distinctive thread connects sorghum diversity studies in Northern Ethiopia with broader investigations into community seed banks' role in climate adaptation, highlighting the interplay between biophysical constraints and socio-cultural practices. His recent conceptual work interrogates knowledge politics in SDG indicator selection, demonstrating how measurement frameworks shape global hunger narratives.

While specific advising activities and laboratory infrastructure aren't documented in available materials, his extensive field engagement across East and Southern Africa suggests robust collaborative networks with agricultural research institutions and farmer organizations throughout the continent.