Søren Bech Pilgaard Kristensen

Søren Bech Pilgaard Kristensen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen, conducting interdisciplinary research on rural landscape transformations across European and African contexts with emphasis on peri-urban dynamics, agricultural decision-making, and youth livelihoods.

His academic qualifications include:

• M.Sc. in Human Geography (1983-1992), University of Copenhagen
• Diplôme d'agronomie tropicale (1988), CNEARC, Montpellier, France
• PhD (2000), University of Copenhagen

Kristensen's research integrates landscape ecology and socio-economic analysis to examine agricultural transitions in European peri-urban zones and rural entrepreneurship in African settings. European studies focus on Danish farming systems, environmental policy uptake, and peri-urban land use conflicts, while African work investigates Ugandan youth agricultural engagement, Malian bioethanol potential, and Tanzanian climate resilience through rural-urban linkages. His methodology combines spatial analysis, field surveys, and policy evaluation to address sustainability challenges.

Recent publications (2019-2025) demonstrate consistent thematic focus on land use transitions, with geographic expansion from Denmark to China and East Africa. Key patterns include peri-urban fragmentation analysis, climate-resilient rural development frameworks, and contract farming integration models, reflecting growing emphasis on transnational comparative approaches and policy-relevant solutions for sustainable land management.

He actively contributes to academic governance as Secretary General of the Royal Danish Geographical Society (2015-present) and Chairman of the Danish IALE chapter (2014-present), while securing competitive funding from EU Framework Programmes, DANIDA, and the University of Copenhagen for projects addressing land use conflicts, nitrogen mitigation, and rural climate adaptation.