Curriculum vitae
Flemming Nielsen
Personal information
| Profession | Agricultural geographer |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Danish |
Key Qualifications
Flemming enjoys working with innovative approaches to rural development in poor countries, creating synergy between researchers, farmers and NGOs particularly in the fields of carbon financing, biofuels, agroforestry and local knowledge. With a PhD and Post-Doc in Agricultural Geography Flemming has a solid background in agricultural research and has over the years developed skills in research and project management, GIS (in particular using Open Source Software), Internet technologies - as well as photography. Originally from Denmark, his focus has been sub-Saharan Africa, having lived and worked there (principally Mozambique, Uganda, the Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania) for over 14 years. He has been employed by universities, donor agencies, NGOs, international research institutions and currently works as an independent consultant. Mastering and understanding multiple disciplines and finding solutions that will lead to results under difficult circumstances in the field are Flemming's forte.
Professional Experience
Consultant for Banana hill (2008-present and 2002-2003)
Sub-contracted by the FACT foundation/ARRAKIS to manage field research programme on Jatropha curcas in Mozambique. Collaborators include university researchers, government researchers, NGOs and farmers' clubs. The main subject areas are variety trials, performance and yield trials, research on pest identification and eradication with low-cost methods, economic analysis and carbon and energy balance.
Other assignments include:
- KIT:Advising on carbon credits regarding a biofuel project in Mali;
- FACT Foundation: Member of the Scientific Committee for biofuel conference at University of Groningen, Netherlands;
- FACT Foundation: Assessment of and technical support to biofuel project in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa;
- Wageningen University and Research Centre: Several contracts for project development; and
- Undertaking two website development projects for private companies.
Advisor, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DANIDA), Mozambique (2003-2007)
Based in Chimoio (Manica province), served as Danida Advisor on Agricultural Research to the Mozambican Government. Assisting in implementing reform of the agricultural research system, including backstopping Zonal Research Centre Coordinator, training researchers, undertaking quality control, fund-raising, establishing local and international collaboration and implementing MSc training programme with international partners. Managing research programme on Jatropha curcas for biofuel.
Research Fellow, Wageningen University and Research Centre (2001-2003)
In the Technology and Agrarian Development group headed by Prof. Paul Richards. Research on farmers' innovations (May 2001 - September 2003). Teaching and supervising PhD students in the fields of participation and rural development (February-September 2003).
Senior Researcher, ILEIA (Centre for learning on sustainable agriculture) (2000-2002)
Providing scientific backstopping for publications on experience-based knowledge. Member of the editorial board of LEISA Magazine, and twice the lead editor. Other tasks and achievements include the development of a web-based communications strategy, significant input into development of alternative funding strategies, successful fund-raising, impact assessment in Ethiopia, programming of an interactive website, preparation and overseeing of tendering process, establishing collaboration with major institutions abroad and maintaining extensive international network.
Post-doc Researcher (July 1998 - April 2001)
Post-doc on "Spatial Variation in Indigenous Knowledge", financed by the Danish Foundation for Development Research. Based at University of Wageningen's Technology and Agrarian Development Group headed by Prof. Paul Richards. Collaboration with the East-African Highland Initiative (a CGIAR system-wide initiative). Field-work at three sites in Kenya and Tanzania.
PhD Researcher at University of Copenhagen, based in Uganda and one year in Denmark (1996-98)
Carrying out research on "Indigenous knowledge and agroforestry research" during three years employment with ICRAF (World Agroforestry Centre), based in Uganda. The PhD programme included a number of courses, such as:
- Training in experimental design and analysis in agroforestry research (ICRAF, Nairobi, Kenya);
- ICRA course in research-extension-farmer linkages ( IAC, Wageningen, the Netherlands);
- Indigenous ecological knowledge (School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, U.K.);
- Management of trees in development countries (University of Wales, Bangor); and
- Development sociology (University of Wales, Bangor).
I also participated in and made presentations at a number of international and national conferences; and gave lectures and supervised MSc students at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Associate researcher, ICRAF and attached to AFRENA (Agroforestry Research Networks for Africa), Kampala Uganda (1994-97)
JPO position (sponsored by DANIDA) developing research methods for better use of indigenous knowledge in formal research as well as collegiate farmers' participatory research.
Education
Certificate in Remote Sensing and GIS for natural resource management at University of Enschede(2008)
Full-time three-month programme at ITC (International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation).
Post-Doc on Farmer Innovations at University of Wageningen (1998-2001)
Based at the Technology and Agrarian Development group, and in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, conducting research on "Spatial Variation in Indigenous Knowledge - GIS support for participatory agricultural research and development"; Field research in Kenya and Tanzania.
PhD in Agricultural Geography (achieved in 1998)
University of Copenhagen (Institute of Geography); Thesis on "Issues in the Utilisation of Indigenous Knowledge in Agroforestry Research"; Field research in Uganda.
MSc in Human Geography (1992-93)
University of Copenhagen; Specialisation in Tropical Agriculture; Thesis on "Indigenous Agroforestry Systems in Uganda".
BSc in Human Geography (1987-92)
University of Copenhagen; Research on Desertification processes in Darfur, Sudan.
Languages
| Language | Speaking | Reading | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | fluent | fluent | fluent |
| German | good | good | moderate |
| Portuguese | basic | fair | basic |
| Danish | mother tongue |
Studied Russian for three years in high school but not in use since 1984. Also studied French for one year and Arabic for half a year.
Computer Literacy
Computer literate since 1980; experience with PCs (DOS, Windows, QNX, OS2, Linux, Apple Macintosh and mainframes. Experienced user of major office software (MS, Ooffice, Corel WP) data-bases (Access, Dbase, MySQL), statistics (Statistica, SPSS, SAS, StatA), graphics (Adobe, Gimp, Corel and Micrographics programmes), programming (Visual Basic and Pascal) Software for web creation (Frontpage, ASP, PHP, JavaScript), GIS (QGIS, ArcView, MapInfo, Grass) and remote sensing (Chips, Diva).