The primary sector is of high importance to the economy and wellbeing of many countries. This is especially true for Ecuador, where 51 percent of the population living in rural areas earn their living through agriculture, livestock and fishing activities. Unfortunately, inequality has been growing between the rural and urban population, most noticeably in rural small-scale farmers that have less social capital and access to resources. Therefore, this study focuses on small-scale farmers, in a small town called Alluriquin, and how their way of farming can contribute to sustainable livelihoods. The empirical data has been collected through semi-structured interviews, where eleven different individuals have been interviewed. Previous research together with the theory of Amartya Sen will serve as the framework for this study.

In Alluriquin, the results show that crops such as sugarcane, yucca, cacao, plantain and bananas as well as the big interest in both cattle raising and dairy farming, helps the locals to maintain a sustainable livelihood. It can be learned from the results of this study and previous research that farmers are facing a lot of different challenges on a daily basis, and even though they had different methods of dealing with these issues, the challenges seem to be manageable. The outcome of this study shows how these eleven individuals are able to maintain a sustainable livelihood, and how this way of farming is influenced by both internal and external factors that might be harmful if they are not considered. This way of life does provide the local community with a blueprint to follow so that they can guarantee their immediate wellbeing and prepare themselves and their families for any unforeseen circumstances, achieving sustainable livelihoods inside rural communities.

This paper investigates the role of indigenous knowledge in relation to ideas of sus-tainability focusing on Guatemala. Previous research on environmental engagement and public understanding of science demonstrates the importance of including different perspectives, including traditional forms of knowledges such as for example indigenous knowledges. Environmental governance and management are areas in which indigenous peoples strive towards an acceptance of indigenous knowledge to be placed next to Western scientific knowledge. The struggle concerns the management and control of indigenous territories, but it also concerns the dismantling of a hier-archical understanding of knowledge, which lessens indigenous knowledge about ecosystems and about how to create a good life. Through the revitalization of indigenous knowledge and traditional practices, indigenous communities develop ideas and establishments to find paths towards socioeco-logical balance. This paper studies indigenous groups’ understandings of indigenous knowledge, their struggle to revitalise knowledge and their efforts for it to become validated. It uses decolonial theory in its analysis and raises questions of power structures and hierarchies within academia.

Livelihoods approaches focus on the poor and their knowledge and agency, but risk underplaying broader contextual forces which constrain and shape that agency. Livelihood trajectories approaches attend more fully to these structural, contextual dynamics. A three-year study using quantitative and qualitative methods investigated livelihood trajectories over two decades in a village affected by deforestation in Northeast Cambodia, and sought to identify critical junctures structuring those trajectories. A timber rush, a land rush, a turn to agriculture and ongoing competition to shape post-forest reterritorialisation were identified as the critical junctures. These transformed the physical environment, and initiated waves of migration which in turn transformed the social and economic structure and everyday life of the village. This valuably disrupts narrative simplifications associated with community forestry. The junctures furthermore suggest an analytical framework for understanding deforestation-livelihoods dynamics in other contexts, thus demonstrating how livelihood trajectories research might contribute to middle-level theory building.

Maintaining and achieving a sustainable city is today a challenge, specifically as urbanisation and climate change continue to increase. Green cities are an opportunity to achieve a sustainable society. It promotes urban sustainability in several aspects: Trees reduce heat islands and flooding; Green areas provide space for physical activity and social cohesion; And plants promote recreation which generates better public health. However, social injustice risks arise when the green structure is insufficiently planned, and some areas are prioritised sooner than others. It is common for socio-economically vulnerable areas to become less prioritised in urban planning, and the distance to the nearest green area can have a major impact on whether it is used or not. This study examines the municipality of Jönköping, which is located in Småland, Sweden. The aim is to investigate how the municipality plans to advocate social justice when implementing and planning green structures. The study is based on a text analysis of the municipality’s planning documents in parallel with semi-structured interviews to examine visions and efforts further. The study identifies how social justice is taken into consideration in the planning, and what challenges exist in the urban planning. The study refers to Agenda 2030 and specifically sub-goals #10.2 and #11.7 to study the municipality’s planning. In addition, social- and environmental justice serves as the theoretical framework of reference in the analysis. The result confirms that the municipality uses a variety of different selective measurements to strive for social justice, however, there still exist challenges that are difficult to prevent.

The aim of this study is to examine students' knowledge regarding name geography, location and size relationships linked to Sweden, the Nordic countries, Europe and the world. The purpose of the study is to investigate whether students' knowledge is affected by their travel habits, origin, gender or other residence abroad. This study is based on Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory and Piaget's cognitive constructivism. The survey was conducted using a quantitative method and the respondents consisted of 52 students in three different classes in 6th grade. The respondents filled in a questionnaire where they were asked questions about their travel habits, where they were born, how many places they have lived in and if they have relatives abroad. The respondents also answered twelve questions related to name geography, location, and size relationships where the respondents were asked to circle the correct answer among four alternatives. Finally, the respondents were asked to construct a map of the world and mark the continents and Sweden on a blank piece of paper. The results of the study show that the students who have traveled have performed better than the students who have not traveled outside Sweden. The study also shows that students who have relatives abroad have performed better than students who have not relatives abroad. Overall, the girls have performed better than the boys and the students who belong to another gender. The results of the survey show that students absorb name geography outside of school and while traveling. Relatives abroad can also contribute to such knowledge.

Rural-urban migration has been increasing and is commonly seen in northern cities of Mexico.  Indigenous students do not always have opportunities to receive higher education in their communities, and therefore migrate to urban areas. After migrating they can face certain challenges navigating the urban lifestyle. With the help of the translocality concept, this study employed a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to explore the reason behind five indigenous students' migration and their experiences of different translocal circumstances. The results and analysis indicated that the students had both similar and different experiences in the various translocal arenas. The analysis showed the reasons behind the students’ migration were often linked to educational opportunities, but they also expressed different aspirations and plans for the future Further, adjusting to their new city environment proved to be challenging. They experienced both a negative and positive sense of place in Monterrey, but Mision del Nayar, the university and other indigenous students helped them feel a sense of belonging. The experiences the students had in the different translocal arenas shaped their narrative, and hence, impacted their sense of place and sense of belonging. Lastly, the students experienced translocal identities on a daily basis.

This study aims to find out how the process of change in the former particularly vulnerable area Gårdsten, in Gothenburg, has been perceived from a residential perspective, focusing on inclusion and safety. The suburb was, until March 2019, classified by the Swedish police as a particularly vulnerable area. The positive development that has taken place there since 1997, led by the housing company Gårdstensbostäder, seems to be unique and has been called the model of Gårdsten (Gårdstensmodellen). One of the most emphasized aspects of this model is how the housing company is said to embrace local inclusion and participation of residents in their development plans. Knowledge about how residents actually experience this model is important since the model has started to become recommended as an example for other vulnerable areas to follow. The study is based on semi structured interviews with residents of Gårdsten, which are analysed with a qualitative content analysis and compared and connected to Jürgen Habermas’ theory about deliberative democracy. The result shows that there are divided opinions about the efficiency of the resident inclusion and also questioning about the methods used by Gårdstensbostäder. However, it further shows that the residents do perceive a positive change in Gårdsten in several aspects and a majority also thinks that other vulnerable areas could learn from what Gårdsten has accomplished. This paper argues that the deliberative processes in Gårdsten can be enhanced even though it is difficult to fully implement deliberative democracy in this context.

Factors influencing teachers’ selection of content in geography teaching is a fundamental didactic matter. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether Swedish geography teachers’ informal and formal experiences have influenced their interest in geography and if so, in what way. The results disclosed that informal experiences like outings, holidays, and childhood memories have a significant impact. The results also revealed that childhood experiences might increase the comprehension of how nature and mankind are connected, and how various places differ. Selective traditions showed to be strong, i.e. geographic names and map reading were prioritized while at excursions, physical geography was particularly dominating. We argue that in the geography teacher education, didactics should include methods for field studies, giving emphasis also to the part dealing with human geography. Forthcoming teachers need to reflect on how to make didactic choices in order to renounce the selective traditions in the subject.

Indigenous peoples have for the past decades increasingly argued that not only is their traditional knowledge to be recognized in the management of their traditional territories, but that Indigenous control and self-governance over territories and natural resources are crucial for long-term sustainability of the land and cultural revitalisation of its people. In recent years, the Saami in Sweden have also presented themselves as pathfinders, offering advice and solutions for a more sustainable future not only for the Saami society, but for all of Sweden. This paper investigates how Saami claims for rights and stewardship in environmental management are related to Saami cultural revitalisation, within a Swedish colonial framework. It is based on an investigation of the Saami policy positions expressed in policy documents and opinion pieces produced by organisations representing the Saami, linking claims for rights and environmental stewardship with cultural revitalisation and a more sustainable development for all.

Small Island Developing States are known to be extra sensitive to environmental changes due to their geographical location and characteristics, and many are known as luxurious tourist destinations. This study explores how Mauritius and the Seychelles are affected by and deal with climate change and the negative impacts of tourism. The study connects to globalisation and sustainable tourism frameworks while analysing vulnerability and resilience in both countries, as well as how the countries work towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The method used is a mixed qualitative method with interviews and a text analysis of websites and official documents. The result indicates that both Mauritius and the Seychelles are highly vulnerable to climate change, especially in their coastal zones, which is further increased by tourism practices and development of tourism facilities. The study also highlights that both countries lack resilience to environmental changes. Both Mauritius and the Seychelles strive to work towards the 2030 Agenda, through policymaking on state level and through non-governmental organisations aligning their projects to the Sustainable Development Goals. The result also shows that there is a need to create a more sustainable tourism sector in each country to protect both the environment and the countries’ economies. This study aims to be a contribution to the research field of Small Island Developing States and to increase the understanding of Mauritius and the Seychelles’ particular characteristics and vulnerabilities.

Syftet med studien var att synliggöra om elever i svenska skolor i årskurs 5 har stereotypa föreställningar om Afrika kopplat till skola och levnadsförhållanden. Studien har utgått från tre forskningsfrågor som lyder, hur föreställer sig eleverna att levnadsförhållandena ser ut för barn i Afrika? Hur föreställer sig eleverna att skolorna ser ut och fungerar i Afrika? Om och i så fall varför har elever stereotypa föreställningar om Afrika? Studien är gjord i form av en kvantitativ undersökning där digitala enkäter ligger till grund för insamling av data.  Enkäterna har fyllts i av 93 elever i årskurs 5, fördelade på tre olika skolor i tre olika städer. Resultatet visar att eleverna i studien har en ensidig bild av att Afrika är en nödställd och ekonomiskt utsatt världsdel. I studien presenteras och diskuteras Urie Bronfenbrenners ekologiska systemteori i relation till elevernas föreställningar om Afrika. Elevernas föreställningar grundar sig dels i medias sätt att porträttera världsdelen, dels genom en ensidig undervisning i skolan samt sociala medier. 

Despite conceptual oscillations through times, the concept of landscape remains highly subjective, whereupon unraveling its 'logics' opens up to a plurality of interpretations. Accordingly, by focusing on the interconnections present in the non-haphazard production of landscape, this publication elaborates on how the rural landscape is valued, monitored, changed, harbored, used and misused, be it through actions, representations or metaphors. This book covers a broad range of topics, with contributions from scholars from more than 30 countries.

This case study is conducted through ten weeks of field studies in South-Eastern Uganda. Both authors have received funding from Minor Field Study scholarships. These scholarships were provided by Sida, Sweden's government agency for development cooperation. This entails that the authors are contract bound to comply with the terms and regulations established by Sida and Jönköping University as well as write and submit a report to the Swedish Council of Higher Education upon return to Sweden. 

Without the substantial contributions from the local community in Kamuzinda and neighbouring villages, this thesis would not have been completed. First and foremost, profound gratitude is expressed to the many people who contributed to making this study a reality, be it big or small. This includes our supervisor Åsa Westermark, who has been of great help and guidance throughout the entire research process. Secondly, we want to thank Uganda Child Care Sweden for a productive collaboration, with special recognition to Ponsiano Nyombi and Rebecca Nanyanzi for their welcoming hearts and support throughout our entire stay in Uganda. Lastly, we are forever grateful to the people who brought us into their homes and were willing to share their life stories with us. It is your participation and kindness that made this thesis possible.

This thesis explores the everyday life conditions of low-income women who work mainly in the informal sector in Bogota, Colombia. The work has its point of departure in an analysis of the complex daily lives of two women over an extended time period and from the perspective of the individual. The detailed level of description and analysis will, as a hypothesis, help us to better understand how to improve development programs, allowing institutional and individual levels to meet exactly at the point that is desirable for those who are the target groups in the execution of their daily lives.

The main aim of the study is to describe the conditions of livelihood of the two women from the perspective of the individual and to contribute to the making of institutions’ definitions of women’s needs, design and follow-up on development projects coincide better with women’s interests.

A time-geographic methodology, based on structured time diaries describing patterns of time-use for daily activities, is explored and adapted to the local context of the study. The methodology is also complemented by reflective diaries describing the women’s perceptions of present and past experiences, hopes and plans for the future, the intentions and motives behind daily activities. Together, the diaries reveal how decisions in daily life come about in a particular physical environment with specific social and cultural characteristics.

A time-geographic theoretical approach is applied to analyse the women’s life stories and biographies of livelihood projects. Theoretical contributions about the main areas of interest when studying women’s life courses and conditions in development studies are also referred to, for instance, women’s interests and needs, gender analysis, empowerment, livelihoods and local contexts.

The findings of this study and the results of its methodology have demonstrated that to improve women’s opportunities for livelihood, it is necessary to understand women’s conditions in relation to women’s total life contexts. The research methodology applied here opened the way for an empowerment process with higher self- esteem and confidence as a result. This indicates that sector planning, project design, follow up and evaluations in development institutions may gain from using information about women’s multiple activities and perceptions from an individual and a gender perspective.