Ragnhild Overå as supervisor
Professor Ragnhild Overå supervises master projects in human geography.
Main content
Research interests
My research focuses on gender, entrepreneurship, informal economies, food and nutrition security, food systems, value chain analysis, small-scale fisheries, land conflicts, petroleum industry, natural resource governance, political ecology, migration, and sustainable rural and urban development.
My own master thesis project many years ago explored the crucial role of women in the fisheries of Ghana, mainly as fish traders but also as creditors and canoe owners. The master study was the starting point for researching a variety of social, economic, and environmental issues in Ghana and in Southern and Eastern Africa (Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa). Here you can have a closer look at the research projects I am working on these days.
I enjoy discussing and developing students’ own research ideas and I have supervised master thesis projects on many topics: Overview of master theses supervised by Ragnhild Overå
Suggested themes for new master projects
I can supervise on various topics, including…
- Impact of ‘blue economy’ (resource extraction and development in the ocean and coastal zone) in coastal communities.
- Gender barriers in fisheries and/or natural resource governance.
- Informality and inclusive urban development.
… but this year I would encourage you to consider affiliating your master project with one of the two new research projects starting up just now: 1) Reimagining Food Systems for Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation, and Social Justice. 2) Small fish for food and nutrition security in Africa (SmallFish4Food). The projects are funded by the Research Council of Norway, and we can offer support for fieldwork in Africa. Here is more information about the research that we build on: https://smallfishfood.org/
Some ideas for relevant master project topics:
- Local knowledge in climate adaptation strategies in coastal communities.
- Post-harvest losses in small fish value chains.
- Supply chains of fuelwood for fish smoking and environmental impact.
- Impact of aquaculture development on small fish utilization for feed or food.
- Urban consumer perceptions and preferences regarding farmed and wild fish.
- Regional fish trade in Africa and food security.
Contact
To contact me for discussion of your master project idea(s), please write an e-mail (ragnhild.overa@uib.no) so we can make an appointment.
