PhD (Rural Sociology), Wageningen University

MA (Land and Agrarian Studies), University of the Western Cape

I have worked on development and human rights issues in a range of organisations for about 30 years, with food systems, economic justice, and agrarian reform being a focus for me over the last 20 years. Before taking up my current position as a Senior Lecturer and Development Studies Programme Coordinator, I was a post-doctoral research fellow at the Human Economy Programme, University of Pretoria, doing research on food systems and land rights.

Current research interests are focused on the symbiotic and non-corporate means of production and distribution of food that exist in Southern Africa with a focus on Tanzania and South Africa. This includes studying food markets and exploring what can be learnt from people’s everyday practices for the achievement of the right to food and a more human economy. I am part of the Management Committee of the DSI-NRF CoE Food Security and lead the project on Urban Food Systems supported by the CoE.

I lecture on and coordinate the BSocSciHons in Development Studies. This programme offers an advanced cross-disciplinary study of development processes – history of the field of study, epistemological questions of theory, research methods, and the empirical contemporary world of development practice. I also supervise Masters and PhD Development Studies students.