Department of Urban and Rural Development

Sustainable transformations require not only new ideas but also knowledge meeting practice. We combine education, research and collaboration to contribute to the societal change needed to meet challenges such as the biodiversity and climate crises.

  • Our issues range from today’s and tomorrow’s discussions about forests, agriculture, urban and rural areas to climate adaptation from a historical perspective
  • We offer courses that are not available at any other universities in Sweden, and we are responsible for around 90 courses within seven different education programmes
  • We work closely with government agencies, organizations, and other societal actors to develop both knowledge and practice
A herder with cattle.

Resilience among smallholder farmers in rural Africa

How do farmers and pastoralists in Africa deal with change, uncertainty and crisis situations in their daily lives? Linda Engström, researcher in rural development, will investigate this together with colleagues from Tanzania and Canada in a project funded by Formas.

Moving of Kiruna Church.

When gardening became a science – new book depicts cultivation throughout history

Now, Swedish Garden History 1500 to 1800 has been published, the final part in a three-volume work that covers Swedish garden culture from prehistoric times to the present. The new part focuses on the early modern period, a period when the idea of ​​what a garden can be, and how it can be used, was being formed.

Some people are sitting and half-lying in seating furniture at Sergels torg.

Ambiguous messages appear to have paved the way for rapid climate policy change

What role did political rhetoric play in the rapid shift in climate policy after the 2022 election? SLU researchers who have analyzed debates in parliament and the media believe that politicians used ambiguous messages to appeal to multiple ideological groups simultaneously.

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