I always get lots of ideas when I am out travelling, and especially when I travel by myself. I guess it is because I get so many new impressions while at the same time having plenty of time to reflect. I always thought that the main purpose of travelling for me is to never go blind. I wake up, get new impressions, learn new things, and start seeing also my every-day environment with new eyes. And while I am out travelling, suddenly ideas start popping up in my head, and I find simple solutions to problems that I have reflected on for a long time.

During this journey, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, I found a perfect topic for my PhD thesis. I have thought about this for over a year without coming up with anything that has really awoken my curiosity. (As many of you already know, I have also debated whether or not I actually was prepared to go for a PhD, but I finally decided a few weeks ago to go ahead with it. I think I would regret it if I didn’t, and if it doesn’t work out, then at least I tried.) And then, somewhere between discussions with different farmers associations, it suddenly occurred to me exactly what I want to do my research on. I can’t tell you what it is yet, more than that it will seek an alternative to the unsustainable supply-chains while meeting the need for pro-poor growth. And I think I even found a potential sample group. I am very excited!!

Looking at a monoculture field in Bosnia and Herzegovina