Christiansen, Sofus: Work and journey to work in subsistence agriculture—a case of cultivation of scattered areas on Rennell Island (Mugaba). Geografisk Tidsskrift 76: 84–88, june 1, 1977. In subsistence agriculture, area and work are usually the most important production factors. Total cultivation work is shown to be greatly increased, if journeying to work is augmented, as when cultivated areas are scattered. Formulae are devised for the increase of total work caused by transport. On Rennell Island (Mugaba) the traditional bisettlement-based cultivation strategy is demonstrated to be a rational means to diminish the journey to work problem.

" Direktor Erik Mollerup. K af Dbg (1917–2004)." Geografisk Tidsskrift-Danish Journal of Geography, 104(2), p. iv

Development of geographical thought and knowledge 1Geography as a body of knowledge of places, peoples and nature has a long tradition in Denmark.More than 1000 years ago, Danish Vikings knew places along the Atlantic sea border of Europe, most of the Mediterranean, places as distant as Constantinople, and they even knew how to get there by alternative routes via the Russian rivers.But it was only from 1636 that geography became an academic discipline at the University of Copenhagen.King Christian IV required assistance to keep a record of the known world, specifically in relation to his North Atlantic explorations (the seaway north of America), and resolutely appointed a professor for that task (by the name of "Peter Spormand" i.e. "Peter Pathfinder").Later, geography developed into a kind of skeletal knowledge upon which to hang historical and religious studies.Ludvig Holberg, a well-known Danish playwright, was also a professor of geography and history, but did not extend his geographical teaching much beyond exercising names of locations, national monuments and curiosities.The knowledge mastered by the geographical discipline over the centuries turned increasingly into a mass of statistical information, serving as a basis for administrative, fiscal and military purposes.With the advent of Alexander von Humboldt and Karl Ritter, geography was developed into a science of accurate description, classification and -by degrees -explanations of the physical environment and of its utilization.Humboldt and Ritter served for a long time as the main inspiration for Danish geographers, who were few in number.University teaching in "modern" geography was initiated in 1863 under modest conditions.During the last part of the 19 th century, geography gained interest, becoming a necessary implement for explorers by supplying Geography in Denmark

Abstract A specific type of traditional, coupled infield-outfield farming, related to ‘plaggenwirtschaft’, is analysed on the basis of a diary 1829–57 with the aim of understanding functions and effects of the farming system in relation to landscape physiognomy. Applying normative values to the figures of the diary, the flows of matter are quantitatively estimated. Transfer of plant nutrients from meadow to infield via livestock not only supplied much needed fertilisers (N, P and K) but had lasting and improving impacts on soil retention capacities for ions and water, thus facilitating cultivation. The role of the heathland in supplying organic matter to absorb dung from cowshed and farmyard and as a soil improvement material was important. The constant depletion of nutrients from the heathland was decisive for its conservation. An analysis similar to the one presented was to be paralleled by field experiments (at a site at Hjerl Hede) in order to quantitatively confirm central findings.

Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 99: 59–68, 1999 This paper examines the relationship between hydrology and the functioning of traditional and modern agricultural systems in the Senegal River valley in West Africa. It will be demonstrated that the traditional flood recession agriculture, relying on the natural floodings of the wide river valley, is declining because of a strong reduction of the inundated area. This is due to both the reduction in rainfall since the early seventies and the construction of the Manantali Dam, controlling the discharge in the Bafin branch of the river. The operation of the dam is presently optimized to satisfy the needs of modern irrigated rice cultivation, yet the development of this cultivation has not entirely lived up to expectations, mainly because of economical and management problems. Therefore, farmers still express a preference for flood recession agriculture, whenever the floodings are suffiently large. In the future, water availability for both the flood recession and irrigated agriculture will be influenced by two major projects: Firstly, it is planned that hydro-electric power production will be initiated at Manantali, which will change the principles of dam operation. Secondly, it is planned to dam the Faleme branch of the Senegal River in order to divert water into the dry fossil' valley system in northern-central Senegal, whereby the discharge in the main river is reduced. It will be argued that hydrological modelling coupled with an economic assessment of costs and benefits of all the effects, including the environmental impacts, are necessary in the decision making process concerning major projects that affect water availability and management in major transnational river basins, such as the Senegal River basin.