Malin Olofsson's research interests broadly encompass processes of agrarian change, with particular attention to how these transformations intersect with land politics, social differentiation, and rural social mobilisation. She is especially interested in the political dynamics that shape access to and control over land and natural resources, and how these struggles influence broader trajectories of rural development.
Methodologically, Malin employs qualitative approaches, including in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis, to explore the everyday practices and contested meanings of agrarian change. Theoretically, her work is informed by political economy, political ecology, and critical development studies. Geographically, she has conducted research in South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana, where she has examined how rural social movements engage with questions of justice, livelihoods, and sustainability in the context of ongoing transformations in agriculture and resource governance.
Malin defended her PhD thesis, “Dynamics of agrarian change at a commodity frontier: Differentiation and accumulation trajectories amongst smallholder tree-crop farmers in South Africa,” at the University of Amsterdam in 2023. Her doctoral research examined the political and social dynamics emerging from the expansion of tree-crop commodification among smallholders in Venda, South Africa. She also holds an MA in Agrarian and Environmental Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University. In addition to her academic work, Malin has over a decade of professional experience in the development sector across Africa, with a focus on workers’ rights, smallholder farmer development, certification, and small business development.
Malin Olofsson is a researcher in the project inSALSA (Increasing Sustainability of Agribiologicals by Living Labs in Sub-Saharan Africa). The project seeks to enhance the adoption of agricultural biologicals—living and naturally derived products that improve crop production and protection—among smallholders in the region. Through living labs in Kenya and South Africa, with a replication site in Ethiopia, inSALSA brings stakeholders together to learn, test, and innovate in equitable and inclusive ways.