Prof. George Daoutopoulos was born in Edessa, Macedonia, Greece in 1945. His father was born in Kastoria while his mother was expatriated from the unforgettable lands of Cappadocia (Asia Minor). He grew up in various rural settings in small villages around the valley of Yiannitsa that have affected his future professional occupations. Besides his studies, research, teaching and lectures he farms the family land of his grandfather and remains a lifetime student of nature.
He holds a degree in Agronomy and another one in Economics from Greek Universities. In 1981-85 he carried postgraduates studies in USA (Michigan State University) leading to a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D in Rural Sociology and Development.
He has published nineteen textbooks used in Greek Universities and more than 70 scientific papers in Greek and English. He was a visiting professor in USA, Germany, Sweden and Kazakhstan.
In 1997, Michigan State University Press, published a chapter of his Ph. D dissertation in the book “Changing Rural Social Systems: Adaptation and Survival” edited by Nan E. Johnson and Ching-li Wang. In 2001 he published a chapter under the title “Greek Rural Society and Sustainable Development” in a book titled “Environmental Politics in Southern Europe” (Klaus Eder and Maria Kousis, eds) that summarizes his research in the Greek Rural settings.