promote diversification among coffee producers. This pilot
experience, with non-Spanish-speaking IOB students
(one Dutch and one Bangladeshi), allowed us to learn
valuable lessons for future research internships. Finally,
we also continued to cooperate within the local (Spanish)
Master in Territorial Development, with Gert Van Hecken/
Pierre Merlet and Johan Bastiaensen teaching about
‘Environment and Development’ and ‘Microfinance’,
respectively.
In terms of joint research, we worked on the FDL-Nitlapán
Microfinance Plus model. Output from this and previous
research by IOB PhD candidate Frédéric Huybrechs was
published in Revue Tiers Monde and the ADA microfinance
journal Passarrelles. We also published an English version
of our policy brief: ‘Is it possible to responsibly finance
cattle in the Nicaraguan agrarian frontier?’. Based on
this research, we engaged in several formal and informal
meetings with the FDL microfinance institution aiming
to influence their portfolio and technical assistance
agenda. Joint research about Payments for Ecosystem
Services, initiated by Pierre Merlet (Nitlapan) and Gert Van
Hecken (IOB) in Rio San Juan, led to a joint publication
in Ecological Economics. Selmira Flores and Johan
Bastiaensen wrote an article about gender in dairy value
chains, which was accepted by the journal Enterprise
Development and Microfinance. Finally, Pierre Merlet
and Frédéric Huybrechs, VLIR ICP and VLIR VLADOC
PhD scholars, respectively, are still struggling to finish
their PhD research on the agrarian question and green
microfinance (in Nicaragua) and need to bring this home
in 2017. At the end of 2016, Gabi Sonderegger joined IOB
as a new research assistant. She intends to do her PhD on
‘water grabbing’ in Nicaragua.
Tanzania
In 2016, cooperation between IOB and Mzumbe
University (Morogoro Region, Tanzania) continued. This
collaboration is part of the VLIR-IUC ‘Gre@t’ (Governance
and Entrepreneurship through Research, Education,
Access and Technology) programme and mainly focuses
on strengthening education, research, outreach capacities
and activities, and the output of the Mzumbe staff and
Flemish partners involved (IOB, University of Antwerp,
and the universities of Ghent, Brussels and Hasselt).
The ‘governance’ project (supervisor N. Holvoet) has an
annual budget of €45,000 and activities mainly focus
on governance of service delivery and natural resource
management. In 2016, Katrien Van Aelst (PhD student
at IOB), who did extensive field research in the villages
surrounding Mzumbe University, successfully defended
her PhD on the topic of intrahousehold decision-making
processes and climate change. In the meantime, her
Screening of the documentary “Share the Seed: Staging Research”
at the Bukavu Conference
Annual report 2014 • 31