TRansforming UnsustainablE PATHways in agricultural frontiers: articulating microfinance plus with local institutional change for sustainability in Nicaragua

TRUEPATH

Call

  • T2S

Project Website

https://www.researchgate.net/project/TruePATH-Transforming-UnsustainablE-Pathways-in-agriculturalfrontiers articulating-microfinance-plus-with-local-institutional-change-for-sustainability-in-Nicaragua

Principal Investigator

Johan Bastiaensen, University of Antwerp, Belgium

Partners

Selmira Flores, Universidad Centroamericana, Nicaragua Nadège Garambois, AgroParisTech, Paris Institute of Technology for Life, Food and Environmental Sciences, France Gent Van Hecken, University of Antwerp, Belgium Frédéric Huybrechs, University of Antwerp, Belgium Pierre Merlet, Universidad Centroamericana, Nicaragua Milagros Romero, Universidad Centroamericana, Nicaragua Pierre Merlet, Universidad Centroamericana, Nicaragua Milagros Romero, Universidad Centroamericana, Nicaragua Florent Leo, AgroParisTech, Paris Institute of Technology for Life, Food and Environmental Sciences, France Hubert Cochet, AgroParisTech, Paris Institute of Technology for Life, Food and Environmental Sciences, France Victor Campos, Centro Alexander von Humboldt, Nicaragua

Funders

  • ANR (The French National Research Agency), FWO (Research Foundation Flanders), ISSC (International Social Science Council)

Project Objective

The main objective of this research is to co-generate actionable knowledge for the transformation of unsustainable cattle-based development in agricultural frontiers (AF) in Latin America and elsewhere. It aims to promote institutional change towards social-ecological sustainability, by exploiting the potential of ‘Green Microfinance Plus’ (a combination of microfinance, technical assistance and instruments such as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES)). Through an action-research study in Nicaragua, we want to identify ways to halt the cattle driven advancement of the AF with its destruction of forests and encroachment of indigenous territories, and find ways to achieve more sustainable, climate-smart cattle/agricultural development in deforested areas. Our research focuses on two interrelated research questions: 1. What are the characteristics and historical dynamics of the current cattle-based development pathways? 2. Which alternative sustainable pathway scenarios can be identified and cogenerated through social learning and collective action?

Call Objective

T2S has two major objectives: To develop understanding of and promote research on transformations to sustainability which are of significant social, economic and policy concern throughout the world and of great relevance to both academics and stakeholders; To build capacity, overcome fragmentation and have a lasting impact on both society and the research landscape by cultivating durable research collaboration across multiple borders, disciplinary boundaries, and with practitioners and societal partners. This includes facilitating the development of new research collaborations with parts of the world which are not often involved in large-scale international research efforts, notably low- and middle-income countries.

Region

  • Central America, Europe

Country

  • Belize, France, Nicaragua

Duration

42 months

Call Date

July 6, 2017

Project Award Date

April 26, 2018