Name
Gracia María Lanza Castillo

Nationality
Honduran

Education

§ 2014: PhD. Candidate in Agricultural Economics
Major in International Agricultural Economics. Joint PhD Program between Georg-August- Universität Göttingen and University of Talca. Topic: Role of Social Capital in the Adoption of Irrigation Technology in Vineyards and its effect on profitability, Region del Maule, Chile

§ 2005: MSc. Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, The Netherlands. Major: Environmental Economics - Minor: Environmental Policy - Thesis: ?A Network Analysis of the Barbas Watershed: Non-material Environmental Flows? ? Quíndio, Colombia.

§ 2000: BSc in Agriculture, Pan American School of Agriculture ?Zamorano?, Honduras. Thesis title: ?Effect of Organic Selenium in the Reproductive Aptitude of Sows and the Performance of Piglets During Lactation?.

Experience

§ February 2010 - January 2014: Project Management Specialist, United States Agency for International Development in Honduras (USAID/Honduras). Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for the USAID environmental flagship project, USAID ProParque, which works in 10 priority protected areas aiming at strengthening the Honduran Protected Area System (SINAPH), increase sales, employment and investment in the tourism, agroforestry and forestry sector for those communities in and around protected areas. Global Climate Change (GCC) Advisor for the USAID Honduras Mission, technical leader in the areas of payment for environmental services, protected area management and REDD+. Liaison with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (SERNA), the Honduran Forestry Conservation Institute (ICF), local institutions, donors and other host country entities.

§ February 2009 to February 2010: Associated Professor, Pan-American School of Agriculture Zamorano. Activities involved: establishment of a testing center for improved stoves, training of personnel in protocols and standards for CO2 emissions due to the use of improved stoves, professor of environmental impact assessment and environmental management courses and advisor for under graduated projects for final examination.

§ June 2007 to February 2009: Productivity and Development Coordinator, International Resources Group (IRG). Among the activities developed under this component are a water valuation study for three micro watersheds in the municipalities of Choluteca, Danlí and Roatán; training to municipalities in the North Coast in the preparation of local policies for natural resources management; the preparation of a national strategy for environmental compliance; technical advising for the National Cleaner Production Policy and strategy; supervision of the preparation of best practices guides for cleaner production; all these activities form part of the support provided to the Secretariat of Natural Resources and Environment (SERNA) through the Integrated Watershed Resources Management (MIRA) Project financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) - Honduras.

Research Area

§ Technology adoption, social capital, networking

§ Payment for Environmental Services

Research Interests

§ Adoption of agricultural technologies

§ Environmental

§ Poverty alleviation

§ Climate Smart Agriculture

§ Impact evaluation

For a complete CV click here