The Beginning- What is Development Studies?

In December 2023 I graduated from the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in the Hague, Netherlands with a Master's degree in Development Studies. It had been almost a decade since I finished my undergraduate degree, and for a long time I didn't think I would go back to school again, but I'm really glad I did. After having lived and worked in Nicaragua for about 7 years, this degree helped me process and understand many of the thoughts and experiences I've had over the past years working with social and environmental projects.

This degree was a really unique experience because we studied with a class of students from over 50 different countries around the world. It was an inspiring, international space where I learned about social and environmental issues from all around the world. I learned a lot from my classes but especially from my amazing classmates who taught me about the contexts and histories of their countries. My roommates were from Honduras, Ghana, Somalia, India and Peru! And some of my closest friends were Colombian, Indonesian, Nigerian, Bolivian, Burundian, Mexican, Italian, South Korean, Taiwanese, Senegalese, Congolese and so many other nationalities. I will be forever grateful for this experience and the people who enriched my life in so many ways, making me a more conscious person.

Our graduation day at the Institute of Social Studies. Can you find me?

To begin, what even is Development Studies?

When I tell people that I have a degree in Development Studies, they often aren't familiar with what that means, so I will give a quick explanation!

Development studies combines different disciplines like economics, politics, sociology, anthropology, and geography. It looks at how societies have evolved or developed in terms of economic growth, social progress, and environmental sustainability. For me the most important and fundamental part of Development studies is the question of who has benefited from "progress" and "development" and which values drive development. As we know, development has not been an even process-- some benefit and others do not. We want to create systems that benefit those who most need it, but there are many conflicting and competing ideas on how to do so.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) defines development as, "expanding the choices people have to lead lives that they value." You may have heard of the Millennium Development Goals or the Sustainable Development Goals that many non-profits promote. While there are many organizations that promote the UN goals, there are also many critiques about these types of international goals set by institutions like the UN. The field of Development Studies is complex with many points of view and different definitions of what development even means. That's also what makes it both an interesting and frustrating field of study.

Within the Development Studies degree, some of my classmates focused on human rights, governance, etc., while my specialization focused on rural development and agrarian, food and environmental studies. I am especially interested in the rural sector for two main reasons.

1. Firstly, this population is important, because despite their important role producing food and managing natural resources, rural communities have the highest rates of extreme poverty. This is a population that has been historically exploited for cheap commodities and labor. Rural communities lack basic services and resources, a reflection of the unequal development that we want to challenge.

   
   

2. Second, rural life is very connected to our human nature and coexistence with the natural world, but rural communities have been undervalued, and rural has often become synonymous with poor. During my 7 years living in Nicaragua I grew a deep love and respect for the values and ways of life in rural areas. We have so much to learn from these communities but their traditions are increasingly lost.

Carrying out participatory workshops with rural youth for my master's thesis

After finishing my Master's degree in December, the urgency and stress to find a job quickly set in! I felt restless and a bit discouraged as I sent off applications into the internet ether. After having lived in Nicaragua for many years prior to my Master's degree, I was eager to be back in Central America.

I decided that while I search for jobs and find my way in the development field, I will volunteer with different organizations in Central America. My friend recommended me an online platform called Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WOOF) where you can pay a small annual membership to access volunteer opportunities with organic farms around the world. In exchange for your work on the farm, they provide you with housing and meals. While some volunteer opportunities are with families who are homesteading and going off grid (which I'm not very interested in), others are aim to create social and environmental change in communities (which is more up my alley!).

I found a farm in Honduras called The Organic Learning Center immediately caught my attention. The objective of this project is to provide a long-term solution to food insecurity in rural Honduras by helping families grow more of their own food organically. This farm seemed like the perfect fit! I contacted the farm owner to set my volunteer dates, bought a Spirit airlines ticket to Honduras, and packed my suitcase with clothes and work boots to work on the farm! I felt nervous and excited.