What It Takes to Cooperate: A Mixed-Methods Study of Farmer Organisations in La Mosquitia, Honduras

Details

Supervisors

Van den Broeck, Goedele

Faculty

Faculté des bioingénieurs

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences agronomiques et industries du vivant, à finalité spécialisée: Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis

Abstract

This research is embedded within the Circular Coconut (CiCo) project, an interdisciplinary initiative focused on advancing climate resilience and smallholder livelihoods through the adoption of circular economy practices. Within this broader effort, this research assesses a practical question: what is needed for farmers organisations dedicated to the production and marketing of agricultural products and their by-products in this region to happen and persist? This study addresses that question by combining three complementary sources of evidence: participatory network mapping workshops that reveal how communities themselves perceive the actors shaping their agricultural activities; key informant interviews that document the lived experience of both past and present farmer groups; and individual surveys that gather further information on farmer group participation and attitudes towards cooperation and solidarity. Each source captures a different layer of information, and the value of combining them lies precisely in the possibility of triangulating findings that no single method could establish on its own. The analytical backbone of this study is the theory of collective action developed by Elinor Ostrom (2010), which offers a rigorous framework for identifying the structural conditions under which cooperation succeeds. By applying this framework to the specific case of La Mosquitia, this study aims to contribute both to the practical work of the CiCo project and partner organisations operating in the region, and to the broader academic literature on collective action in contexts marked by geographic isolation and limited institutional infrastructure.