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MVI Research
for a sustainable future |
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As a community-based organization, the Monteverde Institute strives to engage and involve the broader Monteverde community in all its endeavors, whether it be working with local faculty and community experts – both academic and grassroots – to provide course content; addressing research questions identified by local organizations, government institutions, and grassroots groups and involving them as citizen researchers; or working with these same stakeholders to advance and address issues important to the Monteverde zone, including land use planning and regional growth, watershed protection, and community health, to name a few. Our goal is be relevant both locally and globally, addressing issues that help advance local-decision making while at the same provide academic richness that benefits both visitors and community members alike.
What is Monteverde?
Monteverde can be defined in several ways, depending on one's reference point:
- The District of Monte Verde. This political definition, which is two words, represents the boundaries of the municipal district. This district was established in 2003, with a local governance structure established that same year. Monte Verde pertains to the province of Puntarenas.
- The Monteverde village. The village of Monteverde was settled in 1951 by North American Quakers, who went on to establish the famous Monteverde Cheese Factory. Today, the village of Monteverde, with approximately 250 residents, still reflects a strong North American influence. The main entrance to the famous Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve is located in the Monteverde village.
- The Monteverde Zone. A relatively recent moniker, the Monteverde “Zone” encompasses the area of economic activity related to tourism; in the past, the main economic driver of this zone was dairy, and was popularly known as the “milkshed.” The Zone transcends both district and village boundaries. For example, many major “Monteverde” attractions actually fall outside of the political boundaries of Monte Verde and are technically part of different provinces, despite the fact that the services and businesses supporting them are located in the district.
Read more about our community projects.
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Research at the Monteverde Institute
 MVI’s Applied Research Program consists of five main areas: 1) university partnerships in which MVI staff and the Monteverde community members play an active role alongside university faculty in the formation of research objectives, questions, methods, data collection and analysis, and grant proposal writing; 2) our research affiliate and associate program; 3) support for staff research;
4) student-led research as part of an education abroad program; and 5) research dissemination, whereby MVI facilitates access to research and information on the Monteverde zone.
MVI prioritizes research that reflects our mission of advancing knowledge and practice on the sustainable management of resources through education, research and community engagement. The proposal must fall within our academic, community, and research foci, which include:
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Ecotourism
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Community health
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Conservation biology
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Land use planning and sustainable development
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Spanish language and cultural studies
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Information access and equity
As part of our effort to promote information access at a local level, all research conducted through or with MVI must include a concrete plan on how the research will be made accessible to a local audience, in both Spanish and English. This can be done through presentations, document translation, talks in the local schools, or other methods. Costs associate with dissemination activities should be included in your project budget.
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Research Partnerships
with the Monteverde Institute
The Monteverde Institute is open to developing and seeking funding for collaborative research projects with universities and other institutions whose research interests and community-focus match our own. For example, MVI and the University of South Florida are currently undertaking an NSF-funded, 3-year longitudinal study on the impact that the ongoing transition from farming to tourism is having on the food habits and nutritional health of rural Costa Rican households in the Monteverde zone.
Like other research endeavors, collaborative research must reflect MVI’s thematic foci. Additionally, it must include emphasis on developing local research capacities. If you are interested in exploring collaborative research, please contact: jwilkins@mvinstitute.org.
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