A collapsing banana industry Dependence, vulnerability, insecurity and uncertainty in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Picture from my own collection Masterthesis International Development Studies Wageningen University and Research Centre Renate de Waard 911104923040 22-12-2017 Information A collapsing banana industry: Dependence, vulnerability, insecurity and uncertainty in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Supervisors: Joost Jongerden (RSO) and Gerard Verschoor (SDC) Student: Renate de Waard, 911104923040
[email protected] Master International Development Studies Sociology of Development and Change 2 Preface After a really long time, my thesis is finally finished. There were many moments wherein I thought I could not do it. It was a long and hard process, and I learned a lot. Not only about doing research, but also about myself. I had never done fieldwork abroad before. My previous research projects in my bachelor and my master consisted of qualitative research with data collected through a number of interviews. I recorded the interviews, transcribed them, linked the data to the theoretical framework and rounded it off with a conclusion and a discussion. Such a process is also not a piece of cake, however I had never imagined how difficult this master thesis research would be: to do fieldwork abroad, in a country I had never been before, with the idea of ‘I will research the local population in an inductive way’. Sure, of course I thought it would be difficult, but I could not have imagined it would be the hardest thing I have ever done. So in the end, I am really happy to be able to present this thesis and I am grateful for this opportunity to learn so much.