Claudia Paniagua, Rural Development Expert

Ms. Paniagua holds a MSc in Rural Development (Universidad Politécnica) and Agricultural Economy (UNAN) and has more than 20 years of professional experience working in Nicaragua and the Central American region. This experience focuses on data systematization, baselines, monitoring and evaluation of national and international projects and programs that are managed by public institutions, private sector and multilateral organizations. She has had an outstanding career in research linked to rural and local development, organization and community development, as well as experience in formulation and direction of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, technical assistance and training at different levels. Her most recent assignments include the coordination of the evaluation of joint activities between INTA and WFP, the coordination of GANE program baseline, carried out by TechnoServe and financed by USDA, and the MARENA PAGRICC (climate change adaptation) baseline, financed by NDF. She also coordinated the Evaluation for the Social and economic acceptability of the rural water and sanitation technologies (ONGAWA/COSUDE) and the systematization of good practices related to Human Rights, Water and Sanitation in CAP (ONGAWA). She was the monitoring and evaluation specialist for the Millennium Challenge Account in Nicaragua. Finally she coordinated the socioeconomic component of the Sustainable Development Conservation Program carried out by CATIE/IDR, and also coordinated the communitarian organization component and environment education for the project “Desarrollo Local de Municipios Verdes” (the local development of ‘green’ municipalities) in northwestern Nicaraguan  administrative Department of Chinandega, which was under the leadership of the Ministry of Industry, Development and Commerce)  and IDR (the institute of Rural Development).