Arie Sanders is an associate professor at the Panamerican Agricultural School, Zamorano, with more than 20 years of experience in topics related to rural development. With the Horticulture Innovation Lab, Sanders serves as the in-country lead is responsible for the implementation of research and field activities in Honduras for the project focused on empowering women through horticulture there.

Sanders is a development economist focused on rural development and food security. His research is concerned with a number of broad questions about the relationship between markets/value chains, poverty and food governance. His work with Horticulture Innovation Lab colleagues aims to understand how social worlds work and to evaluate how technology and development ideas impact small-scale farmer's livelihoods.

He is currently pursuing a dual doctoral degree at Penn State University in Rural Sociology and International Agriculture and Development. He holds a master's degree in Development Economics from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Favorite fruit: 
Mango

I am inspired by...
Development projects with positive impact.

Memorable fruit or vegetable encounter:
Concert of the Smashing Pumpkins.