JW (Joren) Verbist

Joren Verbist is a researcher and practitioner working at the interface of Sustainable Land Management (SLM), water management, and innovation scaling. Since 2020, he has been part of the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), focusing on innovation management, data systematisation, WEFE-nexus decision-support tools, and WOCAT-related activities, including capacity building, land degradation neutrality, and outcome-evidencing studies. Between 2023 and 2025, he also worked with Acacia Water as a MEL expert and water economist, contributing to MEL–IWRM–WASH studies, scaling pathways for MAR–ASR systems, and societal cost–benefit analyses. He holds two MSc degrees from Wageningen University: one in Sustainable Land Management and one in Business Economics. His academic work has addressed rainwater harvesting, the socio-ecological dynamics of historical water systems in Spain, and Payments for Ecosystem Services in the Netherlands from a farmer perspective.

His PhD research, in collaboration with ICARDA, the University of Bern (CDE), and WOCAT, examines how SLM innovations—particularly rainwater harvesting—can scale more autonomously through an innovation-management approach. The research views innovations as integrated packages in which multiple components determine suitability to specific dryland contexts. These components may include technical support, capacity building, value chains, policy frameworks, and exit strategies, reflecting a holistic perspective on scaling. He is particularly interested in how multilateral organizations with a strong innovation record can scale more effectively without reinventing the wheel. His work therefore explores what drives decision-makers, which innovation attributes they consider, and what types of data are required to assess innovations and their likelihood of scaling, with the aim of contributing to more cost-effective scaling and greater value for money in the context of SDG 15: Life on Land.

I began my studies in International Land and Water Management in 2017, where I first engaged with rainwater harvesting and SLM through my BSc thesis in Jordan. I later completed two MSc degrees at Wageningen University: one in Sustainable Land Management, focusing on the socio-ecological dynamics of ancient rainwater harvesting systems in southern Spain, and one in Business Economics (BEC group), studying Payments for Ecosystem Services in the Netherlands from farmer perspective.

My PhD research, conducted with ICARDA, the University of Bern (CDE), and WOCAT, aims to understand how SLM—especially rainwater harvesting—can scale more autonomously by applying an innovation-management lens.