International Consulting Resume
  
Daniel Martin Varisco

Development Anthropologist

Contact

Retired Professor of Anthropology
Hofstra University
Qatar University

Former President
American Institute for Yemeni Studies
 

Index

• Development and Conservation Experience

• Languages

• Professional Consulting Assignments

• Major Consultancy Reports

• Articles Relating to Consulting

• Education
updated 4/2025
DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION EXPERIENCE

Project Skills
 
• Agricultural Sector Analysis
• Biodiversity
• Editor
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Evaluation
• Household Survey
• Irrigation
• Material Culture and Archaeology
• Participatory Rural Assessment
• Project Design
• Social Soundness Analysis
• Team Leader
• Water Supply and Sanitation
Country Experience

 

• Dominican Republic (1 assignment)

• Egypt (2 assignments)

• Kenya (1 assignment)

• Guatemala (2 assignments)

• Jordan (1 assignment)

• Yemen (18) assignments)
LANGUAGES
 
Arabic (fluent, non-native)
Spanish (reading and speaking)
German (reading)
 
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING ASSIGNMENTS
 
2009-2012
The World Bank (Washington, DC)
Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project. Panel of Experts. Analysis of ESA.
2005
The World Bank (Washington, DC)
Sustainable Livelihoods Analysis (PRA field research in Yemeni villages) and preparation of Yemen Country Social Analysis.

2004
The World Bank (Washington, DC)
Scoping Mission for Yemen "Country Social Analysis."
1997
The World Bank (Washington, DC)
Preparation of resettlement plan for the Aden Free Trade Zone in Yemen.
 
1997
Golder Associates (Gainesville, Florida)
Analysis of resettlement issue for Environmental Impact Assessment of proposed YemenInvest Free Trade Zone in Aden, Yemen.
 
1992
The World Bank (Washington DC)
Pre-appraisal mission for resource management project in Western Egypt. Focus on community participation and women in development. Preparation of Environmental Mitigation Plan.
 
1992
GTZ (Germany)
Integrated Pest Management project. Collection and documentation in computerized format of indigenous farmer knowledge on plant protection in Yemen. Team Leader. [For copy of report, click here.]
 
1992
WASH Project (Arlington, VA)
(1) Development of guidelines for effective wastewater and solid waste management in WASH and AID projects. Anthropologist on five-person team.
(2) Development of guidelines for community participation on projects in water and sanitation.
 
1991 Tams Consultants (NY)
(1) Socioenvironmental analysis for IDB- sponsored hydroelectric project in Rio Chixoy, Guatemala.
(2) Preparation of proposal for environmental impact analysis of hydroelectric project in Chile.
 
1991
The World Bank (Washington DC)
(1) Supervision mission of four IDA-funded agricultural projects in Republic of Yemen; visits to Aden and the Hadramawt.
(2) Preparation of issues paper on conservation and agriculture for Yemen Agricultural Sector Study.
 
1990
Tams Consultants (NY)
(1) Socioenvironmental analysis for IDB- sponsored hydroelectric project in Rio Chixoy, Guatemala. Responsible for cultural resources, species and habitat conservation and resettlement issues.
(2) Environmental impact analysis for the US Navy's proposed base closings in Philadelphia, South Weymouth, and Detroit. Responsible for four chapters and sections on community impact.
 
1990
The World Bank (Washington DC)
Preparation of environmental issues brief on the Yemen Arab Republic. Analysis of environmental issues with Yemeni officials.
 
1989
International Council for Bird Preservation (Cambridge)
Team leader for USAID Biological Diversity Assessment of the Yemen Arab Republic. Coordinated international team of scientists and consultants. Analysis of biodiversity issues with Yemeni officials. Field study in remnant tropical forest.
 
1988
Development Associates (Arlington, VA)
(1) Preparation of USAID project paper for participant training of Dominican students in the USA. Interviews with government officials in the Dominican Republic.
(2) Evaluation of USAID participant training program in the Yemen Arab Republic. Interviews with returned participants and government officials.
 
1987
World Wildlife Fund (Washington DC)
USAID- sponsored project on rhinoceros conservation. Study of rhino horn use in North Yemen and local wildlife conservation issues. Developed strategy for initiating wildlife conservation program in Yemen. Interviews with government officials in Yemen and Kenya, Yemeni craftsmen and consumers.
 
1987
WASH (Arlington, VA)
USAID- sponsored study of handpump feasibility and potential for local manufacture in the Yemen Arab Republic. Interviews with government officials, Yemeni businessmen, and villagers. Design of handpump project.
 
1985
USAID (Sanaa mission, Yemen Arab Republic)
(1) Preparation of draft for country background section in CDSS;
(2) Study of private sector initiatives for USAID mission. Review of proposals and interviews with local businessmen.
 
1985
Consortium for International Development (Corvallis)
(1) Social soundness analysis for USAID irrigation project paper.
(2) Preparation of report on water rights and land tenure issues in the Yemen Arab Republic. Field study and interviews with local officials.
 
1984
Consortium for International Development (Corvallis)
Study of beneficiary issues for USAID irrigation project in the Yemen Arab Republic. Interviews with farmers and government officials.
 
1983
Consortium for International Development (Corvallis)
Social analysis for USAID project identification document for irrigation in the Yemen Arab Republic.
 
1983
American Institute for Yemeni Studies (Sanaa, YAR)
Principal author of Social and Institutional Profile of Yemen Arab Republic for USAID.
1982
Pragma Corporation (Falls Church, VA)
Social scientist on Agricultural Sector Assessment of the Yemen Arab Republic for USAID. Assisted team leader on final report preparation in Washington.
 
1981
MetaMetrics, Inc. (Washington, DC)
Team Leader on rural sanitation study for USAID in Egypt. Principal author of report, preparation of in-country budget and logistics, coordination of household survey.
 
 
MAJOR CONSULTANCY REPORTS
 
2005
Sustainable Rural Livelihoods in Yemen. Report prepared for the World Bank.
2004
Key Sociocultural Issues for the Yemen Country Social Analysis. Report prepared for the World Bank. [Includes literature review.]
1997
Field Report: Resettlement Issue. Prepared for Golder Associates (Gainesville, FL) for Environmental Assessment for Aden Free Zone Development Projects.
[Field report of EIA on resettlement issue with sections for main environmental assessment for the World Bank and annexes of documentation and photographs.]
 
1992
Popular Participation for the Matrouh Natural Resource Management Project.
[Working Paper submitted to the World Bank].
 
1992
Indigenous Plant Protection in Yemen.
[Report prepared for GTZ, Yemen German Plant Protection Project, Sanaa].
 
1991
Review of Socioenvironmental Issues for Serchil Range of Options. N.Y.: TAMS Consultants.
Strategy for Integrating Environmental Conservation in Agricultural Projects in the Republic of Yemen.
[Report prepared for The World Bank].
 
1991
Review of Actions for Resource Conservation in IDA-Assisted Agricultural Projects of the Republic of Yemen.
[Report prepared for The World Bank].
 
1990
Biological Diversity Assessment of North Yemen. Cambridge: International Council for Bird Preservation.
[Principal author of report for USAID].
 
1990
Environmental Issues Brief of the Yemen Arab Republic (draft report for The World Bank).
Socioenvironmental Evaluation, in Chixoy Feasibility Studies. Phase 1. NY: TAMS Consultants.
[Report prepared for the Government of Guatemala].
 
1989
Horns and Hilts. Wildlife Conservation for North Yemen. Washington, DC: World Wildlife Fund.
[Report prepared for USAID].
 
1988
Employment-Based Training Project Design. Arlington: Development Associates.
[Co-authored with James Dawson; report prepared for USAID, Santo Domingo].
 
1987
Feasibility of Handpump Installation and Manufacture in the Yemen Arab Republic. Arlington: WASH Project .
[Co-authored with Dennis Warner; report prepared for USAID].
 
1985
Social Considerations for Development of Private Sector Initiatives.
[Report prepared for USAID, Sanaa,YAR].
 
1985
Land Tenure and Water Rights in the Central Highlands of the Yemen Arab Republic.
[Report prepared for USAID, Sanaa, YAR].
 
1985
Social Analysis, in Irrigated Farming Practices Project Paper. Sanaa: CID.
[Report prepared for USAID, Sanaa, YAR].
 
1984
Social and Institutional Profile of the Yemen Arab Republic. Sanaa: AIYS.
[Principal author; report prepared for USAID].
 
1982
Social Milieu, in Agricultural Sector Assessment of theYemen Arab Republic. Washington, DC: USAID.
 [Report prepared for USAID].
Rural Sanitation in the Arab Republic of Egypt. Washington, DC: MetaMetrics, Inc.
[Report prepared for USAID].
ARTICLES RELATING TO CONSULTING
 
For a complete bibliography of my books, articles and reviews click here.
 
in press
Qabila, Jirbah and Tanmiyah: Tribes and Agriculture in the Northern Highlands of Yemen. In Marieke Brandt, editor, Tribes in Modern Yemen: An Anthology, 79-93. Vienna: Austrian Academy of Science. Sammlung Eduard Glaser #XVIII. Open Access at https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at/tribes-modern-yemen-an-anthology. [Examines the potential for agricultural development in Yemen's tribal system of local government.]

2019
Pumping Yemen Dry: A History of Yemen’s Water Crisis. Human Ecology 47:317-329. [Review of the history of the current water crisis in Yemen with suggestions for mitigation.]

2018
Agriculture in the Northern Highlands of Yemen: From Subsistence to Cash Cropping. Journal of Arabian Studies 8(2):171-192. [Analysis of agriculture in Yemen's northern region since the 1962 revolution.]

The State of Agriculture in the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen, 1918-1962: A Documentary Overview. Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften / Austrian Academy of Sciences, AAS WORKING PAPERS IN SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Volume 32. Available online at http://epub.oeaw.ac.at/wpsa32

2017
Date Palm Production in Rasulid Yemen. Ulrich Haarmann Memorial Lecture, ed. Stephan Conermann. Berlin: EB Verlag. [Discussion of traditional date palm production in Yemen and the relevance of historical sources for understanding the practice.]

2012
Qât and Traditional Healing in Yemen. In H. Schönig and I. Heymeyer, editors, Herbal Medicine in Yemen, 69-102. Leiden: Brill. [Analysis of textual and ethnographic information on the role of qât (Catha edulis) as a medicinal plant with correlations to recent scientific research on its properties and effects.]

2007
Turning Over a New Leaf: The Impact of Qât (Catha edulis) in Yemeni Horticulture. In Michel Conan and W. John Kress, editors, Botanical Progress, Horticultural Innovations and Cultural Changes, 239-256. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. [Survey of the history of the qât plant in Yemen with a focus on its origins, botanical aspects and economic impact.]
2004
The Elixer of Life or the Devil's Cud: The Debate over Qât (Catha edulis) in Yemeni Culture. In Ross Coomber and Nigel South, editors, Drug Use and Cultural Context: Tradition, Change and Intoxicants beyond 'The West', 101-118. London: Free Association Books.
[Analysis of the role of qât as a stimulant in Yemeni society.]

2003
Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Yemeni Irrigation. In Amin al-Hakimi and Frédéric Pelat, editors, Savoirs locaux et agriculture durable au Yémen, 115-120. Les Cahiers du CEFAS N° 3. Sanaa: Centre Français d'Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales.
[Role of indigenous knowledge about agriculture and irrigation for sustainable development in Yemen.]

1997
The Twin Twigs: Coffee and Qat, The World & I 12/7:217-227, July.
[This is a popular article which discusses the historical context of the use of two stimulants -- qat and coffee -- in Yemen after the 15th century. The article examines the social function of qat and the economic role of both crops in Yemen's recent history.]
1996
Water Sources and Traditional Irrigation in Yemen, New Arabian Studies 3:238-257.
[This article is a revision of a chapter from my dissertation on the range of water sources and types of irrigation in Yemen. It covers seasonal floods, wells, springs and cisterns, qanats and surface runoff. This journal, now published at Exeter University, replaced the original Arabian Studies. Reprinted in Varisco (1997).]
 
1995
Indigenous Plant Protection Methods in Yemen, GeoJournal 37/1:27-38.
[GeoJournal is an international journal of geography, published in Dordrecht. The article was solicited by Prof. Mushtaqur Rahman (Iowa State University) for a special issue on the geography of the Muslim World. My article describes indigenous methods of plant protection among Yemeni farmers based on field research conducted for Yemen's Ministry of Agriculture with a Yemeni research team in 1992. In addition to the documentation, the article discusses recommendations for integrated pest management in Yemen. Reprinted in Varisco (1997).]
 
1991
The Future of Terrace Farming in North Yemen: A Development Dilemma, Agriculture and Human Values (Gainesville, FL) 8:1&2:166-172.
[This article was solicited by Dr. Dennis Warren (Iowa State University) for a special issue highlighting indigenous agricultural knowledge. The article provides information obtained during ethnographic study of highland Yemeni agriculture and examines development implications. Online article at: http://www.aiys.org/webdate/terrace.html.]
 
1990
Biological Diversity for North Yemen, A.I.Y.S. Newsletter 27:5,10.
 
1989
Land Use and Agricultural Development in the Yemen Arab Republic, in Anthropology and Development in North Africa and the Middle East, M. Salem Murdock and M. Horowitz, editors, pp. 292-311. Boulder: Westview Press.
[In this invited article I discuss the role of land use and tenure on agricultural development projects in Yemen with specific focus on a USAID project I worked on. The article draws on ethnographic data and development experience.]
 
1989
From Rhino Horns to Dagger Handles, Animal Kingdom (NY), May/June 92/3:44-49.
[This is a popular article describing research conducted in Yemen and Kenya for the World Wildlife Fund on rhino conservation . The article looks at the marketing and use of rhino horn for making daggers in Yemen and suggests recommendations for curbing the trade.]
 
1989
Beyond Rhino Horn -- Wildlife Conservation for North Yemen, Oryx 23/4:215-219.
[This is the journal of the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society in England. My article describes my wildlife conservation project on rhino conservation for World Wildlife Fund in 1987.]
 
1988
The Qat Factor in North Yemen's Agricultural Development, Culture and Agriculture 34:11-14.
[Culture and Agriculture is the Bulletin of the Culture and Agriculture Group of the AAA. The article argues that the production and marketing of the stimulant plant qat (Catha edulis) in Yemen has been beneficial to small Yemeni farmers, despite the fears of development officials that it is a drain on the economic system.]
 
1988
Wildlife Conservation for North Yemen, A.I.Y.S. Newsletter 24:1,6.
 
1988
Rhinoceros Horn is also the Animal's Achilles' Heel, The Christian Science Monitor (June 28):19-20.
[This is a newspaper article about my research for World Wildlife Fund on rhino conservation in Yemen.]
 
1983
Sayl and Ghayl: The Ecology of Water Allocation in Yemen, Human Ecology (NY) 11:365-383.
[In this article I present the main thesis of my Ph.D. work on the ecology of irrigation in Yemen. The article compares highland spring irrigation (which I studied in 1978-79) with information on coastal flood systems. I argue that tribal political organization is an adaptive response to highland spring flow allocation but undergoes stress in coastal flood systems with the potential for major upstream-downstream conflict. Reprinted in Varisco (1997).]
 
EDUCATION
 
Ph. D. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1982 (Anthropology)
M. A. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1975 (Anthropology)
B. A. Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, 1973 (Archaeology )
[with high honors]