Ramiro González
General Deputy, Provincial Council of Alava
Ramiro González
General Deputy, Provincial Council of Alava
Over 32 years' experience as a lawyer, specialising in civil and commercial law.
He has held various positions in public companies in Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council.
Member of the General Assembly of Alava, during the 2007-2011 and 2011-2015 legislatures.
Spokesperson for the EAJ-PNV group in the General Assemblies in the 2011-2015 legislature.
Since 30 June 2015, when he was first elected for the first time by the General Assembly of Alava, he has been Deputy General of Alava.
Iñigo Urkullu
President/Lehendakari, Basque Government
Bittor Oroz
Vice-minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Policy, Basque Government
Gabriel Ferrero
Ambassador for Food Security, Government of Spain
Rossana Carolina Ayala
Vice-minister for Family Farming, Paraguay
Rossana Carolina Ayala
Vice-minister for Family Farming, Paraguay
I was born in the city of Encarnación, Republic of Paraguay, on July 24, 1975.
I started working at the Centre for Agricultural Research from 2000 to 2004, in the area of Soil Management and Conservation within the National Programme for Soil Conservation and Recovery MAG/GIZ.
From 2004 to 2023 I have been in charge of planning, evaluation and monitoring at the Centre for Agricultural Development of Alto Paraná, under the Directorate of Agricultural Extension of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
I currently serve as Vice-Minister of Peasant and Indigenous Family Farming (VAF), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
Luis Planas
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Spain
Álvaro Lario
President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Álvaro Lario
President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Alvaro Lario is President of the International Fund of Agricultural Development (IFAD). A seasoned international development finance leader, he has more than 20 years of experience across academia, private sector asset management, World Bank Group and the United Nations, including as Associate Vice-President of Financial Operations at IFAD.
Under his stewardship, IFAD became the first United Nations Fund to enter the capital markets and obtain a credit rating, enabling the IFAD to expand resource mobilization efforts to the private sector.
Before joining the Fund in early 2018, he was the Treasury Capital Markets Lead and Principal Portfolio Officer at the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group, where he focused on local capital markets development and emerging markets investments.
President Lario received a PhD in Financial Economics from the Complutense University of Madrid after completing a Master of Research in Economics at the London Business School and a Master of Finance from Princeton University.
Fernanda Maldonado
eneral Directory, Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Uruguay
Nerea Melgosa
Minister of Equality, Justice and Social Policies, Basque Government
Nerea Melgosa
Minister of Equality, Justice and Social Policies, Basque Government
Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz 53 years ago - and with four children all now at University - she holds a degree in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Deusto; a Master in Human Resources from the EADA Business School in Barcelona; a specialist in Cooperatives from the University of Deusto and an expert in Market Studies from the UNED.
Prior to her current job, she has held several positions: Director of Equality and Human Rights of the Provincial Council of Araba; Delegate Councilor for Employment and Sustainable Economic Development in the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz; Delegate Councilor of the Coexistence and Diversity Service; Representative on the Board of Directors and General Meeting of Shareholders of the Business and Innovation Center of Alava (CEIA); President of the Board of Directors of Gasteizko Industria-Lurra/GILSA; Representative in the Vitoria Transport Center (CTV), also in VIA-Promotion of the Vitoria Gasteiz Airport; representative in HAZIBIDE; in the General Assembly of Members of the Spanish Network of Intelligent Cities; in the Interinstitutional Commission of External Action of the Basque Government; Councilor Delegate of Social Policies of the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz and in the Board of Directors and General Shareholders' Meeting of the Technology Park of Araba, in Miñano.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Guilherme Brady
Head of the Family Farming Engagement and Parliamentary Networks Participation Unit, FAO
Guilherme Brady
Head of the Family Farming Engagement and Parliamentary Networks Participation Unit, FAO
Marco Camagni
Technical Director Global Rural Institutions Specialist, IFAD
Marco Camagni
Technical Director Global Rural Institutions Specialist, IFAD
Marco Camagni is the Senior Technical Specialist in Rural Markets and Enterprises at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
His work is focused on two main areas: thematic technical support to IFAD country programmes (both at design and in implementation stages) and knowledge management, including the design and follow up of grant-funded initiatives and partnerships with other agencies.
At the Fund, Camagni previously worked for six years as the Country Programme Manager in the Latin America and Caribbean Division, in charge of Haiti, Dominican Republic and Belize. He also worked for four years in the Regional Unit for Technical Assistance (RUTA), a multi-donor programme based in Central America. Within RUTA, he supported Governments’ and IFAD’s interventions in regional agricultural and rural development.
Prior to joining the Fund, Camagni worked for two years at a company that provided management consulting to small and medium-sized enterprises in Italy. He holds a master’s degree in Development Economics from University of Sussex, United Kingdom, and several specialisation trainings on value chain development and rural finance.
Marcela Villareal
Director, Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division, FAO
Marcela Villareal
Director, Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division, FAO
Marcela Villarreal is Director of the Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). She has a PhD in Rural Sociology from Cornell University and a BA/MA in Systems and Computing Engineering from the University of Los Andes in Bogotá. She leads the implementation of FAO’s innovative partnerships with civil society, academia, research institutions and UN entities, as well as FAO’s role in the UN Reform. She coordinates the initiative on the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems, FAO’s policy on Indigenous Peoples, the Global Parliamentarian Fronts against Hunger initiative and the Decade of Family Farming, among others.
Since she joined FAO in 1996, her previous roles include Director of the Partnerships, Advocacy and Capacity Development Division; Director of the Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division; Chief of the Population and Development Service; and Senior Officer Socio-Cultural Research. Before joining FAO, she worked for UNFPA, ILO and for the Colombian Government. Throughout her 33-year career at the UN, she has worked and published extensively in the areas of poverty reduction, gender issues, rural development, employment, social inequality, land tenure, HIV/AIDS and food security. She has lead and/or participated in UN missions to some 40 countries.
Valisoamampionona Ny Antsa
Chef de Service de la Valorisation et de la Transformation des Produits agricoles, Ministère de l'agriculture et de l'élevage, Madagascar
Valisoamampionona Ny Antsa
Chef de Service de la Valorisation et de la Transformation des Produits agricoles, Ministère de l'agriculture et de l'élevage, Madagascar
Josefa Leonel Sacko
Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union
Josefa Leonel Sacko
Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union
Mario Arvelo
President of the International Steering Committee of the UN Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the UN in Rome
Mario Arvelo
President of the International Steering Committee of the UN Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the UN in Rome
Mario Arvelo (Santo Domingo, 1970) is a lawyer, political scientist and career diplomat of the Dominican Republic. He has a background in the private sector and civil society before entering public service, having served in Washington, Tokyo and Santiago de Chile; he is currently an ambassador to the United Nations agencies specializing in food, agriculture and rural development: FAO, IFAD and WFP. He has chaired the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), the FAO Committee on Agriculture and the Global Soil Partnership, among other multilateral governance responsibilities. Since 2023, he chairs the International Steering Committee of the UN Decade of Action for Family Farming, and is a member of the governing councils of IFAD and WFP, and the board of directors of the CFS. His numerous publications include "Food and nutritional security in the Dominican Republic and in the Caribbean and Central American environment" (Social Studies, XLIV-163, 2021).
Sylvie Guillaud
WRF Secretariat
Sylvie Guillaud
WRF Secretariat
Sylvie Guillaud is an agronomist who, after working for several years in the environmental protection sector in Belgium, has accumulated over 12 years' experience in development cooperation. She is responsible for coordinating the agenda of the World Rural Forum in Africa, as well as that of the UNDFF alongside the National Family Farming Committees. She is also the programme's focal point for young farmers.
Alberto Broch
President, COPROFAM and Vice-president, WRF
Alberto Broch
President, COPROFAM and Vice-president, WRF
Alberto Ercilio Broch is a family farmer. He grows soybeans, corn, oats and other cereals, and raises cattle and pigs on an area of 90 hectares in the municipality of Alto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). He began his union career as a counselor at the Triticale de Espumoso Cooperative, becoming President of the Federation of Agricultural Workers of Rio Grande do Sul in 1995. The following year he joined the Confederation of Rural Workers, Farmers and Farmers' Families - CONTAG as Secretary of Agricultural Policy, serving as President from 2009 to 2017. In 2005, he helped found the Confederation of Family Producers' Organizations of the Enlarged MERCOSUR - COPROFAM. Alberto currently holds the positions of President of COPROFAM, Vice President of CONTAG and Vice President of the World Rural Forum.
Fernanda Machiaveli Morão de Oliveira
Vice-minister, Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, Brazil
Fernanda Machiaveli Morão de Oliveira
Vice-minister, Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, Brazil
Fernanda Machiaveli holds a BA and PhD in Political Science from the University of São Paulo (USP). A graduate in Social Sciences from USP, she was a special student at Harvard University and a fellow at the Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.
Ms. Machiaveli has been a Specialist in Public Policy and Government Management in the federal government for 11 years. In 2023, she became the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming, alongside Minister Paulo Teixeira, with the responsibility of coordinating the reconstruction of public policies oriented to family farming, agrarian reform, land governance and food supply.
Formerly, he was Chief of Cabinet of the Executive Secretariat of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic and Chief of Cabinet of the Ministry of Agrarian Development. She was responsible for the formulation and coordination of policies in response to civil society demands, such as the National Policy on Social Participation, the National Policy on Agroecology and Organic Production, the Agroindustrialisation of Agrarian Reform Settlements Programme (Terra Forte) and the Programme for the Strengthening of Agroecology and Organic Production Networks (Ecoforte). She also led the area of Government Transformation of the Innovation Directorate of the National School of Public Administration (Gnova Transforma/Enap). Ms. Machiaveli has successfully coordinated more than 60 projects on strategic management, service design and the development of innovative solutions to public challenges. These include the Cities that Transform programme, which supports municipal challenges related to the 2030 Agenda.
Montserrat Cortiñas
Deputy Secretary General, Small Producers and Livestock Farmers Union (UPA). NCFF Spain
Montserrat Cortiñas
Deputy Secretary General, Small Producers and Livestock Farmers Union (UPA). NCFF Spain
Leonard Mizzi
Head of Unit Sustainable Agri-Food and Fisheries Systems, DG INTPA, European Commission
Leonard Mizzi
Head of Unit Sustainable Agri-Food and Fisheries Systems, DG INTPA, European Commission
Dr. Leonard Mizzi has served as the Head of Unit at the European Commission, Directorate-General for International Partnerships - Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Fisheries since January 1, 2017. Prior to this, he held a 10-year tenure as the Head of Unit in DG Agriculture and Rural Development, overseeing agri-trade and development (2007-2014) and later leading inter-institutional relations and civil dialogue groups (2015-2016). Dr. Mizzi, a graduate in Public Administration from the University of Malta, holds degrees from CIHEAM-Montpellier and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Reading. With a diverse background in Maltese public administration and the private sector, he has authored numerous publications on agri-food issues in the Mediterranean. Dr. Mizzi's expertise lies in global food security governance, agriculture, and food and nutrition security, with a focus on the Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Kolyang Palebele
President, PROPAC
Kolyang Palebele
President, PROPAC
Mr. Kolyang Palebele is a Chadian agro-breeder and an expert in rural and community development. He is President of the National Council of Rural Producers of Chad (Conseil National de Concertation des Producteurs Ruraux du Tchad - CNCPRT) in Chad and advisor to the Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Council (CESC). He has also been Chairman of the Regional Platform of Farmers' Organizations of Central Africa (PROPAC) since 2021, and is a former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Pan-African Farmers' Organization (PAFO).
Andrea Porro
General Secretary, World Farmers' Organisation (WFO)
Andrea Porro
General Secretary, World Farmers' Organisation (WFO)
Dr Andrea Porro brings 18 years of experience as a project/team leader, agriculture
and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) subject matter expert, and partnership facilitator
in over 15 countries across four continents. After graduating in Agricultural Sciences
from the University of Milan, he started his career in agricultural extension service in
2006, focusing on agrometeorological analysis and technology transfer. He holds a
Master's in Crop Production and Protection and a Doctorate in Plant Biology and
Production.
Dr Porro's academic experience includes a research stint at UNIMI's Department of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and a full professorship in agroecology at
Makeni's Faculty of Agriculture, Sierra Leone. Since 2014, he has served as an
agriculture, DRR, and natural resource management expert for international
organizations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. His roles included being a country
representative and project manager, overseeing teams of over 50 people, and
managing projects worth over $20 million. During these endeavours, he also honed
his skills in donor relations, networking, monitoring and evaluation, HR, and
fundraising.
His most recent role was with the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization as Head of
Risk Analysis in the Agriculture and Food Security Unit for the Afghanistan office.
As of January 1, 2024, Dr Porro is the Secretary General of the World Farmers'
Organisation (WFO).
Jokin Gorriti
Laboral Kutxa Representative
Jokin Gorriti
Laboral Kutxa Representative
Jokin Gorriti (Bilbao, 1970) holds a degree in Information Sciences from the University of the Basque Country and a postgraduate degree in Communication and Advertising Management from ESIC, Business&Marketing School.
He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the WRF for more than a decade, where he serves as treasurer.
After a long professional career in the financial and cooperative field, he began his collaboration with the WRF from his position as Director of Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility at the Caja Rural Vasca -Ipar Kutxa-, later integrated in the current credit cooperative LABORAL Kutxa, belonging to the MONDRAGON group, a world reference in cooperativism.
In addition to his professional occupation in the financial institution and his functions in the governing bodies of the WRF, he is also a member of the Board of Directors of HAZILUR, a company for the promotion of agri-food companies formed by the Basque Government, Konfekoop (Confederation of Cooperatives of the Basque Country) and LABORAL Kutxa.
Stephen Muchiri
Chief Executive Officer, EAFF
Stephen Muchiri
Chief Executive Officer, EAFF
Stephen is a trained professional horticulturalist with a Bsc and Msc degrees from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT –Kenya) and is in charge of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation as the CEO. His role is centred around implementing EAFFs new strategic plan 2021-2028 whose focus is scaling Farmer Entrepreneurship.
Babafemi Oyewole
Executive director, PAFO
Babafemi Oyewole
Executive director, PAFO
Babafemi is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Panafrican Farmers Organisation (PAFO). In this role, Babafemi leads an organisation that represents over 80 million farmers and 73 national organisations spread across 49 countries in Africa and several partners across the globe.
Babafemi is a tri-sector professional with three decades of experience in corporate leadership, including over 10 years in the agricultural sector working with farmers and farmers organisations. Most recently, he served as CEOs of African Agribusiness Alliance and African Cashew Alliance. Prior to these positions, he was CEO of Africa Energy Investment Corporation (AEICORP), and General Manager, Banque Internationale du Benin.
Dr. Oyewole sits on the boards of Orabank Benin, FINADEV Benin and Supreme Microfinance Bank, Lagos and formerly on the Board of African Petroleum Institute, Cairo. He was an UNCTAD Africa expert and member of OECD advisory committee on natural resources. He obtained his PhD in Development Finance and Policy from the University of Bradford, UK as a Chevening Scholar. He speaks English and French.
Tacko Ndiaye
Gender Team Leader, FAO
Tacko Ndiaye
Gender Team Leader, FAO
Tacko Ndiaye has over 27 years of experience of empowering women and promoting gender equality, with a focus on agrifood systems, poverty reduction, trade and climate change. She is the Gender Team Leader in the Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division of FAO. Before joining the FAO almost 10 years ago, she worked with UN Women for 10 years as Policy Advisor on Sustainable Development and Women’s Economic Empowerment, and for four years with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa as Economic Affairs Officer.
Santiago Rojas
Director, Institute for Agricultural Development (INDAP), Chile
Santiago Rojas
Director, Institute for Agricultural Development (INDAP), Chile
An Agricultural Engineer with a specialisation in Environmental Management and a diploma in Organic Agriculture from the "Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile" (PUC), and a Master's degree in Environment and Sustainable Development from the University of London (UCL).
He has specialised in sustainability and environmental strategy development and projects in the public and private sectors. In particular, he has applied his expertise in the municipality of Providencia, where between 2013 and 2016 he worked as Sustainability Advisor to the Secretariat of Planning and then as Head of the Department of the Environment.
Between 2015 and 2016, he was a member of the Expert Committee for developing an institutional legal framework for climate change in Chile. He was also a consultant on sustainability and climate change for the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Argentina (2017-2018), and an external consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for an urban agriculture project in Santiago (2012-2013).
He is co-founder of the company "Regenera Orgánico".
Twitter : @rojassantiagro
Hakim Baliraine
President, Eastern and Southern Africa small-scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF)
Francesca Carnibella
Food Systems Lead, Global Strategic Communications Council
Francesca Carnibella
Food Systems Lead, Global Strategic Communications Council
Francesca Carnibella is the Food Systems Lead at the Global Strategic Communications Council - an international network of communications professionals in the fields of climate, energy, and nature. She has been campaigning on climate change for 15 years and has previously managed food and climate campaigns at Oxfam, worked with legislators at the Climate Parliament and was Co-Director of the UK Youth Climate Coalition.
Andriamparany Ranoasy
Director, FIFATA. Coordinator, CNAF Madagascar
Julie Bissonnette
President, Canadian Young Farmers' Forum (CYFF)
Julie Bissonnette
President, Canadian Young Farmers' Forum (CYFF)
Julie Bissonnette is a graduate of the Institute of Agri-Food Technology, at the Saint-Hyacinthe campus. Originally from the Montérégie region, she grew up on the family farm. In addition to her community commitment, she divides her time between her work as an Agro-environmental Technician at the Club Agrinove and running the Olivier L. Fleury Farm in L'Avenir with her husband. Until recently, she was president of the Fédération du relève agricole du Québec, a position she has held since March 2018. Ms. Bissonnette has been involved in the Young Farmers Network for more than fifteen years. She sits on a dozen boards and committees in Quebec's agricultural industry, in addition to being president of the Table pancanadienne de la relève agricole (TPRA) and president of the Fiducie Réseau express métropolitain (REM).
Genna Tesdall
Director, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD)
Genna Tesdall
Director, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD)
Genna Tesdall (she/her) is the Director of the network Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD). She is an agriculture systems thinker taking on projects to sustain the environment and people, striving to be a servant-leader in order to foster equality between generations (and all delimiters of privilege). Before joining YPARD, she was the federal agricultural policy officer at the German Rural Youth Association (Bund der Deutschen Landjugend) (2020). As a Fulbright Researcher at the Humboldt University of Berlin (2018-19), she focused on youth involvement in agricultural policy, and was the former president (2013-14) of the International Association of Agriculture and Related Sciences Students (IAAS). She is a graduate of the global oriented Iowa State (2015) and Penn State Universities (2018) with a M.Sc. in Plant Pathology and International Agriculture and Development.
Michael Taylor
Director, ILC
Michael Taylor
Director, ILC
Michael Taylor is the Director of the global secretariat of the International Land Coalition (ILC). ILC is hosted by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a UN Agency in Rome, Italy. Michael is a citizen of Botswana, with a PhD in Social Anthropology. He has worked on human rights and environmental issues for 30 years across Africa and the rest of the world. The International Land Coalition is a global alliance of 300 multilateral and civil society organizations based in 90 countries. Its members represent over 80 Million land-users across the globe.
Cheikh Oumar BA
Executive Director, IPAR
Cheikh Oumar BA
Executive Director, IPAR
Dr. Cheikh Oumar BA holds a PhD in Sociology. Since 2009, he has been Executive Director of IPAR, a West African think tank on strategy and prospective, based in Dakar: www.ipar.sn. Since 2017, he chairs the UEMOA Network of Independent Research Centers, which brings together about thirty Think Tanks based in Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin, Niger, Guinea Bissau and Senegal.
Dr. Ba is a specialist in agricultural and rural development, resilience, gender, land tenure and international migration. A specialist in strategy and foresight, he works on youth perspectives, particularly in rural areas of West Africa.
He has contributed his expertise to several international organizations such as IFAD, FAO, the World Bank and the African Union. He is the author of several scientific publications and a member of socio-professional associations.
Elena Bertusi
Global Engagement Officer, Global Engagement, Partnership and Resource Mobilization Division, IFAD
Elena Bertusi
Global Engagement Officer, Global Engagement, Partnership and Resource Mobilization Division, IFAD
Elena Bertusi, an Italian national, joined IFAD's Global Engagement team in January 2023, overseeing policy processes and farmers' engagement.
Her responsibilities include coordinating IFAD's involvement in the Committee on World Food Security and the UN Decade on Family Farming. Elena manages relationships with partners in these areas and oversees grant funding. Before joining the Global Engagement Team, she began her IFAD career in 2016, contributing to the South-South and Triangular Cooperation program, where she designed the 2016 strategy and managed events.
Elena later joined the Food Systems Summit Team, focusing on internal and external coordination for IFAD's engagement in the 2021 summit and its aftermath. With prior experience at the World Bank and in the legal industry, Elena, a qualified lawyer from the Bocconi University, holds degrees in International Law and International Criminal Law from the UNICRI and University of Torino.
She is fluent in Italian, English, and Portuguese, she was admitted to practice law in 2015.
Francesca Romano
Land Tenure Officer, FAO
Francesca Romano
Land Tenure Officer, FAO
She has been involved in the negotiation and implementation process of the VGGT, supporting the capacity development stream of work, as well as country based initiative in the field of responsible investments and multistakeholder processes for improved land governance and policy frameworks.
More recently she has been leading the thematic area on tenure, climate change and environmental sustainability, and promoting human rights based approaches to land governance.
She gained field experience in Africa, Asia and Central European countries. She also worked as independent consultant for IUCN, and as lectures for University la Sapienza, Rome, on field related to conservation and protected area management.
She holds a University degree in Biology and MSc in Protected landscape management.
Socrates Banzuela
Coordinator, Pakisama. National Committee for Family Farming (NCFF) Philippines
Javier Mateo-Vega
Senior Director Partnerships, CGIAR
Javier Mateo-Vega
Senior Director Partnerships, CGIAR
Mr Javier Mateo-Vega serves as Global Director of Partnerships & Communications at the Alliance of
Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and holds a joint
appointment as Senior Director of Partnerships at CGIAR.
Prior, Javier served as Director of the Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative (ELTI) of the Yale
School of Environment, holding a joint appointment at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
(STRI; Panama). He also held positions at The Nature Conservancy (Country Manager) and the
Organization for Tropical Studies (Coordinator, Environmental Science and Policy), both in Costa Rica.
Javier received his PhD (Biology) from McGill University. His research focused on understanding how
Indigenous peoples can participate fully and effectively at the local level in policy processes of global
concern.
Javier has 25 years of experience providing technical and managerial leadership in natural resource
management, biodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture, capacity development, and
ecological research, primarily in developing countries.
Hildegard Lingnau
General Secretary, GFAiR
Hildegard Lingnau
General Secretary, GFAiR
Adj. Prof. Dr. Hildegard Lingnau is the Executive Secretary of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR/GFAiR), a network of networks with more than 1.000 institutional members from 13 constituencies, all actors interested in the transformation of the agri-food system.
She brings more than 33 years of experience in research, policy development and management positions in institutions and countries all over the world, including FAO, WFP and OECD. She spent most of her professional life working with stakeholders in countries of the Global South.
Hildegard Lingnau qualified at 5 different European Universities (qualification as Professor / Habilitation, PhD / Dr.rer.pol., post-graduate studies, Master’s degree / Diplom) and currently teaches at the EIIS in Rome (Italy).
She is a member of the System Council of CGIAR and the Boards of several other global and regional networks (such as TAP, EC DeSIRA and modernAKIS).
Elisenda Estruch-Puertas
Economist/Rural Economy Specialist, Sectoral Policies Department, ILO
Elisenda Estruch-Puertas
Economist/Rural Economy Specialist, Sectoral Policies Department, ILO
Elisenda Estruch Puertas is an economist with more than fifteen years of experience in international development, policy, strategic partnerships, economic analysis, capacity development and resource mobilization. She has wide expertise in rural employment, decent work, informal employment, youth, women, migration and social protection. She is working in the ILO’s Sectoral Policies Department (SECTOR) in HQ/Geneva. She has over 15 years of experience in policy support, capacity development and analytical work to promote decent work in the rural economy and related sectors. Previously, Elisenda worked as labour economist at FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organization). She has conducted extensive research on labour markets, and has authored a multitude of peer-reviewed publications on the topic of labour markets and employment promotion, particularly in rural areas. Elisenda holds a European PhD in Socio-Economics and Statistics, as well as a degree in Economics and a master's degree in European Economics.
Luis Rodríguez Mendizábal
Program Manager-a, DG INTPA, Europako Batzordea
Luis Rodríguez Mendizábal
Program Manager-a, DG INTPA, Europako Batzordea
15 urte eman nituen Erdialdeko Afrikan eta Aintzira Handien Eskualdean lehentasunezko paisaiak garatzeko eta kontserbatzeko lanean, eta askotan gatazka-eremuetan eta gatazka-osteko eremuetan familia-nekazaritza babesten.
Eginkizun horietan lan egin dut Espainiako Lankidetza Agentziarentzat, UNESCOren Mundu Ondarearen Zentroarentzat eta Virunga Parke Nazionalarentzat, Kongoko Errepublika Demokratikoaren ekialdean.
Giulia Galbiati
Climate Change Specialist, FAO
Giulia Galbiati
Climate Change Specialist, FAO
Mrs. Galbiati is a climate change specialist at the FAO Office for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment. She is part of the FAST Partnership Task Force, and climate finance analyst with a focus on agrifood systems.
Oliver Oliveros
Coordinator, Agroecology Coalition
Oliver Oliveros
Coordinator, Agroecology Coalition
Bringing a wealth of experience to the role, Oliver has taken on the role as the Coordinator of the Agroecology Coalition and head of the Coalition Secretariat as from 01 February 2023.
Prior to this role, he was the interim Executive Director of the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, a coalition of foundations committed to leveraging their resources to help shift food and agriculture systems towards greater sustainability, security, and equity. Oliver previously worked as the Deputy Director, Partnerships and International Relations at Agropolis Fondation, the French foundation for scientific cooperation in agriculture and sustainable development. He worked as the Global Coordinator of the DURAS Project (2004-2008) which aimed to promote dialogue between the scientific and civil society communities and transform such processes into research collaboration. He was formerly with the Secretariat of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) in FAO in Rome (1999-2004) where he worked on issues related to research partnerships and civil society organisations.
Before coming to Europe in 1999, Oliver worked for five years at the Ministry of Socio-economic Planning in Manila (Philippines) where he was extensively involved in project evaluation and investment programming in the agriculture, rural development, and natural resources sector as well as in the formulation of the country’s Agenda 21 and Medium-Term Development Plan.
Pablo Vidueira
Director of Evaluation, Global Alliance on the future of Food
Pablo Vidueira
Director of Evaluation, Global Alliance on the future of Food
Ph.D., is a systems change and evaluation consultant, researcher, professor, and facilitator. I work as the Director of Evaluation and Blue Marble Evaluator of the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, a strategic alliance of philanthropies working together to transform food systems. I use evaluation and systems theories and methods to support the Alliance in making sense of, learning from, and advancing its role and mission. I am a professor and researcher at Comillas Pontifical University, where I teach and research the interplay of systemic change and evaluation, with a focus on food systems and social development. I also advise and train universities, foundations, think tanks, and individuals in Europe, America, and Africa. I sit in the editorial board of New Directions in Evaluation, and previously served as program co-chair of the Systems in Evaluation Topical Interest Group of the American Evaluation Association and as the elected president of a regional professional evaluation association in Spain and Portugal, APROEVAL.
Alexina Cather
Journalist, Food Tank
Alexina Cather
Journalist, Food Tank
Alexina Cather, MPH, is the Director of Policy and Special Projects at Wellness in the
Schools, a national nonprofit that teaches public school students healthy habits to learn,
live, and thrive. She is also a consultant with Food Tank on Policy and Special Projects
and the Deputy Chair and a Founding Member of the Board of Advisors at the Center
for Food as Medicine where she works to increase equity and access to food as
medicine treatments, programs, and interventions. Prior to her current roles she was the
Director of Policy Advocacy and Sustainability at the James Beard Foundation where
she led the foundation’s efforts towards food system change.
For six years she was the Deputy Director at the Hunter College NYC Food Policy
Center where she worked to develop innovative, evidence-based solutions to prevent
diet-related diseases and protect food security. Throughout her career she has worked
closely with policy makers, community organizations, advocates and the public to
increase access to more nutritious foods and to create healthier, more sustainable food
environments.
Alexina currently serves on the advisory boards of the NYC Healthy School Food
Alliance, the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, the Weill Cornell Community
Advisory Board and is a Steering Committee Member and Co-Chair of the Healthy
Eating and Active Living Action Team at the New York State Cancer Consortium. She
graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Integrative Biology and holds a Master of
Public Health from the University of San Francisco. Alexina was the Lead Co-Chair for
New York City Mayor-Elect Eric Adams’ food policy transition team.
Her passion for connecting all people and especially children with real, healthy food is
inspired and powered daily by her three sons. Prior to her career in food systems, she
was a semi-professional soccer player in the Women’s Premier Soccer League and
worked in as a science teacher in a school program at a children’s hospital.
Natalia Lainez
Bees of Moncayo, FADEMUR
Natalia Lainez
Bees of Moncayo, FADEMUR
I am Natalia Lainez, partner of Abejas del Moncayo, together with Lucía Ibáñez, a beekeeping company specialised in the breeding and genetic selection of Apis mellifera iberiensis, the native bee of the Iberian Peninsula. We sell live beekeeping material: swarms and queens.
We are located in the magnificent surroundings of the Moncayo Natural Park, in a village of only 25 inhabitants called Talamantes.
We are two women with 10 years of experience in self-employment and entrepreneurship in a semi-abandoned rural area. We are the only economic activity in the region.
Lucia Cordero Gonzalez
Youth Secretariat, COPROFAM
Noemí Revilla Vega
Head of Administration, GARLAN Cooperative Society
Noemí Revilla Vega
Head of Administration, GARLAN Cooperative Society
Graduate in Business Law from the University of Deusto, Basque Country.
She has been Head of Administration at Garlan S.Coop. since 2016 and is a member of the cooperative's management team.
GARLAN is a second-degree cooperative that integrates 8 first-degree agricultural cooperatives and individual members of GARLAN.
Throughout these years, we have overcome important challenges, such as the integration of SAGRAL into our cooperative in 2020, so that today we have a total of more than 700 member farms, representing 80% of the farms in the province of Alava.
We remain committed to cooperative integration as a key factor in improving the positioning of our cooperative in the market and thus achieving our cooperative's objective, which is to improve the profitability of our member farms.
We also focus on providing comprehensive support to our members, especially at a time when we are facing major challenges such as digitalisation, decarbonisation and generational change.
Maxime Janssens
Vice-president of the Federation of Young Farmers of Wallonia, Belgium
Maxime Janssens
Vice-president of the Federation of Young Farmers of Wallonia, Belgium
Maxime Janssens, Vice-president of the Young Farmers' Federation (FJA), is a young farmer and an agent of change.
Firmly convinced that the industrial model on which his parents based their farm is not the most appropriate one, he is moving his farm towards a less energy-intensive form of agriculture, in which living organisms will regain their rightful place.
Pol Devillers
Member of the Board of Young Farmers, France
Pol Devillers
Member of the Board of Young Farmers, France
Started up in 2013 as a GAEC, then fully took over the farm as EARL in 2017.
He has been involved with Young Farmers at various levels for a number of years, first as president of the canton, then as an administrator in the department and co-manager of the CAP dossier in the region. Pol is also a member of the board of his dairy cooperative.
Passionate about the issue of generational renewal, he is committed to defending young people at every level, right up to European level. He is particularly committed to the issue of the CAP, on which he has developed a great deal of expertise.
Afantchawo Koudasse
President of the Youth College, CTOP Togo and ROPPA
Afantchawo Koudasse
President of the Youth College, CTOP Togo and ROPPA
A young farmer since 2013, Aftantchawo Koudasse practises horticulture, maize and soya production and snail farming in the Plateaux region of Togo. He is president of the youth college of CTOP (Coordination Togolaise des Organisations Paysannes et de Producteurs Agricoles). He is also president of the youth college of ROPPA (Réseau des Organisations Paysannes et de Producteurs Agricoles de l'Afrique de l'Ouest). He is very committed to promoting the farming profession and works on the challenges facing young farmers in the agricultural sector.
Lukas Nistelberger
Bauernbund, Austria
Lukas Nistelberger
Bauernbund, Austria
Lukas started raising free-range pigs with his brother. The motivation behind this was their desire to focus more on quality and animal welfare, as well as their belief in free-range pigs as part of the future of agriculture in Austria.
In addition to his farming activities, he is also involved in various political projects related to agriculture. This includes participation in organizations such as the Farmers' Federation Bauernbund. Apart from this Farmers' Federation, he is also actively involved in the "Alianza" project of the Weltha us Graz, which focuses on advocating for and supporting policies related to family farming.
Erich Eichstetter
Head of Digital Transformation at the Basque Culinary Center
Erich Eichstetter
Head of Digital Transformation at the Basque Culinary Center
Erich Eichstetter is a seasoned professional with nearly two decades of experience in the food industry across Europe and Latin America. His career began as a cook apprentice and progressed to roles such as head chef and pastry chef. Recently, Erich has shifted his focus towards innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital transformation in the food sector. He currently serves as a Tech Scout and New Digital Product Developer at LABe Digital Gastronomy Lab.
Santiago Rojas
Director, Institute for Agricultural Development (INDAP), Chile
Santiago Rojas
Director, Institute for Agricultural Development (INDAP), Chile
An Agricultural Engineer with a specialisation in Environmental Management and a diploma in Organic Agriculture from the "Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile" (PUC), and a Master's degree in Environment and Sustainable Development from the University of London (UCL).
He has specialised in sustainability and environmental strategy development and projects in the public and private sectors. In particular, he has applied his expertise in the municipality of Providencia, where between 2013 and 2016 he worked as Sustainability Advisor to the Secretariat of Planning and then as Head of the Department of the Environment.
Between 2015 and 2016, he was a member of the Expert Committee for developing an institutional legal framework for climate change in Chile. He was also a consultant on sustainability and climate change for the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Argentina (2017-2018), and an external consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for an urban agriculture project in Santiago (2012-2013).
He is co-founder of the company "Regenera Orgánico".
Twitter : @rojassantiagro
