2015 Conference: Marco Ferroni

SPEAKERS

Dr Marco Ferroni
Executive Director, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture

An expert in international agriculture and sustainability issues, Marco Ferroni joined the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture as its Executive Director in 2008 after a career in multilateral institutions and government.

Before joining the Foundation, Marco Ferroni worked at the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank in Washington DC. As Deputy Manager of the Sustainable Development Department of the IDB, he had responsibility for regional sector policy and technical support to the Bank’s country departments. As the IDB’s Principal Evaluation Officer he assessed the relevance, performance and results of Bank strategies and investments. As a senior advisor at the World Bank he advised on donor relations and directed work on international public goods and their role in development, foreign aid and international affairs. Earlier in his career, he was an economist and division chief for economic affairs and international trade in the government of Switzerland. Marco Ferroni holds a doctoral degree in agricultural economics from Cornell University.

Partnerships for Impact at Scale

The presentation sets out the rationale, method and best practice of private-public cooperation in agriculture in developing countries and emerging markets. The focus is on product incubation and dissemination at scale through commercial channels to support sustainable intensification, diversification and farmers’ access to markets.

Much has happened since the Crawford Fund’s 2009 conference on the role of the private sector. The presentation assesses the process and identifies gaps and opportunities ahead.