About us

For over 15 years I have been working in global policy fora and in the field addressing land use challenges and climate change. I have a particular interest in the interconnection between forests and farmlands, and the people who live there.

I spent a significant part of my career at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, where I have built trusted partnerships with farmers organisations and territorial authorities. 

I managed a vast range of projects focusing on Nature-Based Solutions, agroecological approaches, and land restoration in over 15 countries; and, worked with an array of stakeholders from local and global NGOs, research organisations and a range of private sector actors from smallholder farmers through to large scale multi-national agriculture commodity companies. 

I have nearly 30 years’ experience in leading and developing large scale initiatives that integrate sustainable land management strategies, with a people centred and rights based approach with farmers organisations and Indigenous Peoples groups. 

With long and short term work in over 45 countries I have coupled this field experience with engagement in global, regional and national policy fora, with a strong emphasis on mobilising innovative finance that responds to local needs. 

Having led multiple teams I have overseen the development and management of a portfolio over $500m in direct programme funding from a range of government and private sector investments. I was also the co-lead of the Nature and Nature Based Solutions themes for the UNFCCC COP26 High Level Champion, and was the co-lead of The Forests Dialogue. 

FFORA is hosted by the Swiss  Philanthropy Foundation. It provides technical support to farmers organisations & indigenous peoples organisations and brokers investment in them. 

 Just 0.3% of international climate finance goes to family farmers who produce a third of the world’s food. This limited funding lacks an agile and responsive mechanism designed by, and to reach, local farmers.

The funds need to be designed and accessed by farmers themselves, to channel investment into climate resilient farming systems, especially in under utilised tree and crop species.