Elizabeth Nsimadala is a Ugandan agripreneur and smallholder farmer. She is the President of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF).

Esther has decades of experience in rural development and is based in the Philippines. She is the Secretary General of the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA).

Ibrahima is a Malian farmer leader, President of the Réseau des organisations paysannes et de producteurs de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (ROPPA) and the Vice President of the Panafrican Farmers Organisation.

Juan Carlos Jintiach is a member of the Shuar People of the Ecuadorian Amazon. He is the Executive Secretary Global Alliance of Territorial Communities (GATC).

Maddi is an expert in international relations and spent seven years in the UK Civil Service. She is the Special Assistant to Zac Goldsmith.

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 smallholder farmers organisations and indigenous 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.