2014 Conference

Speakers will Include:

Naty Barak is Chief Sustainability Officer of Netafim, the pioneer and global leader in drip irrigation solutions.  Mr. Barak has been with Netafim since 1975. Prior to his current post, he served in several positions including Director of Marketing and Treasurer of Netafim, Executive VP of Netafim USA, and President of Netafim South Africa.

As Chief Sustainability Officer, Mr. Barak works with governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academic institutions, environmental organizations, and companies on sustainability and multi-resource productivity issues. In this capacity, he focuses his efforts on water, land, energy and other agronomic inputs, and their impact on global sustainable intensification of agriculture.

Mr. Barak is a member of the United Nations CEO Water Mandate’s steering committee and the Core Advisory Group of the UN Global Compact’s Sustainable Agriculture Business Principles (SABPS) initiative. He actively participates in global water and sustainability discussions, sharing Netafim's knowledge and expertise in water conservation and sustainable productivity. He is also the chairman of the Technical Committee for Water Re-Use of ISO, the International Organization for Standardization.

Ian Barker is the Head Agricultural Partnerships, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. He  has over 25 years of experience of R&D management in plant pathology and diagnostics technology. Before joining the Foundation, he was Head of Seed Systems for the International Potato Center (CIP) in Nairobi, improving the provision of affordable quality planting material for smallholders in developing countries. Ian chaired CIP's public-private partnership committee, and has implemented innovative partnerships using private sector investment and know-how to increase the availability of quality potato seed in East Africa. Previously, he worked as Head of Diagnostics at the UK Food and Environment Research Agency, developing and commercializing novel diagnostic methods for plant and animal diseases as well as food and feed contaminants. Ian graduated from Wye College, University of London, and holds a PhD from the University of Exeter, UK.

​Dawit Mulugeta Dame is a Program Analyst at the Office of the CEO at the Agricultural Transformation Agency in Ethiopia. He has a B.A in Economics and Philosophy from Macalester College, U.S.A. 

Javier Ekboir holds a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of California, Davis, a M.Sc. in agricultural economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a first degree in economics from the Universidad de Buenos Aires. He has worked for two decades as researcher, consultant and lecturer in Latin America, Africa and Asia on organizational change, evaluation of policies and programs, innovation systems, research and innovation policies, and the dynamics of agriculture and poverty alleviation. He worked in three CGIAR centers, universities and as a consultant with multilateral organizations, governments, private firms and organizations that foster innovation in the agricultural sector. Since 2010 he has coordinated the Institutional Learning and Change Initiative of the CGIAR. Dr. Ekboir has published more than 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on innovation, organizational learning and technical change in agriculture.

Jonathan Gressel is a Professor Emeritus Weizmann Institute of Science Israel, and 2010 Israel Prize Recipient in Agriculture.  Prof. Gressel is an internationally renowned expert in plant biotechnology, and has carried out important studies in understanding the mechanisms that allow the successful control of weeds and how weeds evolve resistance, on how to prevent gene flow, as well as on crop domestication. One of Prof. Gressel's scientific solutions while at the Weizmann Institute of Science is commercially applied for the control of the parasitic Striga (witchweed) in Africa. Prof. Gressel co-founded TransAlgae Ltd.in 2008  to develop and commercialize genetically engineered algae to cost-effectively produce oil, protein and other co-products and was CSO for three years.  Food security and the reliance of the world population on only four crops for 80% of their calories, stimulated Gressel to write a highly acclaimed book on how under-domesticated and forgotten crops might be further domesticated into widespread cultivation by transgenically assisting them to breach the “Genetic Glass Ceiling” that holds them back.

Deborah Brody Hamilton heads the knowledge management and communications component for Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation, a USAID and Fintrac Inc. program focused on finding and commercializing agricultural technologies for smallholder farmers. She has more than 25 years of experience in leadership positions in the nonprofit sector. Most recently, she was vice president of The Keystone Center, where she headed the marketing and development division and co-founded the Green Products Roundtable. Previously she ran initiatives at the Council on Foundations, Grantmakers In Health, and the Association of Small Foundations (now Exponent Philanthropy). She is an experienced facilitator and mediator with experience co-facilitating at the Bipartisan Congressional Retreat on Civility and as a mediator for the Multi-Door Dispute Resolution Division of D.C. Superior Court. Deborah holds a B.A. in English and History from Wellesley College, and an M.A. in Public Policy from Georgetown University.

Frank Hartwich is a specialist in agroindustrial and rural development, complemented by a background in applied research, value chain analysis and innovation policies. This includes 15 years’ experience working with government institutions, policy makers and the private sector in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Frank Hartwich joined UNIDO in 2010. His current portfolio features projects fostering integrated development of agribusinesses and value addition across the developing world. He crafts high impact value chain development programs and builds value addition capacities, in collaboration with the private sector, with stark benefits for the poor. Prior to joining UNIDO Frank has been teaching and researching at the Swiss College of Agriculture’s Department of International Agriculture. Before, in the Latin America office of the International Food Policy Research Institute and the International Service for Agricultural Research, he conducted policy research on high impact opportunities for rural development and developed tools for building public private partnerships for agricultural innovation. Dr. Hartwich has a M.S. in Agricultural Science from the University of Bonn, a M.S. (French DAA) in Management of Agro-enterprises from ENSA Toulouse, and a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart.

Dr. Avihai Ilan is a consultant on Agriculture development. His areas of expertise are horticulture development, plant propagation and project management. His current area of research at the Institute of Technological Empowerment (YVC College, Israel) is precision agriculture solutions for small holder farmers.  From 2009 to 2013 he coordinated USAID-MASHAV-MoA/Ethiopia smallholder horticulture (SHH) program.   His previous research and advisory work spans a diverse range of countries including: Egypt, India, Uganda and others. Dr. Ilan has BSc and MSc degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and PhD from The University of Tennessee.

Julian Kinderlerer is Professor of Intellectual Property Law in Cape Town, Professor of Biotechnology & Society at the Technology University in Delft, The Netherlands, former Director of the Sheffield Institute of Biotechnology Law and Ethics and honorary Professor of Biotechnology Law at the University of Sheffield in the UK. He is a member of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies that reports to the European Commission, Council and Parliament on ethical issues. He is also a member of the South African Nanotechnology Ethics committee. In 2000 he was seconded to the United Nations Environment Programme to design and implement a project designed to assist developing countries develop their regulatory system to comply with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety that eventually involved over 130 countries. He has also acted as the Specialist Adviser to a House of Lords Select Committee on European Agriculture and modern Biotechnology.  

​Andro Koutsoudis is the Head of Business Development and Innovation at the Grameen Foundation, Kampala, Uganda. He leads several business streams including new product development, marketing and partnership management. The Grameen Foundation has two main functional areas in Uganda: Mobile Agriculture and Mobile Financial Services. These target the rural poor, aim to reduce poverty and build scalable, sustainable solutions.  Before joining the Foundation, Andro headed Operations & Marketing for the Edulink Group (a Dubai-based entity) in Uganda and was involved in launching several commercial businesses, including a University and Medical Centre which focused on delivering the highest quality education and healthcare. Prior to this he launched several entrepreneurial start-ups and held a lecturing post for an MBA program, delivering Information Systems Management. Andro has consulted on various projects and has experience in Shipping & Logistics, Value Chain Management, Information Systems, Business improvement and Process re-engineering. He has spent the last 3 years working in the development space in Uganda. When he is not working, you may find him rock climbing or hiking somewhere remote.

​Eitan Millet, PhD is a Wheat Geneticist in the Institute for Cereal Crop Improvement. He is a member in Crop Science Society of America. Mr. Millet's fields of interest include the exploitation of wild cereals for wheat improvement using cytogenetic methods. His major achievements are in production of wheat genetic stocks and alien recombinants:

1.     chromosome arm substitution lines of wild emmer

2.     substitution lines of chromosome 5 of Aegilops longissima for its wheat homoeologues.

3.     Transfer of Ug99 stem rust resistance from Aegilops sharonensis

4.     Transfer of leaf and stripe rust resistance from Aegilops sharonensis

M Srinivas Rao is the Lead Specialist, Markets, Research and Innovations with ICRISAT and is a keen proponent of their Inclusive Market Oriented Development (IMOD) strategic framework covering South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa. has more than 20 years’ experience in the area of Agri Business and Agriculture Value Chains in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and in the linking of market demand with farmer production and scientific breakthroughs. His specialization is in developing inclusive business models and developing Public-Private-Community partnerships. He has an unique blend of the private sector expertise of efficiency and economic sustainability, coupled with the CGIAR science led experience, for public good and farmer impact.Earlier, he was the first CEO of the Cereals System Initiative for South Asia,(CSISA). In his Private Sector experience (1987-2009), Srinivas was Head -New Initiatives, with ITC ltd Agri-Business Division. He was a core team member of ITC’s innovative and inclusive ICT based business model “e-choupal”. Srinivas, was also involved in ITC’s Rural Resource Development Initiatives in the oilseeds, cereals and horticulture based cropping systems covering Soil and Moisture Conservation, Women Self-Help Groups, livestock development, improve agri practices.

Simon Winter is TechnoServe’s Senior Vice President of Development.  He is responsible for leading and managing strategy and strategic planning, thought leadership, and business and program development.  He is also responsible for managing and incubating innovative programs, including around capital access for SMEs.  Previously he was Regional Director for Africa. He joined TechnoServe in 2003.

From the time he first witnessed deep poverty at first hand in Cote d’Ivoire in 1984, Simon has been passionate about helping people acquire the skills, competencies and connections that will enable them to create the dynamic businesses that will end poverty.  On his journey to TechnoServe, Simon acquired business advisory and strategic skills as a management consultant with McKinsey and Company (1998-2003) during which he co-led the firm's international development practice.  Prior to that, he learned practical development solutions while working as an economic planner for the Botswana government, and a development consultant in Southern Africa.  And he became skilled in finance and banking with Barclays Bank plc in the UK, Cote d'Ivoire and Australia. Simon is a founding Executive Committee member of the Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), a Board Member of Root Capital, a member of the steering committee for Initiative on Smallholder Finance, the Advisory Board of www.nextbillion.net, the German Marshall Fund’s Advisory Board for Transformational Partnerships, and Board Member, East African Leadership Initiative Foundation.

Gwen Young is Africare's Country Director, Senegal. Gwen Young brings more than 18 years of experience to her present role, where she works since 2011 to direct agricultural, health and nutrition programming in Senegal and to develop new opportunities in the West Africa region. Before Africare, Ms. Young worked at several NGOs and universities, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where as a Policy and Advocacy Officer for Global Development she supervised advocacy and partnerships around agricultural development financing and programming. A graduate of Smith College, Harvard University and the UC Davis School of Law at the University of California, Ms. Young has pursued a career in humanitarian aid, international development and human rights. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Executive Board of the American Society of International Law and several bars-legal in California and Europe. Africare is a leading non-governmental organization (NGO) committed to addressing African development and policy issues by working in partnership with African people to build sustainable, healthy and productive communities. Since 1970, Africare has provided well over $1 billion of assistance and support through more than 2,500 projects in Agriculture & Food Security; Water, Sanitation & Hygiene; Women’s Empowerment; and Health, HIV & AIDS that have impacted millions of beneficiaries in 36 countries in Africa.