Cecilia Benda has 15 years of experience working in agriculture development, climate smart agriculture, and food security in several countries, including Swaziland, Malawi, Zambia, DRC, and Somalia.

She managed country programs for food and livelihood security with COSPE and Concern Worldwide, and provided strategic and technical support to nutrition-sensitive agriculture and agro-business development to various contexts and programs, including Chad and Niger as agriculture advisor with Concern Worldwide.

Cecilia holds a MSc in Agriculture Science and Technologies from Perugia University and a MSc in Environment and Development from Trinity College in Dublin. She has been a member of CELEP (Coalition of European Lobbies for Eastern African Pastoralism), of the London-based Tropical Agriculture Association’s committee, and a reviewer of the Journal of Sustainable Development.

During the last five years and more recently with her current role of Global Agronomist and Climate Change Lead with the International Committee of the Red Cross, Cecilia is leading the strategic and technical directions of agriculture programs in conflict-affected settings within ICRC’s Economic Security unit.