Dr Andrea Porro brings 18 years of experience as a project/team leader, agriculture and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) subject matter expert, and partnership facilitator in over 15 countries across four continents. After graduating in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Milan, he started his career in agricultural extension service in 2006, focusing on agrometeorological analysis and technology transfer. He holds a Master’s in Crop Production and Protection and a Doctorate in Plant Biology and Production.
Dr Porro’s academic experience includes a research stint at UNIMI’s Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and a full professorship in agroecology at Makeni’s Faculty of Agriculture, Sierra Leone. Since 2014, he has served as an agriculture, DRR, and natural resource management expert for international organizations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. His roles included being a country representative and project manager, overseeing teams of over 50 people, and managing projects worth over $20 million. During these endeavours, he also honed his skills in donor relations, networking, monitoring and evaluation, HR, and fundraising.
His most recent role was with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization as Head of Risk Analysis in the Agriculture and Food Security Unit for the Afghanistan office.
As of January 1, 2024, Dr Porro is the Secretary General of the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO).