Anna Locke

Head of Programme, Agricultural Development and Policy

Anna is an agricultural economist with 19 years of experience in development. She has in-depth experience of working with market-led agriculture, analysing and advising on how to develop agriculture in such a way as to promote sustainable growth and reduce poverty, based on principles of competitiveness, market access and inclusiveness. Her focus in recent years has been on biofuels, looking at the linkages between agriculture, energy and climate change, as well as issues of land governance.

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Gates and innovation in agriculture – is money the issue?

Opinion - Articles and blogs - 26 January 2012

Bill Gates has spoken on the Today Programme about his recently published Annual Letter, in which he highlights the work that needs to be done in agriculture to improve the lives of poor farmers, particularly those in Africa and South Asia.

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The ups and downs of agricultural investment: what have we learned?

Opinion - Articles and blogs - 30 November 2011

I have just returned from Rome, where I participated in an FAO meeting of technical experts on agricultural investment, particularly foreign direct investment. The meeting was convened to review evidence on agricultural investments in several countries, identify gaps in information and analysis, and think about possible directions of support by development partners.

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The conundrum of agricultural investment: is jatropha the problem?

Opinion - Articles and blogs - 18 November 2011

Once again, the media has accused a biofuels project of harming local communities, and a non-governmental organisation – in this case ActionAid – has taken up arms against biofuels. This time the focus of attention is on Sun Biofuels growing jatropha in Tanzania.

According to these reports, communities no longer have the same access to land and water since the company took over land in the area. Many people used the land to gather wood and make charcoal, earning much-needed money for their children’s school fees and other needs.

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