José Graziano da Silva has worked on food security, rural development, and agriculture issues for over 30 years, most notably as the architect of Brazil’s Zero Hunger (Fome Zero) program and now as the Director-General of FAO.

José led the team that designed the Zero Hunger program, and, in 2003, was charged by then-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to implement the program as Special Minister of Food Security and the Fight Against Hunger.

He headed the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean from 2006 to 2011. Elected Director-General of FAO, he took up office on January 1, 2012. After his first term ended in July 2015, José was re-elected for a second four-year term (August 1, 2015 to July 31, 2019) with the votes of 177 countries during FAO’s 39th Conference.

At the helm of FAO, José has sharpened the organization’s strategic focus and is strengthening its field presence. He is also working to instill a best value-for-money culture. At the international level, he is working to build consensus on food security-related issues.

He has also encouraged closer cooperation with development partners, supports South-South cooperation, and has increased collaboration with civil society and private sector entities, including farmer organizations and cooperatives for smallholder producers.

José holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agronomy and a Master’s Degree in Rural Economics and Sociology from the University of São Paulo (USP), and a PhD in Economic Sciences from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). He also has post-Doctorate Degrees in Latin American Studies from the University College of London and Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

A Brazilian and Italian by nationality, he is married to Paola Ligasacchi and has two children and four grandchildren.