Ismahane Elouafi

About

Dr. Elouafi is the Executive Managing Director of CGIAR. She was the Chief Scientist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the Director General at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), which was based in the United Arab Emirates.

Dr. Elouafi has held several senior scientific and leadership positions, including Senior Adviser to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Branch in Ottawa (AAFC), Canada (2006–2007), National Manager of Plant Research Section (2007–2010), and Director of Research Management and Partnerships Division at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) (2010–2012).

She has worked as a scientist with several international research organizations. She has been a member of various strategy expert panels and advisory groups, including the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA) and HarvestPlus. She has been a member of several governance boards, including the boards of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in the United States, the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) in the United Kingdom, and the Professional Development Institute in Canada.

She was also a member of the Scientific Group for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit and the CGIAR System Board.

Dr. Elouafi is a strong advocate for diversifying into neglected and underutilized crops and rethinking food systems. She is internationally known for her work on promoting the use of non-fresh water in agriculture and the empowerment of women in science.

Her contributions to science and policy have been recognized with a number of prestigious awards and accolades, including the 2025 TIME100 list of the worlds 100 most influential people, National Reward Medal by His Majesty Mohamed VI, the King of Morocco (2014), and the Excellence in Science Award from the Global Thinkers Forum (2014), the Jean Mayer Prize for Excellence in Nutrition Science and Policy (2022), has been listed as one of the Most Influential Africans by the New African (2025), and recognized as one of the Top 50 Most Inspiring Women by Forbes Afrique (2025).

Dr. Elouafi holds a B.Sc. in Agricultural Sciences (1993) and an M.Sc. in Genetics and Plant Breeding (1995) from the Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Morocco, and a Ph.D. in Genetics (2001) from the University of Cordoba, Spain.

Throughout her career, Dr. Elouafi has advocated for the diversification of food as a way to improve food system resilience. Her work on halophytes like quinoa and Salicornia has had a significant impact on food security and sustainability in countries facing salinity issues. As a geneticist, her research into wheat genetics has significantly contributed to enhancing the resilience and productivity of crops in regions where wheat cultivation is significant. A prolific scientific author, she has contributed to many major publications – including Nature, on Foodomics, the Gaza food crisis, and biodiversity.