Dr. Oscar Ortiz is Director of the CGIAR Sustainable Farming Science Program.
With over 20 years of leadership experience, Dr. Ortiz has led diverse, multicultural research and operational teams across CGIAR and the International Potato Center (CIP). From 2001 to 2022, he held senior roles at CIP, including Division Leader, Deputy Director General for Research and Development, and Interim Director General. At CGIAR, he served as Senior Director of Crop-Based Systems (2022–2024) within the Resilient Agrifood Systems Global Science Group, convener and Interim Director of the Sustainable Farming Science Program, and played a key role in integrating major initiatives involving twelve CGIAR Centers and multiple partners.
Oscar brings deep expertise in agronomy, systems thinking, innovation management, digital and AI-related strategies, and the use of participatory methods in agricultural research. A champion of collaborative science, he creates enabling environments for innovation and is passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientists. For over two decades, he has taught as a visiting lecturer at Peru’s National Agrarian University in graduate programs on innovation and sustainable agriculture.