People

John Lynam

Dr Lynam has over 30 years’ experience in tropical agricultural research in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. His expertise centres on smallholder-led agricultural development in the tropics. Much of his work has focused directly on agricultural research in both national and international systems, working within commodity, farming system, and NRM programmes.

Dr Lynam served as the economist in the Cassava Program at CIAT from 1977 to 1988. He then joined the Food Security Division of the Rockefeller Foundation based in Nairobi, Kenya where he worked till 2004. Following a couple years with the Kilimo Trust in Uganda, he has since worked as a consultant with such international development organizations as The World Bank, FAO, ILRI, the World Fish Centre, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Vegetable Centre and the CGIAR.

Dr Lynam served as chair of the board of trustees of the World Agroforestry Centre from 2013 to 2017, and also served on the board of CIFOR. He also chaired the advisory committee of the Collaborative Crop Research Program of the McKnight Foundation. Dr Lynam as well has served in the past on the program oversight panel of Aquatic Agricultural Systems and the independent science advisory panel of Drylands CRP. Dr. Lynam holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. from Stanford University’s Food Research Institute, and a B.S. in agricultural economics from Ohio State University.