Máximo Torero

Title: Chief Economist

Biography

As FAO’s Chief Economist, Dr. Torero leads FAO's work with governments and partners to build resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agrifood systems. He focuses on strengthening shock resilience, advancing innovative financing, improving access to healthy diets, and reinforcing supply chains. His work is grounded in decades of research on commodity prices, market volatility, and their effects on poverty and hunger. Dr. Torero directs FAO’s economic policy engagement in global SDG processes, especially Zero Hunger, and serves as the organization’s analytical voice at high-level forums. He also provides intellectual leadership for FAO’s flagship reports, including The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. 

Before joining FAO in 2019, Dr. Torero was Executive Director at the World Bank Group, representing six Latin American countries. Before that he led the Markets, Trade and Institutions Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute, where he oversaw major research and impact evaluations, including the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s $450 million investment in El Salvador’s infrastructure and rural electrification. 

He has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles and co-authored 14 books on poverty, inequality, and behavioral economics. His research examines how infrastructure, institutions, and technology influence poverty reduction and market connectivity.

He has received a number of awards for his contributions, including the Chevalier dans l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole from France and two Global Development Network awards. His work has been featured by major international media, and his op-eds have appeared in Foreign Policy, Project Syndicate, and Los Angeles Times. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from UCLA and a B.A. from the University of the Pacific, Peru.

For more information, visit: https://maximotorero.com/.