Food access and availability

Alexandre Castellano.

Born in France on 16 May 1975.

Nationality: French and Italian

Education: MSc in Biology in Italy and MSc in Public Health Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Position: from 2020 to date - DG ECHO Head of Office - Pretoria - South Africa - for the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Region.

Previous positions: from 2000 to 2012 working with various NGOs dealing with emergencies and innovation technologies in seven African countries – from 2013 to 2016 policy officer with ECHO in the head quarter dealing with Food Assistance, Nutrition, Cash-Based Transfers and Innovations. From 2016 to 2020, ECHO Technical Assistant for the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Region.

Key interest: Innovative Technologies applied to humanitarian response.

I joined the Permanent Representation of Greece to the EU in September 2023. I am dealing mostly with EU International Development and Cooperation issues as a designated delegate at relevant working parties of the Council. My main WPs are CODEV-PI, RELEX-HQ and EFTA. I am looking forward to engage with colleagues and stakeholders from the EU Institutions and all over Europe.

We are advising German NGOs, Foundations and Local Authorities on DEVCO-Funding Instruments and -Procedures

I'm Anna Tsenteradze, a first-year Ph.D. student at the Czech University of Life Sciences. During my Master's studies, I actively participated in the VCA4D project, delving into the analysis of the Freshwater Aquaculture Sector in Georgia. This experience, where I served as a junior expert and contributed to translation and economic analysis, fueled my decision to pursue a Ph.D.

My current research focuses on value chain analysis, using the VCA4D methodology as a framework (mainly for qualitative analysis). The title of my dissertation is "Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains: A Pathway to Food Security and Rural Prosperity." I'm keen on conducting further research in value chain analysis, aiming to contribute to sustainable agricultural practices.