Francisco Mello is the head of the Center for Knowledge Management and Horizontal Cooperation of the IICA - Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture since 2018. He holds a BSC degree in Agronomy by the Sao Paulo State University, MSC and DSC degrees by University of Sao Paulo in themes related with agriculture, climate change and sustainability. He is also an alumni fellow of the Sustainability Science Program of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and occupied important positions in the Government of Brazil, such as General Coordinator and Deputy Director of the Department of Productive Systems and Sustainability /Ministry of Agriculture and National Director and Deputy Secretary of the Secretariat of Food and Nutrition Security / Ministry of Social Development.