Máximo Torero

Máximo Torero is the Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Assistant Director-General for the Economic and Social Development Department since January 2019. He previously served as World Bank Group Executive Director for six Latin American countries (2016–2019) and led the Division of Markets, Trade, and Institutions at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

• Education: PhD and Master’s in Economics (UCLA); Bachelor’s in Economics (University of the Pacific, Peru).

His research focuses on poverty, inequality, and the role of geography, infrastructure, and technological breakthroughs in poverty alleviation. He has published in top journals like the Quarterly Journal of Economics and American Economic Review–Applied Microeconomics.

Scientific Awards:

• Georg Foster Research Fellowship (2000)
• Outstanding Research on Development Award (2000, 2002)
• Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole (2014)

Torero has been a professor on leave at the University of the Pacific, Peru, since joining FAO. His work during the pandemic emphasized food systems resilience, global trade, and protecting livelihoods in agricultural value chains.