Profile

Rafael Flor

Former Director, YieldWise

As Director, Mr. Flor oversaw the Foundation’s YieldWise Initiative which aimed at demonstrating how to save good food from going to waste in priority value chains and improve millions of lives.

Mr. Flor has 20 years’ progressive work experience in international development. He has worked with development institutions, academia, and the private sector. Before joining the Foundation, he was a Senior Program Advisor in the Office of the Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He has held positions with Armajaro Trading, the MDG Centre West and Central Africa, the United Nations Development Programme, Columbia University, and Escuela Agricola Panamericana, Zamorano.

Mr. Flor has served as a member of the World Food Programme’s Working Group on Productive Safety Nets, World Food Programme’s Latin America and the Caribbean Knowledge Sharing Steering Committee to Support Hunger Eradication, Peer Reviewer of the 2006 Environmental Performance Index, and a member of the United Nations Millennium Project Task Force on Hunger.

Mr. Flor holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University and an Agricultural Engineer degree from the Escuela Agrícola Panamerica, Zamorano (Honduras).

Authored Content

  • Apr 24 2019
    Blog Post Focusing on “Protective Foods” to Reduce the Global Burden of Disease This is Part 2 of our April 2019 series on building a more nourishing and sustainable food system. Read Part 1 here.  The EAT-Lancet report, [1] in addition to a few others that have been published recently, concludes that to sustainably nourish—not simply feed—10 billion people without overtaxing the planet’s resources by 2050, the food system […] David Flor Gavilanes
  • Apr 18 2019
    Blog Post Optimizing Our Food System for Nutrients Over Calories This is Part 1 of our April 2019 series on building a more nourishing and sustainable food system. Read Part 2 here.  Life is improving for most people around the world. According to the World Bank, the percentage of the world’s population living with less than $1.90 per day (the poverty line) dropped from 11.2 to […] David Flor Gavilanes
  • Nov 13 2017
    Blog Post The Pathway to Zero Hunger Requires Food Loss Reduction: Reflections from UNGA In late September, the world gathered in New York for the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Although most attention focused on urgent crises around the world, there were also several sessions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030. The Rockefeller Foundation, WFP, IFAD and FAO co-organized a high-level event themed “Championing SDG […] Annmarie Isler, David Flor Gavilanes
  • Sep 22 2017
    Blog Post Food and Nutrition Are at the Core of the World's Agenda   This week, Heads of States gather in New York City at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to take stock on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Of the 17 SDGs, more than half relate to global food security and nutrition. This is deliberate, as our global food systems […] David Flor Gavilanes
  • Sep 08 2017
    Blog Post Reducing food loss in the mango value chain in Kenya: A good investment opportunity There is consistent high demand for mangos in Kenya, with numerous buyers and relatively stable prices. Like many fruits and vegetables, mangoes are considered an auxiliary crop (and not a staple), and despite buyer interest and the additional income it could bring, farmers battling pests have struggled to have ample quality supply. Patrick Sila, the […] Isaiah Kirema, Olivia Karanja, David Flor Gavilanes