Marcela Villarreal has a PhD in Rural Sociology from Cornell University and a BA/MA in Systems and Computing Engineering from the University of Los
Andes in Bogotá.  
 
She is responsible for the implementation of FAO’s innovative strategies on partnerships with the private sector, civil society, academia and research institutions. She coordinates the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT), the initiative on the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture (CFS-RAI), FAO’s policy on Indigenous Peoples, the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, the Parliamentarian Fronts against Hunger initiative and the Decade of Family Farming, among others.