Izabela Leao

Izabela Leao

Senior Rural Development Specialist, Agriculture and Food Practice

Izabela Leao is a Senior Rural Development Specialist in the Agriculture and Food Global Practice of the World Bank and works on analytical and operational tasks in the areas of agricultural productivity and markets, jobs and rural economy, sustainable food systems, conflict and fragility, and innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. She joined the World Bank as a Young Professional in 2013 and currently works in Southern Africa and the African Great Lake Region, focusing on Angola and Burundi. She has also worked extensively in South Asia, as well as in Europe and Central Asia. Izabela holds a M.A. from Pittsburgh State University focusing on labor migration and social protection policy, and a Ph.D. from the University of Milan focusing on comparative politics and political economy.