Gabriella Izzi is a Senior Irrigation and Drainage Specialist with African Region's Sustainable Development Department within the World Bank, where she focuses mostly on projects targeting small farmers in marginal areas. Prior to joining the Bank, Gabriella worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), where she was part of the Crop water productivity Program in the Water Unit, analyzing crop yield response to water scarcity. She has been a research Fellow at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Syria, and taught in the Master on Irrigation in developing countries of the Agricultural Research Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italy. Gabriella holds a PhD in Agro-Forestry Engineering and an MS in Agricultural Sciences, both from Florence University, Italy. She has authored peer review articles and publications, and acts as peer reviewer for international journals.