Patricia Chaves is the executive director of Espaço Feminista, a Brazilian feminist NGO dedicated to the economic and political empowerment of women. At Espaço Feminista, Ms. Chaves has developed leadership and skills of rural and urban grassroots women in participation and decision-making. She is especially focused on the linkages between agrarian reform, food security and women’s land rights. With a strong background in business administration and post-graduated in Business Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) London, her work is dedicated to the empowerment of rural and urban women. Patricia worked for 7 years as a consultant for The United Nations Development Program - UNDP, Inter American Institute for Agricultural Cooperation - IICA, and as an IFAD project director. She worked for 6 years as a consultant to the Minister of Agrarian Development of Brazil and during that period had the opportunity to understand the struggle of land movements in Brazil.