Willem Janssen is a Lead Agricultural Economist in the Agriculture and Food Global Practice of the World Bank. Based in Washington, DC, he focuses on South Asia, supporting investment operations and analytical work.
In earlier years he led the Bank’s engagement with the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program and with R&D development in the Africa region. He led the World Bank’s efforts in Latin America and South Asia to improve agricultural competitiveness; to introduce climate smart agriculture; and to strengthen agricultural innovation systems. Willem has piloted mechanisms for South-South collaboration, such as the Africa-Brazil Agricultural Innovation Marketplace and made significant contributions to the theory and practice of agricultural innovation systems.
From 1982 to 2004 he held several scientific and management positions in the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research. He holds MSc and PhD degrees from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, in the fields of agricultural economics, marketing and business administration. He has worked in some 60 developing countries.