Francine Picard

Director of Partnerships

Francine Picard

Francine has worked for 15 years across the African continent, advising  parliamentarians, regional economic commissions, public institutions and farmers organisations on food, agriculture, land, climate change, gender equality and regional integration. She co-founded the Shamba Centre to help raise the political commitment to ending hunger and closing the gender gap, while providing a voice and space for vulnerable communities in decision-making.  

Before co-founding the Shamba Centre, Francine was a Senior Policy Advisor and Partnerships Lead at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).

She managed capacity building programmes for the Pan African Parliament and served as an adviser to the Africa Forum (an organisation of former African Heads of State) on regional integration. She also participated in the creation of the Ecowas Network of Parliamentarians on Gender Equality and Investments in Agriculture and Food Security, which aims to improve food security and nutrition in West Africa. 

Francine holds an MA in Legal and Political Anthropology from La Sorbonne University, an LLM in European and International Law from l'Université Paris Descartes, and a diploma in African Studies from the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales. Francine was born and grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has lived and worked in South Africa and France.

Languages: French, English, Swahili

Francine’s work

Research reports and briefs

  • The Rise of Agricultural Growth Poles in Africa (PDF)

  • Enabling Voices, Demanding Rights: A guide to gender-sensitive community engagement in large-scale land-based investment in agriculture (Oxfam website)

  • Responsible investments in agriculture and food systems – A practical handbook for parliamentarians and parliamentary advisors (FAO website)

  • Walking the talk: Learning exchange in Rwanda (FAO Google Book)

Multimedia

  • Évènement virtuel - Commerce alimentaire et agricole dans le nouvel environnement politique : Comment les membres de l’OMC peuvent-ils appuyer la reprise économique et la résilience de l'Afrique? (IFPRI website)

  • Development corridors in Africa: whose voices count? (YouTube video)

  • Ceres 2030 Virtual Dialogue: How are African governments responding to avert a COVID-19 hunger crisis? (Food Security Portal website)

  • Parliamentarians' Action #1 | Gender Equality and Food Security as a Response to COVID-19 (YouTube video)

  • Risques et vulnérabilités liés au changement climatique (RADSI websiteadsi.org/webinaire-rencontres-interfilieres-risques-et-vulnerabilites-lies-au-changement-climatique)

Blogs

  • Enabling voices, demanding rights: How to ensure responsible investment in land for women (BHRRC website)

  • Can Agricultural Growth Poles Solve Rural Poverty in Africa? (IISD website)

  • Touring Agricultural Investment Projects (IISD website)

  • Ensuring a Balance of Power in the Face of COVID-19 (IISD website)