Claire Rhodes

CEO and Founder of Producers Direct, and 2023 Acumen Food Systems Fellow. A biologist by training, my early career involved counting Costa Rican caterpillars and other environmental conservation efforts, before realizing much of the earth’s biodiversity is managed by smallholder farmers and there is a lot to learn from them. I founded Producers Direct in 2009 - focussed on designing farmer-led solutions to the challenges faced by smallholder farmers worldwide. International recognition for Producers Direct's work has included UK Google Impact Challenge winner, World Bank Collaborative Data Innovations, and 2020 WFP Innovation Accelerator awardee for Digital Cooperatives - a pioneering platform applying innovation in blockchain technology to replicate the benefits of traditional farming cooperatives to improve farmers’ incomes and food security. Before joining Producers Direct, I worked with a number of organizations promoting the leadership of small-scale farmers within international processes, including Ecoagriculture Partners, the United Nations Development Programme, the Gates Foundation, and UK Aid.

The knowledge and wisdom of smallholder farmers; The value of nature

The power of digital cooperatives

Rearing locusts - or at least I used to be.