Melinda Fones-Sundell is an SEI Affiliated Researcher with SEI Headquarters.
Melinda worked at SEI Headquarters until Feb 2017. She was a coordinator of Sida Programme Support, SEI’s business development adviser, and senior adviser to the Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative (SIANI).
She has over 30 years’ experience in research and teaching and private-sector international consulting. She has served as Team Leader/Project Manager for both short-term planning and evaluation missions and long-term development projects in Tanzania (1991-96) and Nicaragua (2000-05).
Her general areas of work include smallholder agricultural development in Africa and Latin America and environmental and social impact analysis of infrastructural projects, with a special focus on bioenergy.
Most recently, she has coordinated a SIANI-sponsored book on linkages between gender equity and agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Melinda has worked for Sida, Norad, Danida, the Nordic Development Fund, FAO, IUCN, the World Bank, USAID and Norwegian People’s Aid.
Her field experience is from 16 countries, and, in addition to published evaluations and analytical work, she has worked extensively as a facilitator in planning and institutional change processes in five languages (English, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese and Swahili). She holds an MSc in agricultural economics.