Elisabeth Simelton

Elisabeth Simelton is a climate-change scientist at World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), based in Hanoi since 2010. She holds a PhD in geography and BA in International Education and has a genuine interdisciplinary experience through global climate-change impact studies on food security and crop-modelling to developing farmer-centered agro-climatic information services. Currently, she is a project leader of three research studies under the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security that are being implemented in Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Cambodia and the Philippines. This work includes managing one of the seven ‘climate-smart village’ projects in Southeast Asia. Her main research interest is in innovating participatory tools for interacting with smallholder farming communities and agricultural extension services, mixing qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as developing policy guidelines for adaptation and mitigation.

Her work includes over 30 scientific peer-reviewed publications, including Nature Scientific Reviews and Food Security, which have been widely cited, including in reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In addition, she has produced numerous training materials, participatory methods and other material related to environmental services, climate adaptation and agricultural insurance that are used by universities and research and development organisations globally. She is an avid blogger and trainer/facilitator. Dr Simelton has over 20 years of experience in Southeast and East Asia (10 years in Viet Nam, 5 in China), southern Africa, and Europe (Spain, Sweden, UK), where she has worked with universities, United Nations agencies and the CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future.