Miss. Nadia El-Hage: Senior Fellow at Sweete Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, Arizona State University, United States
Nadia El-Hage Scialabba is an Italian environmental scientist and sustainable food systems expert with over three decades of international experience. She has played a pivotal role in shaping policies and programs related to organic farming, climate-smart agriculture, and biodiversity conservation at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Her work bridges science, policy, and practice, focusing on creating resilient food systems that integrate ecological, social, and economic dimensions. Nadia is widely recognized for her expertise in sustainable agriculture and her commitment to promoting equitable food systems worldwide.
Online Profiles
Scopus Profile
Citations: 2,138 citations from 1,953 documents
Documents (publications): 21
h-index: 7
Education
Nadia’s educational background combines biology, marine and environmental sciences, and environmental studies. She earned a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from West Virginia University, USA (1980-1981), a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the American College of Rome, Italy (1979-1980), and a DEUG in Marine and Environmental Sciences from Université d’Aix-Marseille, France (1978-1979). Her interdisciplinary training laid the foundation for her work on sustainable agriculture, environmental policy, and food system resilience.
Research Focus
Her research is centered on sustainable and organic agriculture, agroecology, climate-smart food systems, and true-cost accounting of food production. She investigates how agricultural practices can enhance biodiversity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve rural livelihoods. Nadia also explores the integration of traditional knowledge and modern science to create more resilient food systems capable of addressing climate change, resource scarcity, and social inequalities.
Experience
Nadia has held senior leadership positions at FAO for over 30 years, overseeing programs on organic agriculture, climate change adaptation, biodiversity, and smallholder farming systems. She has coordinated global initiatives, developed technical guidelines, and provided advisory services to governments and NGOs worldwide. Since 2018, she has been an independent consultant and advisor, collaborating with international organizations, academic institutions, and civil society groups to advance sustainable food systems, agroecology, and organic agriculture policy frameworks.
Research Timeline & Activities
From the mid-1980s, Nadia’s career began with fisheries and environmental monitoring projects, gradually moving into sustainable agriculture and food systems. She has led extensive research on organic agriculture certification, environmental impacts of farming, and climate-smart practices. Recent projects focus on true-cost accounting of food, evaluating environmental, social, and health costs and benefits. She has published extensively on strategies to achieve sustainable, resilient, and equitable global food systems.
Awards & Honors
Nadia has received recognition for her contributions to sustainable agriculture and food systems. She is a Senior Fellow at Arizona State University’s Swette Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and has served as an expert advisor to the Goetheanum, TMG Think Tank, and Navdanya International. She has been acknowledged for her leadership in promoting agroecology, organic farming, and biodiversity-friendly practices, and has received awards for her contributions to international environmental and food policy.
Top Noted Publication
Her most widely cited publication is “Strategies for Feeding the World more Sustainably with Organic Agriculture” (Nature Communications, 2017), which explores the potential of organic agriculture to improve global food security while reducing environmental impacts. Other notable works focus on climate-smart food systems, biodiversity conservation in agriculture, and sustainable development frameworks for smallholder farmers.
1. Book Chapter: Conclusion: Mobilizing the power and potential of true cost accounting
Citations: 3
Summary: This chapter likely discusses how true cost accounting can be used to measure the full environmental, social, and economic costs of food systems, and how these insights can influence policy and practice.
2. Book Chapter: From Practice to Policy: New metrics for the 21st century
Citations: 2
Summary: This work focuses on translating sustainable agriculture practices into measurable policies, introducing new metrics to guide food system sustainability in the modern era.