Meet Ana, the new LD4D Development Manager
The new LD4D Development Manager shares her vision for LD4D, and what she hopes to accomplish in the next few months.
We are pleased to introduce Ana Miranda, the new LD4D Development Manager, who joined the secretariat in September. Ana’s work will focus on driving the development of the LD4D network, with the goal of sustaining a thriving, active and solutions-oriented network.
With a background in Economics for Rural Development and Social Policy, Ana has over 10 years’ experience working on topics related to smallholder farming and rural development I low- and middle-income countries.
We asked Ana about her vision for LD4D, and what she hopes to accomplish in the next few months.
Q: You’re in Rome this week to meet with the Steering Committee and you will also meet a number of our LD4D members who are working on various livestock challenges. What are you hoping to learn?
A: I’m looking forward to discussing with the Steering Committee members how they see the big picture for LD4D and how we can develop in a sustainable, strategic way that can generate meaningful impacts in how data is used and produced. I also want to hear insights from our network members on what being “demand-driven” looks like in practice. It’s easy to talk about responding to demand or to a challenge but in practice this is actually not so easy to do!
Q: What are your priorities in the next half year?
A: I’m going to work on developing a new strategy for the LD4D network that will reflect the different perspectives from the different organisations involved. This goes hand in hand with finding some interesting ways that we can monitor and evaluate our efforts, to capture any benefit that comes from the interaction between data producers and data users. It’s a challenge and this is a complex intervention because it involves a very diverse group! So I’m looking forward to coming up with ways that we can monitor and capture positive changes and share them with the wider network. Hopefully it will be something that people can learn from, and find useful and apply to their own work.
Q: You’ve worked on topics relating to food systems, food security and rural development for many years. How do you feel about working on a livestock data project?
A: It’s definitely new. I’ve never worked with so many vets – that’s great! It’s a different perspective which I find really interesting, so I’ll be learning as we go.
Q: Any final messages for LD4D members?
A: I would like to have good channels of communication with our members, so we are always in dialogue. We want to know what you are interested in, and what would help you in your work. I also want to help promote more collaboration among members. You can contact me anytime if you have suggestions or feedback, and we will have some dedicated sessions later this year to discuss key topics.