Catherine Ragasa received her PhD in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University in 2008 and holds a Masters in Economics from University of the Philippines-School of Economics. Prior to IFPRI, she worked for 4 years in the Agriculture and Rural Development Department in the World Bank, where she managed and coordinated a number of agriculture programs, with emphasis on gender approaches and agricultural innovation systems. She is involved in a number of analytical pieces on gender in agriculture; agriculture biotechnology; agricultural research, extension and education; value chain analysis; and fisheries issues. She has performed economic and financial analyses in numerous World Bank agriculture and natural resources operations and projects. She has worked in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Mali, Nigeria, Zambia, and South Africa. Her research interests are on food safety; fisheries; agriculture biotechnology; and agricultural research, extension and education.