Lorenzo Cotula has extensive experience in legal and social science research, capacity building and policy advocacy on the role of law in sustainable development, focusing on land rights and on natural resource investment (agriculture, extractive industries). He is currently working at International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) on land rights, contributing to the investment work (especially on investment law and contracts). He is also conducting research on large-scale land acquisitions for agricultural investment in Africa (agrifood, biofuels).

Since 2006 he has coordinated the programme “Legal tools for citizen empowerment: Getting a better deal from natural resource investment in Africa”, in collaboration with partners in Ghana, Mali, Mozambique and Senegal. Prior to his work in IIED, he was a research consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO); collaboration with two Italian NGOs. He has worked in in Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, South Africa) and Central Asia (Kazakhstan). He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Edinburgh, as well as a MSc in Development Studies (Distinction), London School of Economics

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