Eugenia Saini is currently FONTAGRO’s Executive Secretary. FONTAGRO is the Regional Fund for Agricultural Technology. She leads the investment fund and a portfolio of 70 international operations related to science, technology, and innovation for the Latin America and the Caribbean region. She is from Argentina and is an agronomist by training. She holds a doctorate in agricultural sciences, specializing in total factor productivity analysis. One of her seminal works in this field was the estimation of 120 years of TFP for the agricultural sector in Argentina. She is also a National Public Accountant and holds an MS in Food and Agribusiness and an MS in Applied Economics, both from Universidad de Buenos Aires. She has worked in the private and public sectors, both nationally and internationally, especially in multilateral banks. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship at Cornell University and, more recently, with the Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy (AILA) Scholarship at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.
SUMMARY: Policy alignment is essential to accelerating sustainable agricultural productivity growth. Through strategic coalitions, NASDA-a nonpartisan, nonprofit association representing the elected and non-elected officials of the state departments of agriculture, has strengthened policy recommendations for Congress and federal agencies. NASDA’s collaborative approach of uniting voices has also resulted in concrete outcomes, including increased funding for Farm Bill programs like the Market Access Program, getting the Ocean Shipping Reform Act signed into law, and creating joint initiatives on PFAS with the U.S. EPA and Environmental Council of the States. Together, NASDA’s network achieves one shared goal through systems innovation: a thriving, resilient and sustainable agricultural future.
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) is a nonpartisan organization representing the unified voice of commissioners, secretaries, and directors of agriculture from all 50 states and four U.S. territories. As co-regulators, NASDA members are uniquely positioned at the intersection of federal and state policy implementation—responsible for delivering key programs and regulations administered by the EPA, FDA, and USDA. These responsibilities span conservation, environmental protection, food safety, food systems, food security, and nutritional access.
With more than a century of experience in implementing agricultural policy, NASDA brings an unmatched perspective on how federal regulations affect every segment of the food and agriculture supply chain. Its members ensure that state-level innovations and on-the-ground realities are reflected in national policymaking—bridging the gap between federal ambition and local execution. Grounded in validated, peer-reviewed science, NASDA champions policies that enable producers to strengthen local economies, expand access to quality food, and uphold the United States’ role as a global agricultural leader.
Policy alignment is essential to unlocking sustainable agricultural productivity growth, and NASDA plays a critical role in shaping that alignment. Its advocacy focuses on creating coherent, science-based policy environments that incentivize productivity-enhancing R&D, support scale-up by the private sector and extension systems and facilitate adoption by producers.
Through strategic coalitions—such as the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance, one of the most diverse and effective platforms for shaping U.S. climate policy—NASDA has helped advance bold yet pragmatic recommendations to Congress and federal agencies. This collaborative approach has delivered measurable results, from increasing funding for Farm Bill programs like the Market Access Program, to securing passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, to launching joint initiatives on PFAS with the U.S. EPA and the Environmental Council of the States.
By bringing together government, industry, and communities, NASDA drives systems innovation through policy harmonization to achieve a shared goal: a thriving, resilient, and sustainable agricultural future.
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