David E. Benafel

Team Leader, Mali ADSA Program

David E. Benafel is an agricultural and rural livelihoods expert with over 27 years of experience. He has designed and implemented agribusiness programs with ACDI/VOCA, USAID and other private sector organizations in the countries of Mali, Angola, Haiti, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. He is currently the Millennium Challenge Account's Agriculture Development Systems Activity Team Leader in Mali, working to improve sedentary rice farming, irrigation system management, producer organization and agriculture credit management. David also worked with ACDI/VOCA as the Chief of Party for the Cabinda Agribusiness Development Alliance (CADA) project, which promoted local and regional horticulture production and marketing that created employment opportunities for 715 farmers. His work in Haiti included supervising food distribution for national programs, conducting research for agricultural and health support projects in Maissade Commune of the Central Department, and handling emergency operations as Regional Director of Catholic Relief Services. In Guinea-Bissau, David conducted training programs to educate farmers in the areas of value chain analysis, farm planning, and local and regional marketing. He also implemented a small-business loans program there to assist local farmers. David earned his B.S. in political science from Willamette University and studied post graduate subjects in law and agriculture economics at the University of Idaho and Oregon State University. He is fluent in English, French, Portuguese, Bambara (Mali) and Haitian Creole.