Carin Smaller is Director, Agriculture, Trade & Investment, for the Economic Law and Policy program. She advises governments and parliamentarians on law and policy issues related to foreign investment and trade in agriculture. She is the author of the IISD Guide to Negotiating Investment Contracts for Farmland and Water, the first attempt to create a model contract for developing countries to attract investment for agriculture, while at the same time, promoting the needs of the poor and protecting the environment.
She has lived and worked in several developing countries, and advised dozens of government officials on how to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks from foreign investment in the agriculture sector. She has organized and participated in international conferences on agriculture, trade, investment and human rights; has worked with several NGOs; and has carried out media relations, particularly providing access to the media for people whose voices are not usually heard.