Brazilian agronomist with American citizenship and a naturalized Italian citizenship. He has written several books on agricultural issues in Brazil. Between 2003 and 2004, Graziano served as Special Minister for Food Security during the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and was responsible for implementing the Zero Hunger program, lifting 28 million people out of the national poverty line during Lula’s eight-year reign. On June 26, 2011, Graziano da Silva was elected the new Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), becoming the first Latin American to hold that position. He served as Director-General from January 1, 2012, until July 2019.