David Francis studied Agricultural Education and Social Sciences at the Ohio State University and became interested in international projects. He has worked in Liberia and Togo, West Africa, and in Jamaica, Panamá, Colombia and Haiti. He holds a PhD in Development Sociology from Cornell University and has been a professor in the Brazilian Federal System since 1976. In 2010, David received the title of ’Pesquisador Sênior’ (Senior Researcher) from the Brazilian Conselho Nacional Desenvolvimento Cientíico e Tecnológico, CNPq.