Dr Elta Smith is a senior consultant with GHK, working primarily on agri-food and environment issues. She has more than eight years’ experience conducting research in public policy, with particular expertise of agribusiness, rural livelihoods, and environment.

Elta has managed projects for the European Commission, and the UK and Hong Kong Governments. These include impact assessments for implementing the Nagoya Protocol in the UK and the EU and an evaluation of the Community Plant Variety Rights regime and a study to support the impact assessment on financing of fees for food and feed controls regulation, both for DG SANCO. She also provided policy analysis support for a study to assess the need for regulation of organic foods policy for the Hong Kong Government and evaluated the success of voluntary agreements between business and government in the UK specifically related to the agri-food sector. Elta provides ongoing strategic advice to support policy-makers and industry regarding policies to promote innovation for sustainability in the UK food chain.

Before joining GHK, Elta worked at the UK Government Office for Science where she conducted an evaluation on the use of science in policy-making and government engagement with academic research. Previous experience also includes work with a non-profit environmental charity where her involvement included climate change impact assessments and sustainable resource management studies. She has served as a consultant for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) through the Center for International Development, Harvard University on a study investigating the impacts of the CGIAR Alternatives to Slash and Burn Agriculture programme, with an emphasis on the interactions between rotational agriculture practices, rural development objectives and climate change policy.