Friederike Schilling is an agricultural economist and Senior Researcher at the Center for Development Research (ZEF), where she has been working since March 2025, following the completion of her PhD at ZEF (2022–2025). Her dissertation focused on agricultural carbon markets in sub-Saharan Africa. Her research interests include innovative approaches for the sustainable transformation of food systems, with particular emphasis on carbon farming, agricultural finance, and financial inclusion in Africa. Prior to her doctoral research, she worked as a Project Manager at GOPA Consulting Group (2018-2021), gaining extensive hands-on experience in financial sector development and agricultural finance across several African countries. Friederike holds an MA in Development Economics from the University of Göttingen and a BSc in Economics and Business Economics from the University of Hull (UK).