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Who we are

With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

researcher spotlight

Liangzhi You

Liangzhi You is a Senior Research Fellow and theme leader in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit, based in Washington, DC. His research focuses on climate resilience, spatial data and analytics, agroecosystems, and agricultural science policy. Gridded crop production data of the world (SPAM) and the agricultural technology evaluation model (DREAM) are among his research contributions. 

Where we work

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Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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experts

Foresight and Policy Modeling

Josee Randriamamonjy

Senior Scientist

Bio

Josée Randriamamonjy is a Senior Scientist in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit and has been with IFPRI since 2006. Her research topics cover the driving forces affecting the global food system, their links to agricultural production, and related policy options to better achieve the reduction of poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition, and she is currently working on employment, youth, and rural development. Previously, she worked in the Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division of IFPRI where her work focused on assessing the impacts of the UNICEF nutrition interventions in Ghana, and on poverty analysis in Mozambique. Prior to her work at IFPRI, she was in charge of the Modeling Service of the National Statistics Institute of Madagascar. She received a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University and a master’s degree in Economic Policy Management from Auvergne University (CERDI) in France.

Publications

Publications

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Working Paper

Impact of ongoing conflict and pathways to recovery in Sudan: Agricultural bounce-back, infrastructural investment, and social protection

2024Siddig, Khalid; Thurlow, James; Ahmed, Mosab; Randriamamonjy, Josée; Raouf, Mariam
Details

Impact of ongoing conflict and pathways to recovery in Sudan: Agricultural bounce-back, infrastructural investment, and social protection

In response to the 2023 conflict in Sudan and its extensive socio-economic repercussions, this study investigates the resultant economic, poverty, and undernourishment impacts, using an economywide model for in-depth analysis at national and household levels. The study also seeks to identify effective recovery pathways that can mitigate the adverse impacts of the conflict, with a particular focus on the role of the agricultural sector. Key findings reveal significant economic contractions across all scenarios, with the GDP experiencing a reduction of up to 12% and 18% following estimates by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 2023. These estimates are included in an economywide framework, linked to a microsimulation module as major war scenarios, namely, Moderate decline & slow recovery and Sharp decline & rapid recovery, respectively. Poverty rates are projected to increase by 8 and 11.6 percentage points, affecting an additional 2.7 and 3.9 million people in the two scenarios, respectively. Undernourishment is also expected to rise significantly, with an increase of 3.9 and 6.0 percentage points, adding approximately 1.3 and 2.0 million people to those affected in the two scenarios, respectively. The analysis proposes recovery strategies that emphasize agricultural productivity, infrastructure investment, and social protection measures. By simulating enhanced agricultural productivity scenarios, the study suggests that poverty could decrease notably, with potential reductions in the poor population by as much as 1.9 million by 2028. This study underscores the urgency of coordinated policy efforts and international support to mitigate the adverse impacts of the conflict, providing a strategic roadmap for recovery initiatives aimed at sustainable development and stability in Sudan.

Year published

2024

Authors

Siddig, Khalid; Thurlow, James; Ahmed, Mosab; Randriamamonjy, Josée; Raouf, Mariam

Citation

Siddig, Khalid; Thurlow, James; Ahmed, Mosab; Randriamamonjy, Josée; and Raouf, Mariam. 2024. Impact of ongoing conflict and pathways to recovery in Sudan: Agricultural bounce-back, infrastructural investment, and social protection. Sudan Strategy Support Program Working Paper 21. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

Country/Region

Sudan

Keywords

Northern Africa; Conflicts; Economic Impact; Poverty; Nutrition; Agricultural Sector; Social Protection; Infrastructure

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Foresight

Record type

Working Paper

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Brief

IFPRI Nexus SAMs: Annual Release Note 2024

2024Randriamamonjy, Josee; Jones, Eleanor; Pauw, Karl; Thurlow, James
Details

IFPRI Nexus SAMs: Annual Release Note 2024

The Nexus Project is pleased to provide an update on the Nexus Social Accounting Matrices (SAMs) developed and released by IFPRI in collaboration with national statistical agencies and research institutions in 2024. This Annual Release Note provides a brief overview of SAMs and the Nexus Project. It serves as a useful one-stop shop for obtaining links to the latest versions of all Nexus SAMs. For more information or questions, please email IFPRI-Nexus@cgiar.or

Year published

2024

Authors

Randriamamonjy, Josee; Jones, Eleanor; Pauw, Karl; Thurlow, James

Citation

Randriamamonjy, Josee; Jones, Eleanor; Pauw, Karl; and Thurlow, James. 2024. IFPRI Nexus SAMs: Annual Release Note 2024. IFPRI Project Note December 2024. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168090

Keywords

Data; Economic Sectors; Agrifood Systems; Databases; Computable General Equilibrium Models

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Foresight

Record type

Brief

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Journal Article

From food subsidies to cash transfers: Assessing economy-wide benefits and trade-offs in Egypt

2024Breisinger, Clemens; Kassim, Yumna; Kurdi, Sikandra; Randriamamonjy, Josée; Thurlow, James
Details

From food subsidies to cash transfers: Assessing economy-wide benefits and trade-offs in Egypt

Food is a vital part of poor households’ budgets and so subsidizing staple foods would appear to be an obvious pro-poor policy. Indeed, most countries in North Africa have prioritized large national subsidy programs for staple foods and fuels as their main social safety net. However, these programs account for significant shares of government spending and often drive fiscal deficits, especially when import prices rise. In this paper we use a dynamic Computable General Equilibrium model to evaluate the trade-offs between reducing poverty and managing fiscal balances. The modeling framework allows us to measure the efficiency costs of subsidies compared to cash transfers – switching to the latter is an emerging regional trend. We analyze these issues through a detailed case study of Egypt, where efforts to replace food subsidies with cash transfers is already underway. Data is also available in Egypt to design scenarios that realistically reflect potential targeting effectiveness and administrative costs. We show that replacing broad food subsidies with targeted cash transfers of roughly equivalent fiscal costs can improve the welfare of the poorest households, but the continuation of fiscal deficits results in a deceleration of economic growth. The latter gradually reduces welfare gains for the poor and leads to substantial welfare losses for middle-income households who lose access to subsidies without benefitting from cash transfers. Our findings highlight the political challenges facing subsidy reform programs.

Year published

2024

Authors

Breisinger, Clemens; Kassim, Yumna; Kurdi, Sikandra; Randriamamonjy, Josée; Thurlow, James

Citation

Breisinger, Clemens; Kassim, Yumna; Kurdi, Sikandra; Randriamamonjy, Josee; and Thurlow, James. 2024. From food subsidies to cash transfers: Assessing economy-wide benefits and trade-offs in Egypt. Journal of African Economies 33(2): 109–129. https://doi.org/10.1093/jae/ejad006

Country/Region

Egypt

Keywords

Africa; Northern Africa; Food; Poor Households; Budgeting; Staple Foods; Policies; Subsidies; Social Safety Nets; Government Spending; Prices; Cash Transfers

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1093/jae/ejad006 Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Journal Article

Events

2018 International Consortium on Applied Bioeconomy Research Conference (ICABR)
IFPRI at External Event

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June 12 to 15, 2018

2018 International Consortium on Applied Bioeconomy Research Conference (ICABR)

IFPRI is participating extensively in the International Consortium on Applied Bioeconomy Research (ICABR) conference. Multiple changes in the structure of the food system and agriculture raise new opportunities and challenges for the agricultural sector.  In the developing world, these changes started in Asia and Latin America, and are rapidly emerging in Africa.  Urbanization and increased urban […]

News

August 13, 2024 | In the News

Sudan’s catastrophe: farmers could offer quick post-war recovery, if peace is found

Despite the stark reality, there is a potential path forward for Sudan, believe IFPRI experts.