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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

Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Deanna Olney

Director, Nutrition, Diets, and Health (NDH)

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Bio

Dr. Deanna Olney is the Director of the Nutrition, Diets and Health Unit at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and leads the CGIAR Research Initiative: Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets (FRESH). She also serves on the leadership team for the Resilient Cities CGIAR Research Initiative. Dr. Olney has a Ph.D. in Nutritional Biology from the University of California, Davis and has over 20 years of experience working in the field of international nutrition across Latin America, Asia and Africa. Her research focuses on understanding the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of food system and multisectoral approaches to improving diet, nutrition, health, and well-being outcomes. In addition to seeking to understand the impact and cost-effectiveness of different types of approaches, Dr. Olney works closely with a wide range of stakeholders to support the translation of evidence into action.

Publications

CV

Publications

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Journal Article

Diets, fruit and vegetables consumption, and nutritional status in Benin: A scoping review

2025Bliznashka, Lilia; Pather, Kamara; Mitchodigni, Irene M.; Hess, Sonja Y.; Olney, Deanna K.
Details

Diets, fruit and vegetables consumption, and nutritional status in Benin: A scoping review

Unhealthy diets, including low fruit and vegetables (F&V) intake, contribute to morbidity and mortality related to non-communicable diseases. Designing culturally appropriate interventions to improve diets and F&V intake requires an in-depth understanding of individual-level dietary patterns, household consumption patterns, and nutritional status resulting from inadequate F&V intake. In this scoping review, we summarised the literature on diets, F&V intake, and nutritional status in Benin. We searched PubMed from 2012 to August 2024 to identify articles on diets and nutritional status, and from 2002 to August 2024 to identify articles on F&V intake. We included 36 articles on diets, 27 on F&V intake, and 16 on nutritional status. Existing literature demonstrated that Beninese diets are cereal-based and monotonous, characterised by low diversity and low F&V intake across all population groups. Available evidence indicated a high burden of undernutrition in children <5 years of age, a rising prevalence of overnutrition in women of reproductive age, and a high prevalence of overnutrition in adults. Evidence on how diets and F&V intake vary by urban/rural location, season, and socioeconomic characteristics was limited and inconsistent. Two evaluations of garden irrigation programmes assessed impacts on women's dietary diversity and F&V consumption. Additional research is needed to improve our understanding of diets, F&V intake, and diet-related nutritional challenges and how they evolve over time and across different population groups. Understanding these gaps can help identify entry points and targets for interventions to improve diet quality and F&V intake in Benin.

Year published

2025

Authors

Bliznashka, Lilia; Pather, Kamara; Mitchodigni, Irene M.; Hess, Sonja Y.; Olney, Deanna K.

Citation

Bliznashka, Lilia; Pather, Kamara; Mitchodigni, Irene M.; Hess, Sonja Y.; and Olney, Deanna K. Diets, fruit and vegetables consumption, and nutritional status in Benin: A scoping review. Maternal and Child Nutrition. Article in Press. First published online on December 10, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13747

Country/Region

Benin

Keywords

Sub-saharan Africa; Western Africa; Africa; Diet; Fruits; Vegetables; Non-communicable Diseases; Household Consumption; Nutrition; Research; Children; Women

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13747 Source record

Project

Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Journal Article

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Report

Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Philippines

2024Margolies, Amy; Pather, Kamara; Namara, Rebecca; Sehgal, Mrignyani; San Valentin, Carleneth; Olney, Deanna K.
Details

Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Philippines

Child stunting is a persistent problem in the Philippines. While stunting prevalence is higher in rural than in urban areas, it still affects one in four children under the age of five in urban areas and coexists with rising overweight in school-age children, adolescents, and adults. Some urban nutrition interventions have focused on reducing diet-related noncommunicable disease (NCD) risks, but they have not addressed the challenges of the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) (e.g., the coexistence of problems of undernutrition and overnutrition) in school-age children and adolescents. Likewise, the lack of evidence on interventions in the urban food environment (FE) signals a need for studies to better understand the role of FEs in driving unhealthy dietary changes and the DBM and to test approaches to shift consumption patterns toward healthier diets and lifestyles. NCDs are the leading cause of mortality in the Philippines, and NCD risks are higher in urban areas than rural ones. National policies support nutrition with multisectoral approaches, particularly through urban farming and gardening to promote healthy and affordable urban diets. Yet the urban-specific programs must be evaluated. Evaluations of urban agricultural initiatives are needed to document any impact on diets and nutrition and to assess the potential for scale up, especially given land scarcity in dense urban areas. Additionally, multisectoral double-duty actions must be developed to address all forms of malnutrition.

Year published

2024

Authors

Margolies, Amy; Pather, Kamara; Namara, Rebecca; Sehgal, Mrignyani; San Valentin, Carleneth; Olney, Deanna K.

Citation

Margolies, Amy; Pather, Kamara; Namara, Rebecca; Sehgal, Mrignyani; San Valentin, Carleneth; and Olney, Deanna. 2024. Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Philippines. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/159838

Country/Region

Philippines

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Agriculture; Child Stunting; Diet; Nutrition; Malnutrition; Urban Areas

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Resilient Cities

Record type

Report

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Report

Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Sri Lanka

2024Margolies, Amy; Craig, Hope; Namara, Rebecca; Sehgal, Mrignyani; Hemachandra, Dilini; Olney, Deanna K.
Details

Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Sri Lanka

Key Messages Child stunting has declined in both rural and urban areas since 2016, but still affects a third of children on estates. Wasting prevalence has increased dramatically since 2016, reaching an alarming prevalence of 20 percent in urban areas. There is insufficient intake of nutritious foods, particularly in rural areas, and diet quality is negatively influenced by obesogenic food environments as the urbanization process continues. The cost of a healthy diet increased from $3.58 to $4.77 per person per day from 2017 to 2022, and 41 percent of the population is unable to afford a healthy diet. The prevalence of overweight, obesity and noncommunicable diseases is increasing nationally with higher burdens of overweight and obesity in urban populations and among women. National nutrition policies reference urban areas but do not adequately address the dual challenges of undernutrition (such as wasting) and overnutrition (such as overweight, obesity, and NCDs) common to urban contexts. Evidence is lacking on how to effectively address the double burden of malnutrition, yet clearly double-duty actions to address all forms of malnutrition will be essential.

Year published

2024

Authors

Margolies, Amy; Craig, Hope; Namara, Rebecca; Sehgal, Mrignyani; Hemachandra, Dilini; Olney, Deanna K.

Citation

Margolies, Amy; Craig, Hope; Namara, Rebecca; Sehgal, Mrignyani; Hemachandra, Dilini; and Olney, Deanna. 2024. Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Sri Lanka. Resilient Cities Country Profile. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

Country/Region

Sri Lanka

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Stunting; Rural Urban Relations; Children; Wasting Disease (nutritional Disorder); Nutrition; Diet; Food Prices; Non-communicable Diseases; Policies

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Resilient Cities

Record type

Report

Blogs

Transforming food systems for sustainable healthy diets: A global imperative
IFPRI Blog
 | 
May 29, 2024

Transforming food systems for sustainable healthy diets: A global imperative

By Purnima Menon and Deanna Olney

The 2024 Global Food Policy Report focuses on the pivotal role of nutrition.

From theory to practice: The latest in program implementation and effectiveness at #MNF2023
IFPRI Blog
 | 
October 11, 2023

From theory to practice: The latest in program implementation and effectiveness at #MNF2023

By Mduduzi Mbuya and Deanna Olney

Navigating the complexities of diet and nutrition solutions.

Improving fruit and vegetable consumption will require a holistic approach
IFPRI Blog
 | 
May 25, 2022

Improving fruit and vegetable consumption will require a holistic approach

By Deanna Olney, Ravi Gopal Singh, Pepijn Schreinemachers, and Janet Hodur

A new research initiative takes aim at a major nutrition challenge.

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Events

Improving Diets and Nutrition through Food Systems: What Will it Take? A Dialogue on IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report
Series/Special Event

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November 6, 2024, 1:00 – 5:00 pm

Improving Diets and Nutrition through Food Systems: What Will it Take? A Dialogue on IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report

IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy flagship publication arrives at a pivotal moment, as the importance of addressing food systems for better nutrition continues to gain global recognition. With United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 29th Conference of the Parties taking place in November, the SUN Global Gathering on the horizon and the Nutrition […]

Fruit & Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets: 2024 FRESH Science Conference
Series/Special Event

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August 26 to 27, 2024

Fruit & Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets: 2024 FRESH Science Conference

Poor diets are a primary cause of malnutrition and the leading cause of disease worldwide. Improving diets, especially through increasing fruit and vegetable intake, can help to address these health and nutrition challenges. However, fruit and vegetable intake falls below recommended levels globally. The factors contributing to low fruit and vegetable consumption are complex, requiring […]

GFPR Southeast Asia Launch: IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report on Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition
Series/Special Event

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July 18, 2024, 10:15 – 3:15 pm

GFPR Southeast Asia Launch: IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report on Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition

Click HERE to join the IFPRI-ADB Event on IFPRI’s 2024 GFPR on July 18, 2024 from 10:00am to 11:00am Manila time (GMT+8) / July 17, 2024 from 10:00pm to 11:00pm Washington, DC time (EDT). This event, co-organized by the Asian Development Bank and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) will present an overview of […]

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News

May 29, 2024 | Press Release

The 2024 Global Food Policy Report Stresses Urgent Need for Transformative Action to Achieve Sustainable Healthy Diets and Improved Nutrition

Washington DC, May 29, 2024: In the face of growing challenges posed by unhealthy diets, all forms of malnutrition, and environmental constraints, the 2024 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR) — released today by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) — underscores the importance of transforming complex global food systems to ensure sustainable healthy diets for all. Progress […]

March 22, 2016 | Press Release

Homegrown Nutrition Works in Burkina Faso

Study could have profound effects on the overall health of some of the world’s most undernourished populations   March 22, 2016, Washington, D.C.—A recent study out of Burkina Faso shows that integrating nutrition and health education and women’s empowerment interventions into an agriculture program, if well-designed and run, can improve child and maternal undernutrition in […]