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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.

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researcher spotlight

Samuel Benin

Samuel Benin is the Acting Director for Africa in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. He conducts research on national strategies and public investment for accelerating food systems transformation in Africa and provides analytical support to the African Union’s CAADP Biennial Review.

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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Research by country and region

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TOPIC

Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity

Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems, including many that are essential for agricultural production and food, such as water supply, pollination, and climate regulation. Biodiversity is the variety of life at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels, and plays a key role in ecosystem services. For instance, soil fertility, pollination, and natural pest control are examples of biodiversity-mediated ecosystem services that are critical to crop production. How crops and agricultural lands are managed and maintained can have positive—or negative—effects on ecosystem services and biodiversity.

IFPRI research provides much-needed insight into how the dual goals of food and nutrition security and ecosystem health can be included in the decision-making of farmers, communities, and policymakers. To inform policies and local governance that promote sustainability and inclusion, IFPRI engages in policy-relevant research on valuing and modeling ecosystem services, assessing the relationship between biodiversity-mediated ecosystem services and land use and management choices, informing community-based conservation, and supporting self-governance of common pool resources, including designing, testing, and scaling natural resource management games for research and experiential learning. IFPRI’s research on ecosystem services and biodiversity uniquely pays attention to gender and institutions.

IFPRI’s ecosystem services and biodiversity research is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 15, and the CGIAR Impact Areas on Climate Adaptation and Mitigation; Environmental Health and Biodiversity; and Poverty Reduction, Livelihoods, and Jobs.

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topics

Publications

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Working Paper

Economic valuation of ecosystem services of selected interventions in agriculture in India

2024Kumara T M, Kiran; Birthal, Pratap Singh; Meena, Dinesh Chand; Kumar, Anjani
Details

Economic valuation of ecosystem services of selected interventions in agriculture in India

Agriculture is multi-functional, producing economic goods including food, feed, fibre, and fuel, as well as providing several intangible or non-tradable services to society free of cost. Non-tradable services, unlike economic goods, remain unpriced; as a result, farmers are not compensated monetarily for the benefits of the several non-tradable services they provide through agriculture. Recognizing the monetary value of non-tradable ecosystem services is crucial to incentivize farmers to adopt eco-friendly technologies and practices for the sustainable development of agriculture. Through a meta-analysis of the existing evidence on ecosystem services, this study attempts to estimate the value of ecosystem services by using direct and indirect valuation methods—for example, carbon sequestration, methane emission, nutrient availability, biological nitrogen fixation, and water saving—generated by several important technological and agronomic interventions, namely the direct seeding of rice (DSR), zero-tillage in wheat, leguminous crops, organic manure, integrated nutrient management, and agroforestry, based on studies conducted in India. It also explores the trade-offs between the non-tradable and tradable ecosystem services attributable to these interventions. The monetary value of the non-tradable services resulting from most of these interventions is quite large, 34–77% of the total value of all the ecosystem services. However, not all interventions result in a win-win situation that yields improvements in both tradable and non-tradable outcomes. While no-till wheat, legumes, and integrated nutrient management result in a win-win outcome, there are trade-offs between the tradable and non tradable ecosystem services in the cases of directed seed rice, organic manure, and agroforestry. This evidence suggests that not all agricultural technologies and practices are beneficial for farmers, despite their higher environmental benefits. Thus, the findings of this study imply that agricultural policy should provide incentives for the adoption of technologies and practices to conserve ecosystems and natural resources.

Year published

2024

Authors

Kumara T M, Kiran; Birthal, Pratap Singh; Meena, Dinesh Chand; Kumar, Anjani

Citation

Kumara T M, Kiran; Birthal, Pratap Singh; Meena, Dinesh Chand; and Kumar, Anjani. 2024. Economic valuation of ecosystem services of selected interventions in agriculture in India. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2250. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140796

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Southern Asia; Ecosystem Services; Agriculture; Economic Value; Farmers; Sustainability; Incentives; Technology Adoption

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

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Working Paper

Ecosystem services may provide large economic values in Kenya and Vietnam: A value transfer application based on results from a systematic literature review

2023Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Zhang, Wei; Pham, Thuy Thu; Davis, Kristin; Fadda, Carlo
Details

Ecosystem services may provide large economic values in Kenya and Vietnam: A value transfer application based on results from a systematic literature review

This study focuses on the valuation of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam, two countries that have received much attention from the international development community for their biodiversity significance, opportunities for scaling, climate and poverty challenges, and political will. Using The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) framework and the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), this study estimates per hectare values of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam based on a systematic literature review of studies on the values of ecosystem services in both countries. Provisioning services, such as medicines, timber, and non-timber forest products were better studied than regulating, supporting and cultural ecosystem services, underscoring the need for further research to better estimate the values of non-tangible services which would improve the estimation of total value of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam. To complement the national level analysis, we selected forest biomes to conduct a value transfer analysis. Forests provide ecosystem service benefits worth $25.78 billion for Kenya and $35.6 billion in Vietnam in 2022 USD. In comparison, the agricultural sector contributed $48.50 billion to Vietnam’s GDP and $24.10 billon to Kenya’s GDP in 2021. The per hectare values for ecosystem services are used in a value transfer analysis to estimate the total value of forest ecosystem services in Vietnam and Kenya. The average per hectare value of ecosystem services provided by forests in Kenya is $5,718.50 ha−1 yr−1 estimated within a range spanning $1,609.44 to $15,606.62 ha−1 yr−1 , while Vietnam’s forests demonstrate an average value of $3,650.20 ha−1 yr−1 , with a range of $84.93 to $8,978.16 ha−1 yr−1 . We project the loss of forests into 2050 and estimate the annual economic loss of ecosystem services at $48.08 million for Kenya and $76.29 million for Vietnam, respectively, if deforestation and forest degradation continue at the current rates. Our approach presents a comprehensive overview of diverse ecosystem services, equipping policymakers with a nuanced comprehension of ecosystems’ inherent value. By consolidating values from the literature into a national-level estimate, we provide compelling evidence at a broader scale for informed decision-making. Despite the well-known limitations of value transfer method and with caveats, the values presented in our paper can provide a guiding reference for incorporating these estimations into broader policymaking endeavors.

Year published

2023

Authors

Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Zhang, Wei; Pham, Thuy Thu; Davis, Kristin; Fadda, Carlo

Citation

Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Zhang, Wei; Pham, Thuy Thu; Davis, Kristin; and Fadda, Carlo. 2023. Ecosystem services may provide large economic values in Kenya and Vietnam: A value transfer application based on results from a systematic literature review. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2228. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137080

Country/Region

Kenya; Vietnam

Keywords

Africa; Asia; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; South-eastern Asia; Biodiversity; Deforestation; Ecosystem Services; Forests; Policies; Value Theory

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137080 Source record

Project

Nature-Positive Solutions

Record type

Working Paper

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Brief

From input subsidies to compensating farmers for soil health services

2023Campbell, Bruce M.; Nyirongo, Jacob; Botha, Blessings; Duchoslav, Jan; Munthali, Moses W.; Nyondo, Christone; Sunga, Ishmael; Wollenberg, Eva Karoline
Details

From input subsidies to compensating farmers for soil health services

– In many countries in Southern and Eastern Africa, input subsidy programmes are common, often focussing on inorganic fertiliser. These programmes often do not achieve their food security objectives, partly because soil health is in decline as a result of years of application of inorganic fertilisers in the absence of other soil ameliorative measures. – Solutions to soil health decline are well known, and include various combinations of fallowing, crop diversification, intercropping and crop rotations (especially legume rotations), soil organic matter additions, liming and applications of the appropriate inorganic fertilisers. But many of these come with significant socio-economic and technical challenges to farmers. – A way forward is through compensating farmers for soil health services, which will generate a multitude of private and public benefits. This would be a form of Payment for Environmental Services (PES), as supported in the global initiative CompensACTION,1 led by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). – Nine recommendations for implementing a soil health payment scheme are presented, some of which focus on the broader enabling environment. – Development partners can support the implementation of Payments for Soil Heath Services schemes by: assisting countries in establishing pilot schemes for lessons learning; supporting longer term monitoring of soil health changes; supporting government efforts to repurpose subsidy policies; and facilitating public-private partnerships to leverage in private sector investment in activities that will enhance soil health.

Year published

2023

Authors

Campbell, Bruce M.; Nyirongo, Jacob; Botha, Blessings; Duchoslav, Jan; Munthali, Moses W.; Nyondo, Christone; Sunga, Ishmael; Wollenberg, Eva Karoline

Citation

Campbell, B.; Nyirongo, J.; Botha, B.; Duchoslav, J.; Munthali, M.W.; Nyondo, C.; Sunga, I.; Wollenberg, E. (2023) From input subsidies to compensating farmers for soil health services. 12 p.

Country/Region

Malawi

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Climate Change Mitigation; Smallholders-smallholder Farmers; Climate Change; Agriculture; Climate Change Adaptation; Fertilizers-fertilisers; Payments for Ecosystem Services; Soil Quality-soil Health; Farm Inputs-agricultural Inputs

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

Blogs

Tropentag 2023: Bridging ecology and economy with payments for ecosystem services (PES)
IFPRI Blog
 | 
October 30, 2023

Tropentag 2023: Bridging ecology and economy with payments for ecosystem services (PES)

By Mary Grace Barbacias

Overcoming challenges to helping smallholders.

An integrated approach to realize multiple benefits across water, energy, food, forests and biodiversity
IFPRI Blog
 | 
August 23, 2021

An integrated approach to realize multiple benefits across water, energy, food, forests and biodiversity

By Stefan Uhlenbrook and Claudia Ringler

Water, energy, food, forests, and biodiversity systems are intricately linked but projects to improve resource usage are too often siloed.

UNFSS Science Days: Promise of the commons for sustainable and equitable food systems
IFPRI Blog
 | 
July 13, 2021

UNFSS Science Days: Promise of the commons for sustainable and equitable food systems

By Hagar ElDidi and Ruth Meinzen-Dick

Better management of shared natural resources can boost food system transformation.

Events

The Latest Innovations in Global Crop Mapping
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

April 29, 2024, 10:00 – 11:00 am

The Latest Innovations in Global Crop Mapping

Webinar: April 29, 2024 – 10:00 AM- 11:00 AM EDT. Join this webinar to hear from experts from IFPRI, the Bezos Earth Fund, Land & Carbon Lab and partners as they discuss the importance of transforming global food systems and the role that geospatial monitoring can play in this.

Payments for Ecosystem Services: Win-Win Solutions?
Series/Special Event

 | 

September 21, 2023, 7:45 – 9:15 am

Payments for Ecosystem Services: Win-Win Solutions?

Virtual Event: September 21, 2023 – 7:45 AM- 9:15 AM EDT. This second seminar of the CGIAR Policy Seminar Series on Strengthening Food Systems examines past and current ecosystem service payment schemes targeted at smallholders, evaluates their effectiveness, and impacts, and explores how such schemes could be taken forward in order to help build greater resilience within food systems.

World Water Week 2022
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

August 23 to September 1, 2022

World Water Week 2022

Virtual Event: August 23, 2022 – 7:00 AM to September 1, 2022 – 12:20 PM EDT. IFPRI is participating in World Water Week 2022, the leading conference on global water issues.

News

September 28, 2022 | In the News

Scientists say One Health approach to plant health is vital to achieving sustainable global food security (Eureka Alert) 

Eureka Alert published an article stating that a team of scientists argue that a One Health approach to plant health is vital if we are to sustainably feed a growing population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050. The researchers, who published a commentary in the CABI Agriculture and Bioscience journal, suggest that a One […]

June 21, 2021 | In the News

Don’t forget the people (Daily News)

Daily News (Sri Lanka) published an article about new research that is part of a special edition of Ecological Restoration titled “Restoration by Whom, for Whom,” published in June 2021. The research includes work on farmer-managed natural regeneration in Ghana, on-farm experiments and payments for ecosystem services in Kenya, a government-led tree planting initiative in Vietnam, and […]

January 10, 2020 | In the News

Worthy to be illustrated (Daily News)

Daily News (Tanzania) profiled Senior Research Fellow Ephraim Nkonya. The profile highlights Tanzanian-born Nkonya’s years of work and research in agricultural development. The article also discusses his life and education from childhood to university, leading to his career.

Our experts

Wei Zhang

Wei Zhang

Senior Research Fellow, Natural
Resources and Resilience

Kriti Sharma

Kriti Sharma

Research Analyst, Development
Strategies and Governance