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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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South Africa

countries and regions

Publications

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Journal Article

Social protection amid a crisis: New evidence from South Africa’s Older Person’s Grant

2024Alloush, Mo; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; Malacarne, J. G.
Details

Social protection amid a crisis: New evidence from South Africa’s Older Person’s Grant

This study estimates the effects of South Africa’s Older Person’s Grant on well-being amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With household-level data collected before and during the pandemic, it leverages the age-eligibility threshold of the grant to estimate its effects on households in both periods. Prior to the pandemic, this study finds that grant receipt substantially improves economic well-being and decreases adult hunger at the household level. During the first 18 months of the pandemic, this study finds larger effects on both economic well-being and hunger than prior to the pandemic. In particular, recipient households were less likely to report running out of money for food and hunger among either adults or children. These results, which are stronger when pandemic-related lockdown policies are in place and for more vulnerable households, provide critical insight into the effectiveness of one of the world’s most well-known cash-transfer programs during a massive global health crisis.

Year published

2024

Authors

Alloush, Mo; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; Malacarne, J. G.

Citation

Alloush, Mo; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; and Malacarne, J. G. 2024. Social protection amid a crisis: New evidence from South Africa’s Older Person’s Grant. World Bank Economic Review 38(2): 371-393. https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhad037

Country/Region

South Africa

Keywords

Africa; Southern Africa; Cash Transfers; Coronavirus; Coronavirus Disease; Coronavirinae; Covid-19; Data; Households; Hunger

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhad037 Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Journal Article

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Working Paper

Building community resilience for food security in a shock-prone country

2024Ulimwengu, John M.; Collins, Julia; Tefera, Wondwosen; Kurtz, Julie
Details

Building community resilience for food security in a shock-prone country

In a world rocked by environmental, political, and economic shocks, achieving resilience has emerged as a goal because it captures the essence of well-being over time despite the inevitable ups and downs captured in snapshots of present circumstances. After decades of conflict and environmental shocks in South Sudan, including the eruption of civil war in 2013 shortly after its independence in 2011, communities there lack stability and suffer from exorbitantly high rates of food insecurity, poor health indicators, and low educational and livelihood opportunities. International development agencies have sought to support South Sudan, but years of financial investment have failed to alleviate recurrent humanitarian crises. This paper outlines a general framework for resilience and resilience measurement, assesses initial baseline data collected from South Sudan, and builds a novel quantitative and qualitative methodology for measuring community resilience in countries like South Sudan burdened by shocks and weak institutions.

Year published

2024

Authors

Ulimwengu, John M.; Collins, Julia; Tefera, Wondwosen; Kurtz, Julie

Citation

Ulimwengu, John M.; Collins, Julia; Tefera, Wondwosen; and Kurtz, Julie. 2024. Building community resilience for food security in a shock-prone country. AKADEMIYA2063 Working Paper Series 9. AKADEMIYA2063

Keywords

South Sudan; Africa; Shock; Resilience; Civil Conflict; Food Security

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.54067/awps.009 Source record

Record type

Working Paper

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Working Paper

Chinese artificial intelligence in Africa: Digital colonisation or liberalisation?

2023Tinarwo, Joseph; Babu, Suresh Chandra
Details

Chinese artificial intelligence in Africa: Digital colonisation or liberalisation?

In this era of globalisation and progressive digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of our everyday lives. While AI technology is lauded for increasing economic growth and solving some of the intricate global development challenges, such as climate change as well as disease and natural disaster forecasting, it has become a threat to citizen freedom and democracy and there are concerns of data privacy and security. China is rapidly expanding its AI and has emerged as one of the leading nations in artificial intelligence, research and development, particularly in the global South. Africa is one of the continents that has become a destination of the fast-expanding Chinese AI, notwithstanding that its impacts remain unknown. This research primarily adopted a qualitative research approach to examine the impact of Chinese AI in Africa and identify opportunities for facilitating positive influence of Chinese AI and digital presence in Africa. The study found that the expansion of Chinese AI in the global South, using Zimbabwe and South Africa as case studies, has been associated with mixed results. Since its beginning in the late 1970s after the economic reform, the Chinese AI-led automation has resulted in improved productivity, particularly in agriculture, health, infrastructure and manufacturing industries. However, the Chinese AI has been associated with gross human rights violations and promotion of corrupt practices, such as patronage and rent-seeking behaviour. Additionally, Chinese AI is undermining the rule of law and the functionality and legitimacy of weaker state institutions and processes.

Year published

2023

Authors

Tinarwo, Joseph; Babu, Suresh Chandra

Citation

Tinarwo, Joseph; and Babu, Suresh Chandra. 2023. Chinese artificial intelligence in Africa: Digital colonisation or liberalisation? Tayarisha Working Paper 12. Johannesburg, South Africa: University of the Witwatersrand.

Country/Region

South Africa; Zimbabwe

Keywords

Africa; Southern Africa; Eastern Africa; Artificial Intelligence; Digital Technology; Economic Aspects; Development

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

Datasets

Dataset

ASTI South Africa Database

2018Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators
Details

ASTI South Africa Database

This dataset includes national-level time series data on researcher capacity by qualification level, age bracket, discipline mix, and commodity, as well as a detailed breakdown of agricultural research investment across government, higher education, nonprofit, and (where possible) private for-profit agricultural research agencies. These data were derived through a series of primary survey rounds conducted by IFPRI’s Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) and in close collaboration with a large network of national collaborators. The ASTI data constitute a powerful resource for national and regional research managers, policymakers, donor organizations, and other stakeholders. ASTI’s key indicators provide both a diagnostic tool for assessing the allocation and use of existing resources and an advocacy tool for increasing resources and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of resource use. The ASTI website offers interactive pages that allow users to access country-level time series data, make cross-country comparisons, create graphs, and download country datasets and publications as well as detailed institutional information on agencies involved in agricultural research. The interactive benchmarking tool on the ASTI website is a convenient map-based instrument allowing users to make cross-country comparisons and rankings based on a wide set of financial and human resource indicators. The detailed ASTI datasets are available in an easy-to-use data download tool. Detailed information on definitions, methodology, and calculation procedures are available at www.asti.cgiar.org

Year published

2018

Authors

Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators

Citation

Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators. 2018. ASTI South Africa Database. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://www.asti.cgiar.org/south_africa. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.

Country/Region

South Africa

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Southern Africa; Agricultural Research

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-3.0

Source

Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Dataset

Dataset

A 2009 Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) Database for South Africa

2014Human Sciences Research Council; International Food Policy Research Institute
Details

A 2009 Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) Database for South Africa

This data study includes South African Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) for the year 2009. The national SAM is built using official supply-use tables, national accounts, state budgets, and balance of payments, and so provides a detailed representation of the South African economy. It separates 49 activities and 85 commodities; labor is disaggregated by education level; and households by per capita expenditure deciles. Information on labor is d rawn from the 2009 Quarterly Labor Force Survey and on households from the 2005 Income and Expenditure Survey. Finally, the SAM identifies government, investment and foreign accounts. It is therefore an ideal database for conducting economywide impact assessments, including SAM-based multiplier analysis and computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling.

Year published

2014

Authors

Human Sciences Research Council; International Food Policy Research Institute

Citation

Human Sciences Research Council; International Food Policy Research Institute. 2014. A 2009 Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) Database for South Africa. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/24774. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.

Country/Region

South Africa

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Southern Africa; National Accounting; Social Accounting Matrix

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-3.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/24774 Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Dataset

Dataset

South Africa Limpopo Basin Climate Change Adaptation Dataset

2010Ringler, Claudia; Sun, Yan
Details

South Africa Limpopo Basin Climate Change Adaptation Dataset

This household survey was conducted as part of a project aimed to provide policymakers and stakeholders in South Africa with tools to better understand, analyze, and form policy decisions to adapt to global change. The survey was conducted in the Limpopo River Basin in South Africa during 2005. A total of 794 households from 19 districts, in 5 Water Management Areas (WMAs), across 4 provinces of South Africa were sampled. The South Africa sample was designed to capture the diverse agricultural patterns in the basin area: farming strata, type of cultivation (dry land and irrigation), major and minor crops and livestock, and all the sub-catchment areas in each of the 5 WMAs. Topics covered include household roaster including background information, farm and non-farm activities, assets, basic services, disease, shocks; land ownership and land holdings; farm machinery, farm buildings, wells and pumps, and wage rates; crop production including production cost and income for seasonal crops and for perennial crops; crop water use; livestock production; access to extension, markets and credit; expenditures on food and income; and climate change and adaptation options.

Year published

2010

Authors

Ringler, Claudia; Sun, Yan

Citation

Ringler, Claudia; Sun, Yan. 2010. South Africa Limpopo Basin Climate Change Adaptation Dataset. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. http://hdl.handle.net/1902.1/17092. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.

Country/Region

South Africa

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Southern Africa; Water Security; Food Security; Climate Change

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-3.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Dataset

Blogs

Global fertilizer trade 2021-2023: What happened after war-related price spikes
IFPRI Blog
 | 
April 05, 2024

Global fertilizer trade 2021-2023: What happened after war-related price spikes

By Charlotte Hebebrand and Joseph Glauber

Impacts of shifting market flows.

Making cash transfers more effective in reducing intimate partner violence
IFPRI Blog
 | 
June 24, 2022

Making cash transfers more effective in reducing intimate partner violence

By Shalini Roy, Amber Peterman, and Lucy Billings

A new phase in understanding how such programs can empower women.

Extraordinary COVID-19 social support programs in South Africa yield economic benefits during the pandemic period
IFPRI Blog
 | 
August 30, 2021

Extraordinary COVID-19 social support programs in South Africa yield economic benefits during the pandemic period

By Sherwin Gabriel, Dirk van Seventer, Channing Arndt, Robert J. Davies, Laurence Harris, Sherman Robinson, and Jenna Wilf

Modeling shows emergency safety net programs boost GDP during pandemic.

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Events

Dairy and Nutrition in the Global South: Potential, Progress, and Obstacles Ahead
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

April 24, 2024, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Dairy and Nutrition in the Global South: Potential, Progress, and Obstacles Ahead

Virtual Event: April 24, 2024 at 9:30am-11:00am EDT. This policy seminar examines the potential of dairy development to improve nutrition outcomes, focusing on dairy’s sizable potential for reducing child stunting and other forms of malnutrition, and how dairy systems are being developed to help meet this potential. 

Cultivate Africa Dialog: Women in Agriculture
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

November 17 to 18, 2020

Cultivate Africa Dialog: Women in Agriculture

IFPRI is participating in the Cultivate Africa Dialog event on November 17-18, 2020. The Africa Union Commission (AUC) and Hallpax are organizing a structured dialog with a view of providing effective solutions to the threats of the COVID-19 pandemic on the agriculture industry in Africa. A cross-sectoral dialog will strengthen understanding and reinforce efforts for […]

Meetings of Agricultural Chief Scientists of G20 States (MACS-G20)
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

February 18 to 19, 2020

Meetings of Agricultural Chief Scientists of G20 States (MACS-G20)

IFPRI is participating in the annual “Meetings of Agricultural Chief Scientists of G20 States (MACS-G20)”, which have taken place since 2012, based on an initiative of the agricultural ministers of the G20 States to address central questions in fields of agriculture and nutrition which are too great to be solved with only national efforts, to better coordinate agricultural […]

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News

February 09, 2022 | In the News

SA-TIED’s research could help turn SA’s fortunes around (Business Live)

Business Live (South Africa) published an article stating that SA-TIED, a long-term program, aims to bridge the gap between research and governmental policymaking.  The SA-TIED latest report allows us to better understand the challenges SA’s economy faces and support more inclusive policy design. The program is a collaboration between the United Nations University World Institute for Development […]

November 25, 2021 | In the News

How a future Day Zero can be avoided (Food for Mzansi)

Food for Mzansi (South Africa) published an article stating that global action to limit human-induced warming could give Mzansi enough time to secure enough water to sustain its people. Otherwise, according to researchers, climate shifts by the middle of the next decade may well make Day Zero situations more common. Researchers from the MIT Joint Program on the […]

November 21, 2021 | In the News

South Africans can “build back fairer’ from the pandemic (Press Reader)

Press Reader (Sunday Times – South Africa) published an article stating that three policy areas suggest implementable solutions that will help to ensure that SA emerges as a more equitable country according to Sherwin Gabriel and Channing Arndt. Before Covid-19, SA was mired with low growth, structural unemployment, and high inequality. Weaknesses in electricity and transport infrastructure, a […]

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Projects

Stories of Change in Nutrition

Stories of Change in Nutrition

…

Southern Africa-Towards Inclusive Economic Development (SA-TIED)

Southern Africa-Towards Inclusive Economic Development (SA-TIED)

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Land Resource Management for Poverty Reduction

Land Resource Management for Poverty Reduction

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