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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 Asia

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Publications

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Working Paper

Chinese artificial intelligence in Africa: Digital colonisation or liberalisation?

2023Tinarwo, Joseph; Babu, Suresh Chandra
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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

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Book Chapter

Government response to ultra-processed and sugar beverages industries in developing nations: The need to build coalitions across policy sectors

2023Gómez, Eduardo J.
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Government response to ultra-processed and sugar beverages industries in developing nations: The need to build coalitions across policy sectors

How were the governments of three middle-income countries with high levels of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)—India, Mexico, and South Africa—able to implement sugar-sweetened beverage taxes (SSBs) despite intense opposition from powerful corporations? Employing a multiple streams analytical framework to explain the agenda-setting process, this chapter highlights several factors that generated supportive coalitions for SSBs, including the importance of transnational advocacy in each country as well as governments’ interest in generating more revenue from the tax. By contrast, regulatory measures to regulate the soda and snack food industries, such as limits on advertising, sales, and food labeling, have been less accepted by the same governments. To explain why, the chapter argues that coalitions around these policies are weaker, regulation generates lower levels of public contestation and visibility, and the prospect for generating government revenue is less pronounced.

Year published

2023

Authors

Gómez, Eduardo J.

Citation

Gómez, Eduardo J. 2023. Government response to ultra-processed and sugar beverages industries in developing nations: The need to build coalitions across policy sectors. In The Political Economy of Food System Transformation: Pathways to Progress in a Polarized World, eds. Danielle Resnick and Johan Swinnen. Chapter 6, Pp. 133-154. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198882121.003.0006

Country/Region

India; Mexico; South Africa

Keywords

Southern Asia; Asia; Latin America; Northern America; Southern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Central America; Frameworks; Sustainable Development Goals; Policies; Non-communicable Diseases; Food Policies; Taxes; Agricultural Policies; Reforms; Food Industry; Regulations; Ultraprocessed Foods; Food Systems; Governance

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198882121.003.0006 Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Book Chapter

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Journal Article

Stories of change in nutrition: Lessons from a new generation of studies from Africa, Asia and Europe

2023Headey, Derek D.; Gillespie, Stuart; Avula, Rasmi; Becquey, Elodie; Nisbett, Nicholas; Harris, Jody
Details

Stories of change in nutrition: Lessons from a new generation of studies from Africa, Asia and Europe

How does nutrition improve? We need to understand better what drives both positive and negative change in different contexts, and what more can be done to reduce malnutrition. Since 2015, the Stories of Change in Nutrition studies have analysed and documented experiences in many different African and Asian countries, to foster empirically-grounded experiential learning across contexts. This article provides an overview of findings from 14 studies undertaken in nine countries in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe between 2017 and 2021. The studies used a combination of methods, including regression-decomposition analyses of national datasets to assess determinants of nutritional change; policy process and food environment analyses; and community-level research assessing attitudes to change. This article takes a narrative synthesis approach to identify key themes across the studies, paying particular attention to multisectoral determinants, changes in the food environment, the role of structural factors (including longstanding social inequities), and changes in political commitment, cross-sectoral coherence and capacity. Given the inherent multisectoral nature of nutrition, many countries are experimenting with different models of ensuring coherence across sectors that are captured in this body of work. The relative immaturity of the policy sector in dealing with issues such as obesity and overweight, and associated influences in the wider food environment, adds a further challenge. To address these interrelated issues, policy must simultaneously tackle nutrition’s upstream (social/economic/equity) and downstream (health and dietary) determinants. Studies synthesised here provide empirically-driven inspiration for action.

Year published

2023

Authors

Headey, Derek D.; Gillespie, Stuart; Avula, Rasmi; Becquey, Elodie; Nisbett, Nicholas; Harris, Jody

Citation

Headey, Derek D.; Gillespie, Stuart; Avula, Rasmi; Becquey, Elodie; Nisbett, Nicholas; Harris, Jody, et al. 2023. Stories of change in nutrition: Lessons from a new generation of studies from Africa, Asia and Europe. Food Security 15: 133-149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-022-01314-8

Country/Region

South Africa

Keywords

Southern Asia; Asia; Southern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Europe; Food Environment; Attitudes; Policies; Regression-decomposition Analyses; Equity; Malnutrition; Nutrition; Obesity

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-022-01314-8 Source record

Project

Agriculture for Nutrition and Health

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

From crisis to recovery: How CGIAR’s BRIGHT Survey can catalyze evidence-based policy reforms in Sri Lanka
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 20, 2024

From crisis to recovery: How CGIAR’s BRIGHT Survey can catalyze evidence-based policy reforms in Sri Lanka

By Derek Headey, Joanna van Asselt, Olivier Ecker, and Jean Balié

Research can shape a new government’s decision-making.

How anticipatory action can empower women in disaster-prone areas
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 12, 2024

How anticipatory action can empower women in disaster-prone areas

By Emily Myers, Katrina Kosec, Jordan Kyle, Agnes Quisumbing, Teresa Gonzales, Ana Madero, Caitlin Mittrick, and Amica Rapadas

How assistance programs can catalyze improvements in gender equality.

Combining an array of approaches for systemic behavior change in groundwater governance in India
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 02, 2024

Combining an array of approaches for systemic behavior change in groundwater governance in India

By Thomas Falk, Richu Sanil, and Ruth Meinzen-Dick

Enabling collaboration in and across communities.

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Events

Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia: Connecting the Dots Across Systems
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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December 3 to 5, 2024

Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia: Connecting the Dots Across Systems

South Asia grapples with escalating levels of malnutrition in various forms, including undernutrition, overweight and obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies, alongside increasing incidence of diet-related non-communicable diseases. Malnutrition results from a complex interplay of factors incorporating household and individual decision-making, agriculture and food systems, healthcare services, education, and socio-ecological systems that determine access to services and […]

Building Resilience, Inclusive Growth, and Holistic Transformation in Sri Lanka
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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November 21, 2024, 9:00 – 10:30 am

Building Resilience, Inclusive Growth, and Holistic Transformation in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has experienced slow progress in job creation, poverty reduction, and food insecurity, especially in rural areas. Economic challenges are further compounded by climate change risks and vulnerability to global shocks. At the same time, Sri Lanka has immense potential in agriculture and agro-processing, critical needs for infrastructure development, and a large scope for […]

South Asia Launch | Nepal | 2024 Global Food Policy Report: Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition
Series/Special Event

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August 8 to 9, 2024

South Asia Launch | Nepal | 2024 Global Food Policy Report: Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition

Despite significant progress in addressing hunger and undernutrition in the early 2000s, malnutrition, in all its forms, remains a major challenge in all regions of the world. Unhealthy diets remain the primary drivers of many forms of malnutrition, including undernutrition, overweight and obesity, micronutrient deficiencies, and diet- related noncommunicable diseases. Today, the number of people […]

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News

August 02, 2023 | In the News

Why India’s rice ban could trigger a global food crisis (BBC) 

“What happens when India bans exports of a food staple that is essential to the diets of billions around the world?” writes the BBC. “India is the world’s top rice exporter, accounting for some 40% of the global trade in the cereal. Among the major buyers of rice are China, the Philippines and Nigeria.” “I suspect that […]

July 12, 2023 | In the News

Rice crops are being threatened by El Nino after grain supplies were disrupted by the war in Ukraine (Associated Press)

“Warmer, drier weather because of an earlier-than-usual El Niño is expected to hamper rice production across Asia, hitting global food security in a world still reeling from the impacts of the war in Ukraine,” writes the Associated Press.  “That’s bad news for rice farmers, particularly in Asia where 90% of the world’s rice is grown and […]

June 19, 2023 | In the News

Food insecurity, undernourishment deepen in South Asia (Nepal News)  

“Food insecurity and undernourishment are deepening lately in the South Asia including Nepal, according to the 2023 Global Food Policy Report prepared by the International Food Policy Research Institute,” writes Nepal News in a story dedicated to the presentation of the 2023 Global Food Policy Report in Nepal on June 20, 2023. COVID-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, […]

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Projects

South Asia Nutrition Knowledge Initiative (SANI)

South Asia Nutrition Knowledge Initiative (SANI)

The South Asia Nutrition Knowledge Initiative (SANI), aims to bring data and evidence to policy and program communities for supporting decision-making for optimal nutrition for……

Prioritizing agricultural investments for income, poverty reduction, and nutrition

Prioritizing agricultural investments for income, poverty reduction, and nutrition

…

IFPRI-Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

IFPRI-Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

…

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