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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

Kalyani Raghunathan

Kalyani Raghunathan is Research Fellow in the Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit, based in New Delhi, India. Her research lies at the intersection of agriculture, gender, social protection, and public health and nutrition, with a specific focus on South Asia and Africa. 

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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Publications

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Report

Sustainable agricultural modernization productivity tools in Asia

2024Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Singh, Rishi Pal; Firdaus, Muhammad; Hadiarto, Agus; Biones, Roehlano M.; Ongkunaruk, Pronthipa; Vu, Doan Anh; Elvinia, Jose
Details

Sustainable agricultural modernization productivity tools in Asia

Modernization of the agricultural sector can have a multiplier effect on its productivity. However, it is equally important to conserve the fast depleting water and energy resources and enhance the quality of farmers’ lives. Only then can the sector sustain itself in the long run and ensure food security for all. This study explores the tools and frameworks that can ensure sustainable agricultural modernization in Asia.

Year published

2024

Authors

Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Singh, Rishi Pal; Firdaus, Muhammad; Hadiarto, Agus; Biones, Roehlano M.; Ongkunaruk, Pronthipa; Vu, Doan Anh; Elvinia, Jose

Citation

Takeshima, Hiroyuki, ed. 2024. Sustainable agricultural modernization productivity tools in Asia. Tokyo, Japan: Asian Productivity Organization. https://doi.org/10.61145/LOLX3286

Country/Region

India; Indonesia; Philippines; Thailand; Vietnam

Keywords

Asia; Agriculture; Productivity; Water; Natural Resources; Farmers; Sustainability; Food Security

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.61145/lolx3286 Source record

Record type

Report

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Journal Article

Soil conservation and smallholder welfare under cassava-based systems in Thailand

2023Tabe-Ojong, Martin Paul; Ibarra Medina, Lina Marcela; Andrade, Robert Santiago; Labarta, Ricardo Antonio
Details

Soil conservation and smallholder welfare under cassava-based systems in Thailand

Land degradation, declining soil fertility, and erosion continue to plague agricultural production in many developing countries. In response to these farm production constraints and environmental challenges, a range of soil conservation technologies and practices have been developed and disseminated to tackle soil nutrient and fertility declines. However, evidence on the association between soil conservation, farm performance, and smallholder welfare is scarce. In this study, we examine the relationship between soil conservation, farm performance, and welfare outcomes of smallholder cassava farmers in Thailand. We use a farm household survey of 602 cassava growers and apply a doubly robust multivalued treatment effect estimator to estimate the relationship between soil conservation, farm performance, and welfare as well as the observable characteristics associated with the use of soil conservation practices. We observe a positive association between the use of soil conservation practices and cassava yields which is most likely associated with higher-income streams. Similar insights are also observed for other welfare outcomes such as asset accumulation, including livestock which represents rural wealth to a considerable extent. The positive association between soil conservation and livestock ownership hints at some form of rural diversification. Given these insights, our analysis supports and gives credence to initiatives that promote the adoption of soil conservation as they are not only pro-poor but also environmentally friendly with significant concerns for ecological safeguards.

Year published

2023

Authors

Tabe-Ojong, Martin Paul; Ibarra Medina, Lina Marcela; Andrade, Robert Santiago; Labarta, Ricardo Antonio

Citation

Tabe-Ojong, M.P.Jr.; Ibarra, L.M.; Andrade, R.S.; Labarta, R. (2023) Soil conservation and smallholder welfare under cassava-based systems in Thailand. Land Degradation Development 11 p. ISSN: 1085-3278

Country/Region

Thailand

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Environmental Impact Assessment-environmental Assessment; Erosion; Income; Rural Welfare; Soil Fertility; Yields; Evaluación Del Impacto Ambiental-evaluación Ambiental; Erosión; Renta

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.4569 Source record

Project

Market Intelligence

Record type

Journal Article

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Brief

Data issues in analyzing agri-food trade in BIMSTEC: Challenges and recommendations

2023Saroj, Sunil; Roy, Devesh; Kamar, Abul; Pradhan, Mamata
Details

Data issues in analyzing agri-food trade in BIMSTEC: Challenges and recommendations

The focus of research on international trade has recently shifted from industries and countries to firms. Firm heterogeneity is shown to be a determinant of trade at both the intensive margin (increase exports per firm/product) and extensive margins (the number of firms exporting – new products, new partners, new varieties, and new prices). It is now widely accepted that exporting firms are larger, comparatively productive, more skilled, and capital-intensive, and pay higher wages than non-exporting firms. The innovations in international trade literature that explains both the emergence as well as levels and the nature of trade flows through value chain integration necessitates examining trade-based exchanges at the highest possible levels of product disaggregation. Developments in trade theory emphasize that it is individual firms not countries that trade and analysis needs to incorporate firm characteristics in decisions and ability for exporting and importing. Firms are the appropriate unit of analysis for trade flows. It helps several paradoxes once the import of firm heterogeneity is understood. Despite the substantive importance of granular level data and the significant level of disaggregated product-level bilateral trade flow data and enhanced computing power that are becoming available, most studies have tended to rely on analysis with high level of aggregation. Recent research on firm heterogeneity in international trade highlights the importance of extensive margins i.e., new products, new partners, new varieties, and cumulative of these i.e., new prices in trade patterns and firms’ responses to trade liberalization and other policy changes. However, the high dimensionality of the data and the large number of responses to changes can easily overwhelm researchers. Additionally, bigger data sets may contain more noise, which can mask important systematic patterns. In analysis of trade flows, notwithstanding the rising incidence of differentiated products (varieties) and value chains that transcend national boundaries, methods in agri-food trade analysis in particular have not kept pace in terms of empirical methods and suitable data.

Year published

2023

Authors

Saroj, Sunil; Roy, Devesh; Kamar, Abul; Pradhan, Mamata

Citation

Saroj, Sunil; Roy, Devesh; Kamar, Abul; and Pradhan, Mamata. 2023. Data issues in analyzing agri-food trade in BIMSTEC: Challenges and recommendations. IFPRI Policy Note April 2023. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

Country/Region

Bangladesh; Bhutan; India; Myanmar; Nepal; Sri Lanka; Thailand

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; South-eastern Asia; International Trade; Firms; Exports; Productivity; Wages; Value Chains; Innovation; Data; Agri-food System; Policies

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136645 Source record

Project

Digital Innovation

Record type

Brief

Blogs

Déjà vu all over again: Global sugar markets roiled by El Niño, biofuels and trade policies
IFPRI Blog
 | 
November 21, 2023

Déjà vu all over again: Global sugar markets roiled by El Niño, biofuels and trade policies

By Joseph Glauber and Abdullah Mamun

This time, market disruptions could have public health benefits.

Don't miss the BIMSTEC bus: Regional integration with South Asia-Southeast Asia bloc brings advantages for India
IFPRI Blog
 | 
June 25, 2019

Don’t miss the BIMSTEC bus: Regional integration with South Asia-Southeast Asia bloc brings advantages for India

By Manmeet Ajmani, Vishruta Choudhary, and Devesh Roy

India's partnership with the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) seems poised to bear fruit.

Tiny pest-killing wasps for Asia’s cassava crop ease anxieties on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
IFPRI Blog
 | 
August 31, 2018

Tiny pest-killing wasps for Asia’s cassava crop ease anxieties on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange

By Kris Wyckhuys

A natural pest control application yields positive economic results for farmers, consumers—and global markets, a new study shows.

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Events

WFP Climate Impact Evaluation Forum
IFPRI at External Event

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October 7 to 9, 2024

WFP Climate Impact Evaluation Forum

Extreme weather events pose one of the biggest threats to global food security. Increasingly, climate disasters like floods, droughts, and cyclones, are striking regions previously unaccustomed to such crises. In the Asia Pacific region, the United Nations World Food Programme work hand-in-hand with several partners to support vulnerable communities preparing, responding, and recovering from climate shocks […]

A Look at Global Rice Markets: Export Restrictions, El Niño, and Price Controls
IFPRI Policy Seminar

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October 18, 2023, 9:00 – 10:30 am

A Look at Global Rice Markets: Export Restrictions, El Niño, and Price Controls

Virtual IFPRI-AMIS Seminar Series: October 18, 2023 at 9:00am-10:30am EDT. At an August meeting of ASEAN countries, leaders committed to maintain an unimpeded flow of agricultural products and refrain from using “unjustified” trade barriers. However, these commitments may be undermined by a strengthening El Niño in the Pacific, which threatens to cut the rice production of key Asian suppliers and push prices sharply higher. This webinar will provide a brief update on the global rice situation.

News

March 15, 2023 | In the News

Recalibrate BIMSTEC (Hindu Business Line)

In an op-ed published by Hindu Business Line, IFPRI South Asia’s Devesh Roy, Shahidur Rashid, and Mamata Pradhan write, “Trade and investment are major instruments to attain food security across the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) member-states, particularly in a climate-affected, post-pandemic world. However, trade and market integration is an area where the […]

March 05, 2023 | Press Release

IFPRI-BIMSTEC Secretariat formalize partnership to promote  sustainable and inclusive food systems transformation

Dhaka, Bangladesh: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today in Dhaka. IFPRI, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the BIMSTEC Secretariat, is conducting research and facilitating capacity sharing in […]

October 13, 2020 | In the News

Monitoring the impact of COVID-19 in Myanmar: Agricultural commodity traders – synopsis of results from three survey rounds through early August (October 2020) (ReliefWeb) 

Reliefweb published an article from IFPRI-Myanmar stating that to understand how Myanmar’s crop marketing system has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis, phone interviews were conducted with more than 100 agricultural commodity traders roughly every 30 days from late May until early August 2020. A round of qualitative interviews was also conducted with key informants on land-trading routes to China, Thailand, and India. Republished in Humanitarian News, Nigerian News Shafaqna

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Projects

Food Security Policy, Research, Capacity, and Influence (PRCI)

Food Security Policy, Research, Capacity, and Influence (PRCI)

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Agricultural Transformation and Policy: What are the policy priorities?

Agricultural Transformation and Policy: What are the policy priorities?

Achieving agricultural transformation in a country – the transformation of an agri-food system from a high prevalence of subsistence farming to high productivity, so that……