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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.

researcher spotlight

Emily Schmidt

Emily Schmidt is a Senior Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. Her most recent research explores household livelihood strategies in Papua New Guinea, including linkages between agriculture, poverty, and nutrition outcomes among rural smallholder farmers.

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Since 1975, IFPRI’s research has been informing policies and development programs to improve food security, nutrition, and livelihoods around the world.

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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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The Earth Planet

Zimbabwe

countries and regions

Publications

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Journal Article

Substitution of maize with sorghum and millets in traditional processing of Mahewu, a non-alcoholic fermented cereal beverage

2024Kudita, Sakile; Schoustra, Sijmen; Mubaiwa, Juliet; Smid, Eddy J.; Linnemann, Anita R.
Details

Substitution of maize with sorghum and millets in traditional processing of Mahewu, a non-alcoholic fermented cereal beverage

There is growing interest in Sub-Saharan Africa for substituting maize with climate-smart crops like sorghum and millets in local food processing. We conducted a survey to explore current variations in processing and consumption practices for Mahewu, a traditionally fermented cereal beverage from Zimbabwe. Processing involved cooking a cereal porridge, adding cereal flour or malt as a starter ingredient, and fermenting for 12–48 h. Ingredient availability was the main driver for porridge ingredient choice (42% of respondents) with the most preferred being maize (55% of respondents), pearl millet (22%) and sorghum (9%). Final product taste had the most influence on starter ingredient choice, with most respondents preferring pearl millet flour (23%), finger millet malt (22%), wheat flour (17%), and sorghum malt (13%). Our study proves that maize can be replaced with sorghum and millet in Mahewu processing, thus increasing the climate-resilience of future food systems, and demonstrates that traditional practices harbour clues for adapting current practices.

Year published

2024

Authors

Kudita, Sakile; Schoustra, Sijmen; Mubaiwa, Juliet; Smid, Eddy J.; Linnemann, Anita R.

Citation

Kudita, Sakile; Schoustra, Sijmen; Mubaiwa, Juliet; Smid, Eddy J.; and Linnemann, Anita R. 2024. Substitution of maize with sorghum and millets in traditional processing of Mahewu, a non-alcoholic fermented cereal beverage. International Journal of Food Science and Technology 59(3): 1421-1431. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.16887

Country/Region

Zimbabwe

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Cereals; Climate Change; Climate Resilience; Fermentation; Food Processing; Maize; Millets; Sorghum

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.16887 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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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

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Does bilateral trade in cereals within SADC reflect virtual trade in water between countries with different water endowments?

2023Matchaya, Greenwell C.; Garcia, R. J.; Traoré, F.
Details

Does bilateral trade in cereals within SADC reflect virtual trade in water between countries with different water endowments?

This paper examines intraregional bilateral trade in virtual water embedded in cereal flows between the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) states. A gravity model is employed to examine whether annual bilateral trade depends on differences in water endowments, but also includes socio-economic and political determinants that affect trade. There is evidence that the abundance of water resources in a country influences trade for a product that is water dependent. Thus, the adverse effect of water scarcity in a country may be ameliorated by encouraging exports of water-intensive cereal crops where water is in abundance and imported where water is scarce.

Year published

2023

Authors

Matchaya, Greenwell C.; Garcia, R. J.; Traoré, F.

Citation

Matchaya, Greenwell; Garcia, R. J.; Traore, F. 2023. Does bilateral trade in cereals within SADC reflect virtual trade in water between countries with different water endowments? Water International, 25p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2023.2255822]

Country/Region

Botswana; Lesotho; Madagascar; Malawi; Mauritius; Mozambique; Namibia; South Africa; Zambia; Zimbabwe

Keywords

Eswatini; Tanzania; International Trade; Cereal Crops; Virtual Water; Exports; Imports; Agricultural Trade; Sadc Countries; Water Resources; Water Scarcity; Water Demand; Water Availability; Policies; Models

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2023.2255822 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Datasets

Dataset

ASTI Zimbabwe Database

2014Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators
Details

ASTI Zimbabwe 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

2014

Authors

Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators

Citation

Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators. 2014. ASTI Zimbabwe database. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. http://www.asti.cgiar.org/zimbabwe. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1. https://www.asti.cgiar.org/zimbabwe

Country/Region

Zimbabwe

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Agricultural Research

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-3.0

Source

Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Dataset

Blogs

Charting the future of agriculture in Zimbabwe using a ‘Future Search’ event
IFPRI Blog
 | 
March 01, 2019

Charting the future of agriculture in Zimbabwe using a ‘Future Search’ event

By Kristin Davis

An innovative exercise helps stakeholders break out of set ways of thinking.

What I learned from playing with Lego on the job
IFPRI Blog
 | 
November 26, 2018

What I learned from playing with Lego on the job

By Kristin Davis

A workshop employs creative mapping techniques to visualize interview data.

Why brutalizing food vendors hits Africa’s growing cities where it hurts
IFPRI Blog
 | 
April 28, 2017

Why brutalizing food vendors hits Africa’s growing cities where it hurts

By Danielle Resnick

With food demand rising, it's time for local governments in Africa to embrace rather than quash informal food markets and vendors.

View all Blogs

News

October 02, 2019 | In the News

Empowering Africa’s Women Farmers

Project Syndicate published an op-ed by Research Fellow, Ruth Meinzen-Dick focusing on women in agriculture. “In far too many contexts, women farmers lack the authority to manage the crops they produce or the income they generate. This has far-reaching implications for development,” Meinzen-Dick wrote. This op-ed was republished in Asia Pacific Daily and Le Quotidien.

Projects

National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP)

National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP)

Starting in 2016, IFPRI has led the provision of technical support to countries for next-generation National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIPs) at the request of the……