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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

Kate Ambler

Kate Amber is a Senior Research Fellow in the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Unit. Kate’s research broadly focuses on interventions that can increase incomes for smallholders and other microenterprises in agrifood value chains, with a specific focus on the inclusion of women. This includes work on programming in fragile settings, innovations in agricultural finance, and regulatory solutions for food safety. 

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.

IFPRI Regional Programs

IFPRI Country Programs

Research by country and region

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partnerships

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is a Crown corporation of Canada which funds research to promote growth, reduce poverty, and drive large-scale positive change in developing countries. IDRC’s mandate was established by an act of Canada’s parliament. It is mandated “to initiate, encourage, support, and conduct research into the problems of the developing regions of the world and into the means for applying and adapting scientific, technical, and other knowledge to the economic and social advancement of those regions.”

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Projects

Strengthening National Capacities and Policies for Food Systems Analysis and Transformation in Kenya, Ghana, and Senegal

Strengthening National Capacities and Policies for Food Systems Analysis and Transformation in Kenya, Ghana, and Senegal

Food systems encompass the entire range of actors and their interlinked value-adding activities involved in the production, aggregation, processing, distribution, consumption, and disposal of food……

Gender-Responsive Policies for Inclusive Agri-Food Systems in Africa

Gender-Responsive Policies for Inclusive Agri-Food Systems in Africa

Boys, girls, men, and women have various roles in global socioeconomic development. However, the norms, behaviors and responsibilities associated with being a boy, girl, man,……

Publications

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Working Paper

Strengthening women’s empowerment, climate resilience, and nutrition along the goat value chain in Senegal: A qualitative study

2024Kane, Papa Abdoulaye; Barry, Mamadou Bobo; Eissler, Sarah; Tall, Thiané; Camara, Astou Diao; Sall, Moussa; Fass, Simone; Bryan, Elizabeth; Ringler, Claudia
Details

Strengthening women’s empowerment, climate resilience, and nutrition along the goat value chain in Senegal: A qualitative study

Goats are an important source of income, nutrition and resilience in Senegal. This study assesses opportunities to strengthen women’s agency, increase resilience to climate change, and improve nutrition along the various stages of goat value chains from the acquisition of feed resources and other inputs to processing, marketing and consumption of various goat products. The qualitative study finds that even though goats are more climate resilient than other livestock, climate change impacts on goat production and productivity are increasingly felt, particularly through impacts on feed resources. The study identified opportunities to strengthen women’s roles along the goat value chain, particularly in goat production and, to a lesser extent, in processing of goat products. Women and their families also benefit from the consumption of goat milk and women have some degree of control over income from the sale of goat products. Strengthening women’s agency in these nutrient-rich and relatively climate-resilient value chains will require improving their access to land resources and better animal feeds, supporting women’s groups and building women’s capacity for processing and marketing goat products, improving access to electricity for cold storage of goat products, and raising awareness regarding the nutritional benefits of goat products, especially for women and children.

Year published

2024

Authors

Kane, Papa Abdoulaye; Barry, Mamadou Bobo; Eissler, Sarah; Tall, Thiané; Camara, Astou Diao; Sall, Moussa; Fass, Simone; Bryan, Elizabeth; Ringler, Claudia

Citation

Kane, Papa Abdoulaye; Barry, Mamadou Bobo; Eissler, Sarah; Tall, Thiané; Camara, Astou Diao; Sall, Moussa; et al. 2024. Strengthening women’s empowerment, climate resilience, and nutrition along the goat value chain in Senegal: A qualitative study. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2274. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152294

Country/Region

Senegal

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Climate Change; Goats; Nutrition; Climate Resilience; Value Chains; Women’s Empowerment; Gender

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

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Report

Brief review of Ghana’s food system transformation pathways

2024Asante, Felix A.
Details

Brief review of Ghana’s food system transformation pathways

Global estimates show over half a billion people go hungry (FAO, 2020) and close to 2 billion people are either obese or overweight with another 2 billion of the world’s population suffering from micronutrient deficiencies (Micha et al., 2020, Fresco et al., 2017). Inarguably, the world faces significant malnutrition problem (including micro- and macro-nutrient deficiencies, obesity, and diet related non-communicable diseases). This is evident in a recent analysis pointing out that effort in achieving the Global Nutrition Targets is likely to be missed. The observed malnutrition threat is accompanied by climate change, which is influencing food production and consumption trends, and thereby leading to undernutrition and affecting overall development. In addition, there are growing incomes, accelerated urbanization, and expanding middle classes which are also causing significant changes in consumer behaviour and nutritional choices, necessitating both public and private expenditures for better food market integration. As a result, there is a pressing need to examine our food systems to guarantee food and nutrition security and to advance sustainable development. It is likely that the COVID-19 impact may further exacerbates the worsening food insecurity and nutritional status of the most vulnerable groups including women, children and adolescents, refugees and displaced people, smallholders in rural areas, and the urban poor.

Year published

2024

Authors

Asante, Felix A.

Citation

Asante, Felix A. 2024. Brief review of Ghana’s food system transformation pathways. Research Report September 2023. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140484

Country/Region

Ghana

Keywords

Western Africa; Africa; Nutrition; Hunger; Non-communicable Diseases; Obesity; Malnutrition; Climate Change; Food Systems; Covid-19; Capacity Development

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

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Report

Ghana: Processes and outputs associated with the UN Food Systems Summit

2024Asante, Felix A.
Details

Ghana: Processes and outputs associated with the UN Food Systems Summit

Like other countries in the sub-region particularly West African economies, Ghana is grappling with multiple burdens of malnutrition which is accompanied by climate change that influence food production and consumption trends, and thereby leading to undernutrition and affecting overall development. In addition, growing incomes, accelerated urbanization, and expanding middle classes are also causing significant changes in consumer behavior and nutritional choices, necessitating both public and private expenditures for better food market integration. While food insecurity, and undernutrition (e.g. stunting, micronutrient deficiencies) persist, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases are rising rapidly. General nutrition situation and identification of the highest priority nutrition problems. Various estimates of nutritional status of Ghanaian children under aged 5 years show that 19% were stunted, 5% were wasted, and 11% were underweight. In 2018, the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) showed nearly similar rates of stunting (18%), wasting (7%) and underweight (13%), suggesting that stunting prevalence improved only marginally during the last 5-6 years, whereas child wasting and underweight worsened during the period. Other significant problems of undernutrition in Ghana include a high prevalence anemia in children 6-59 months (55%), adolescent girls (48%) and women of reproductive age (42%). From the foregoing, the high priority nutrition challenges in Ghana, include “stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age; anemia in children 6-59 months of age, adolescent girls, and women of reproductive age; but also, overweight and obesity in school-age children and younger adolescents; and overweight and obesity in women of reproductive age (15-49 y of age). Report of the Demographic and Health Surveys show a significant rising trend in adult obesity – from 10% in 1993 to 40% in 2015 (GSS et al., 2015). Also, the Ghanaian food environments (particularly in the urban areas) is currently characterized by cheap highly-processed foods, with nutrient-dense foods such fruits and vegetables lacking in meals because it is unaffordable (Laar, 2021).

Year published

2024

Authors

Asante, Felix A.

Citation

Asante, Felix A. 2024. Ghana: Processes and outputs associated with the UN Food Systems Summit. Stocktaking Report September 2023. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140481

Country/Region

Ghana

Keywords

Western Africa; Africa; Malnutrition; Climate Change; Food Production; Consumer Behaviour; Food Security; Non-communicable Diseases; Capacity Development

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Events

Canadian perspectives on the 2018 Global Food Policy Report
Series/Special Event

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May 1, 2018, 9:00 – 10:30 am

Canadian perspectives on the 2018 Global Food Policy Report

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), partnering with CGIAR’s International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and with the collaboration of Global Affairs Canada, is hosting the Canadian launch of IFPRI’s 2018 Global Food Policy Report. Open to the public through registration, this event will showcase Canadian perspectives on the current opportunities—and challenges—facing public servants, researchers, […]

Blogs

Evaluating impacts: Lessons from food systems interventions across Africa and Asia
IFPRI Blog
 | 
July 16, 2024

Evaluating impacts: Lessons from food systems interventions across Africa and Asia

By Jef L. Leroy, Lynnette Neufeld, Stella Nordhagen, and Sydney Honeycutt

Transforming food systems is promising but complex, requiring strong evidence and rigorous evaluations to ensure effective interventions.

Improving child and adolescent diets at school: An evaluation of Chile’s Food Labeling and Advertising Law
IFPRI Blog
 | 
June 23, 2023

Improving child and adolescent diets at school: An evaluation of Chile’s Food Labeling and Advertising Law

By Gabriela Fretes

Creating a healthier food environment.

What can we really learn from sex-disaggregated data?
IFPRI Blog
 | 
January 11, 2022

What can we really learn from sex-disaggregated data?

By Bjorn Van Campenhout, Els Lecoutere, and David Spielman

Parsing sometimes contradictory responses in household surveys.

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