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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

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. 

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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 University of Oxford is a world-renowned institution of teaching and research. The Oxford Martin School seeks to addresses global challenges such as climate change, disease and inequality. The Oxford Martin School supports novel, high risk and multidisciplinary projects to garner results to improve the future. The school develops policy recommendations and works with a range of stakeholders to translate them into action.

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Publications

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Journal Article

Individual interventions, collective lessons: Developing mid-range theory on women’s groups to improve health

2024Desai, Sapna; Kumar, Neha; Gram, Lu; Hazra, Avishek; Sanyal, Kaliat Ammu; Sivaram, Sharmada
Details

Individual interventions, collective lessons: Developing mid-range theory on women’s groups to improve health

Background Interventions with women’s groups have been widely implemented to improve health outcomes in low- and middle-income settings, particularly India. While there is a large evidence base on the effectiveness of single interventions, it is challenging to predict whether a women’s group intervention delivered in one setting can be expected to work in another. Methods We applied realist principles to develop and refine a mid-range theory on the effectiveness of women’s groups interventions, summarised key lessons for implementation, and reflected on the process. We synthesised primary data from several interventions in India, a systematic review, and an analysis of behaviour change techniques. We developed mid-range theories across three areas: maternal and newborn health, nutrition, and violence against women, as well as an overarching mid-range theory on how women’s groups can improve health. Results Our overarching mid-range theory suggested that effective interventions should: build group or community capabilities; focus on health outcomes relevant to group members; and approach health issues modifiable through women’s individual or collective actions. We identified four key lessons for future interventions with women’s groups, including the importance of skilled and remunerated facilitation, sufficient intensity, supply-side strengthening, and the need to adapt delivery during scale up while maintaining fidelity to intervention theory. Conclusions Our experience demonstrated the feasibility of developing mid-range theory from a combination of evidence and insights from practice. It also underscored the importance of community engagement and ongoing research to ‘thicken’ mid-range theories to design effective and scalable women’s groups interventions in India and similar settings.

Year published

2024

Authors

Desai, Sapna; Kumar, Neha; Gram, Lu; Hazra, Avishek; Sanyal, Kaliat Ammu; Sivaram, Sharmada

Citation

Desai, Sapna; Kumar, Neha; Gram, Lu; Hazra, Avishek; Sanyal, Kaliat Ammu; Sivaram, Sharmada et al. 2024.Individual interventions, collective lessons: Developing mid-range theory on women’s groups to improve health. Journal of Global Health 14. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.14.04152

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Women; Health; Low Income Groups; Behaviour; Nutrition; Maternal and Child Health; Violence

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.14.04152 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Vitamin C-rich guava consumed with mungbean dal reduces anemia and increases hemoglobin but not iron stores: A randomized controlled trial of food-to-food fortification in Indian children

2024Rani, Varsha; Moretti, Diego; Khetarpaul, Neelam; Thankachan, Prashanth; Zimmermann, Michael B.; Melse-Boonstra, Alida; Brouwer, Inge D.
Details

Vitamin C-rich guava consumed with mungbean dal reduces anemia and increases hemoglobin but not iron stores: A randomized controlled trial of food-to-food fortification in Indian children

Background Adding vitamin C-rich fruit to staples containing iron could be an effective strategy to improve iron bioavailability and thereby reduce iron-deficiency anemia in children. Objectives We aimed to assess the effect of consuming a mungbean-based meal with or without guava fruit on body iron stores, hemoglobin concentration, and anemia of children as part of a school feeding program. Methods We conducted a 7-mo randomized, controlled trial with 6- to 10-y-old school children (n = 200; 46% anemic, 71% iron-deficient) from a rural community in Haryana, North India. Children were assigned to 2 treatment groups to daily receive either a meal of mungbean dal only (3.0 mg iron; vitamin C:iron molar ratio ∼0.5:1), or mungbean dal with fresh guava (3.2 mg iron; ∼170 mg vitamin C; molar ratio ∼18:1). Meals were served every school day under supervision. The primary outcome was body iron stores, whereas concentrations of hemoglobin and other iron indicators were secondary outcomes. Results Daily consumption of mungbean dal along with guava did not result in an overall improvement of body iron stores [mean treatment effect: 0.65 mg/kg body weight; 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.34, 1.63; P = 0.197]. However, compared with children who consumed mungbean dal only, children in the guava group showed a larger increase in hemoglobin concentration (3.7 g/L; 95% CI: 1.6, 5.6; P = 0.001), and a larger drop in the prevalence of anemia (−51%; 95% CIs: −74, −10; P = 0.022) and iron-deficiency anemia (−56%, 95% CI: −83, 13; P = 0.087). These effects were more pronounced in children who were iron deficient at study start. Conclusions Addition of guava to a mungbean-based meal containing a moderate amount of iron increased hemoglobin and reduced anemia but did not provide enough additional absorbed iron to also increase body iron stores. Food-to-food fortification by inclusion of vitamin C-rich fruits in iron-containing school meals may help alleviate the burden of anemia in children.

Year published

2024

Authors

Rani, Varsha; Moretti, Diego; Khetarpaul, Neelam; Thankachan, Prashanth; Zimmermann, Michael B.; Melse-Boonstra, Alida; Brouwer, Inge D.

Citation

Rani, Varsha; Moretti, Diego; Khetarpaul, Neelam; Thankachan, Prashanth; Zimmermann, Michael B.; Melse-Boonstra, Alida; and Brouwer, Inge D. Vitamin C-rich guava consumed with mungbean dal reduces anemia and increases hemoglobin but not iron stores: A randomized controlled trial of food-to-food fortification in Indian children. Journal of Nutrition. Article in press. First published on October 30, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.10.042

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Ascorbic Acid; Guavas; Anaemia; Health; Haemoglobin; Iron; Randomized Controlled Trials; Food Fortification; Nutrient Improvement; School Feeding; Children

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.10.042 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Designing and implementing experiments within local bureaucratic systems: A cautionary tale from an educator incentive program

2024Asad, Saher; Habib, Masooma; Karachiwalla, Naureen; Kosec, Katrina; Leaver, Clare; ur Rehman, Attique
Details

Designing and implementing experiments within local bureaucratic systems: A cautionary tale from an educator incentive program

JEL Codes: I28, I25, H83

Year published

2024

Authors

Asad, Saher; Habib, Masooma; Karachiwalla, Naureen; Kosec, Katrina; Leaver, Clare; ur Rehman, Attique

Citation

Asad, Saher; Habib, Masooma; Karachiwalla, Naureen; Kosec, Katrina; Leaver, Clare; and ur Rehman, Attique. Designing and implementing experiments within local bureaucratic systems: A cautionary tale from an educator incentive program. Education Finance and Policy. Article in press. First published online June 21, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00435

Country/Region

Pakistan

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Economics; Implementation; Incentives; Teachers

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00435 Source record

Project

Fragility, Conflict, and Migration

Record type

Journal Article

Events

Crafting the Next Generation of CGIAR Gender Research
IFPRI Policy Seminar

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October 30, 2019, 12:15 – 1:45 pm

Crafting the Next Generation of CGIAR Gender Research

How can agriculture and natural resource management advance gender equality? Asking this question rather than only its inverse — what does gender analysis bring to agriculture and natural resource management? — elevates the objective of gender equality within CGIAR, challenges boundaries in thinking about gender in agriculture, and stimulates new and creative perspectives. Gender researchers […]

Women's Land: Beyond
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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September 7, 2018, 3:00 – 4:30 pm

Women’s Land: Beyond “Access” to Rights

Discussants Moderator For most rural households, land is the most valuable asset and the foundation for agricultural production. While a large literature exists on the relationships between land tenure security, livelihoods, and poverty, most of this literature is based on household-level data, and we know little about women’s land rights. As a growing body of […]

Blogs

Addressing water governance challenges around Lake Beseka, Ethiopia: A social network approach
IFPRI Blog
 | 
February 28, 2023

Addressing water governance challenges around Lake Beseka, Ethiopia: A social network approach

By Upeksha Hettiarachchi

Examining complex relationships around a key resource.