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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

Carlo Azzarri

Carlo Azzarri is a Senior Research Fellow in the Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit. His work focuses on the relationships among poverty, nutrition, food security, agriculture, the environment, production, and migration—analyzed at both micro and macroeconomic levels, primarily using quantitative methods.

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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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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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experts

Markets, Trade, and Institutions

Jeffrey Bloem

Research Fellow

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Jeffrey Bloem

Bio

Jeff Bloem is a Research Fellow in the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Unit whose research interest is in applied microeconomics with applications in agriculture, conflict, and psychology. He holds a BS in economics from Calvin College, Michigan; an MS in Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics from Michigan State University; and a PhD in applied economics from the University of Minnesota.

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Publications

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Journal Article

The unmet financial needs of intermediary firms within agri-food value chains in Uganda and Bangladesh

2025Adong, Annet; Ambler, Kate; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; de Brauw, Alan; Herskowitz, Sylvan; Islam, A.H.M. Saiful; Wagner, Julia
Details

The unmet financial needs of intermediary firms within agri-food value chains in Uganda and Bangladesh

JEL Codes: L14, L81, O13, Q13

Year published

2025

Authors

Adong, Annet; Ambler, Kate; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; de Brauw, Alan; Herskowitz, Sylvan; Islam, A.H.M. Saiful; Wagner, Julia

Citation

Adong, Annet; Ambler, Kate; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; de Brauw, Alan; Herskowitz, Sylvan; Islam, A.H.M. Saiful; and Wagner, Julia. 2025. The unmet financial needs of intermediary firms within agri-food value chains in Uganda and Bangladesh. Food Policy 132(April 2025): 102838. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102838

Country/Region

Uganda; Bangladesh

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Asia; Southern Asia; Agrifood Systems; Arabica Coffee; Potatoes; Rice; Soybeans; Value Chains; Capital Markets; Financial Inclusion

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102838 Source record

Project

Rethinking Food Markets

Record type

Journal Article

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Working Paper

How agri-food value chain employment and compensation evolve with structural transformation

2024Yi, Jing; Jiang, Shiyun; Tran, Dianna; Gómez, Miguel I.; Canning, Patrick; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; Barrett, Christopher B.
Details

How agri-food value chain employment and compensation evolve with structural transformation

The traditional structural transformation narrative emphasizes inter-sectoral labor reallocation out of agriculture, ignoring whether workers exit agri-food value chains or merely migrate within them, from primary agricultural production to downstream food industries. We introduce a method to decompose multiregional input-output table data into industry-and-country-specific annual labor value added estimates by final consumer market segment – domestic food at home, domestic food away from home, or exports – and match with industry-specific employment data to estimate average worker compensation. Using data covering most of the global economy, 1993-2021, we report ten stylized facts that sharpen the traditional narrative about labor reallocation amid structural transformation. As incomes grow, labor exits primary production for downstream agri-food value chain segments that maintain a steady economywide employment share while offering jobs that pay better than farm work. Women disproportionately move from primary production to downstream, consumer-facing retail and food service, while men migrate to better-paying midstream jobs, increasing gender pay inequality within the value chain. Employment shifts are strongly associated with changes in national per capita income, but not with agricultural total factor productivity growth.

Year published

2024

Authors

Yi, Jing; Jiang, Shiyun; Tran, Dianna; Gómez, Miguel I.; Canning, Patrick; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; Barrett, Christopher B.

Citation

Yi, Jing; Jiang, Shiyun; Tran, Dianna; Gómez, Miguel I.; Canning, Patrick; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; and Barrett, Christopher B. 2024. How agri-food value chain employment and compensation evolve with structural transformation. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2311. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168646

Keywords

Food Systems; Agricultural Development; Gender Gap; Input Output Analysis; Labour; Agricultural Value Chains; Employment; Structural Adjustment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

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Brief

Gender and age employment gaps within agrifood value chains in Bangladesh and Uganda

2024Ambler, Kate; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; Wagner, Julia
Details

Gender and age employment gaps within agrifood value chains in Bangladesh and Uganda

Using data collected with a novel sampling approach for agrifood value chains in Bangladesh (rice and potato) and Uganda (arabica coffee and soybean), this study documented meaningful gender and age employment gaps within intermediary sections of the value chains, which include trading , processing, and wholesaling activities. While agrifood value chains have potential to generate new jobs and close gaps for both women’s and youth employment in low- and middle-income countries, the study identifies large gender gaps in both operators of intermediary firms and those employed by these firms, as well as an age gap, with few youth operating intermediary firms. The brief offers recommendations for addressing systemic barriers that contribute to gender and age gaps in this “hidden middle” of agrifood value chains.

Year published

2024

Authors

Ambler, Kate; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; Wagner, Julia

Citation

Ambler, Kate; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; and Wagner, Julia. 2024. Gender and age employment gaps within agrifood value chains in Bangladesh and Uganda. IFPRI Issue Brief December 2024. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/162977

Country/Region

Bangladesh; Uganda

Keywords

Asia; Africa; Southern Asia; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Gender; Employment; Agrifood Systems; Agricultural Value Chains; Youth Employment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Rethinking Food Markets

Record type

Brief

Events

2023 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

July 23 to 25, 2023

2023 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting

Event: July 23, 2023 – 8:30 AM to July 25, 2023 – 4:15 PM EDT. IFPRI is participating in the 2023 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting.