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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

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. 

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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experts

Development Strategies and Governance

Michael Keenan

Associate Research Fellow

Michael Keenan

Bio

Michael Keenan is a Associate Research Fellow with the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, and is working in an outposted capacity.

Development Strategies and Governance

Publications

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Book

Food systems transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the past and policy options for the future

2023Breisinger, Clemens; Keenan, Michael; Mbuthia, Juneweenex; Njuki, Jemimah
Details

Food systems transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the past and policy options for the future

The new Kenyan government faces a complex domestic and global environment, and it is widely expected to address key food and agricultural challenges with a new set of policies and programs. This policy brief presents key recommendations from a forthcoming book, Food Systems Transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the Past and Policy Options for the Future, which provides research-based “food for thought and action” to support the Kenyan government’s efforts to improve food security.

Year published

2023

Authors

Breisinger, Clemens; Keenan, Michael; Mbuthia, Juneweenex; Njuki, Jemimah

Citation

Breisinger, Clemens, ed.; Keenan, Michael, ed.; Mbuthia, Juneweenex, ed.; and Njuki, Jemimah, ed. 2023. Food systems transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the past and policy options for the future. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294561

Country/Region

Kenya

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Food Systems; Livestock; Diet; Food Safety; Agricultural Production; Green Revolution; Policies; Mechanization; Climate; Gender; Value Chains; Technology

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294561 Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Book

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Book Chapter

Introduction [in Food systems transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the past and policy options for the future]

2023Breisinger, Clemens; Keenan, Michael; Mbuthia, Juneweenex; Njuki, Jemimah
Details

Introduction [in Food systems transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the past and policy options for the future]

The whole world has experienced a series of global and local crises since 2019, and Kenya has been no exception. Before the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, poverty and food poverty rates in the country had been declining steadily, falling from 52.3 percent to 36.1 percent and from 38.3 percent to 26.7 percent, respectively, between 1997 and 2016 (KNBS 2007, 2018). Income inequality also declined in the period from 1994 to 2015/16 (KNBS 2020). Estimates suggest that, since then, progress in poverty reduction has reversed, as a result of COVID-19 (Nafula et al. 2020), and that the impacts of the Ukraine and global crises have further increased poverty levels and the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet (Breisinger et al. 2022). In addition, ongoing droughts in the arid and semiarid areas of Kenya meant that an estimated 3.5 million people were in need of assistance in May 2022 (UNICEF 2022).

Year published

2023

Authors

Breisinger, Clemens; Keenan, Michael; Mbuthia, Juneweenex; Njuki, Jemimah

Citation

Breisinger, Clemens; Keenan, Michael; Mbuthia, Juneweenex; and Njuki, Jemimah. 2023. Introduction [in Food systems transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the past and policy options for the future]. In Food Systems Transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the Past and Policy Options for the Future, eds. Clemens Breisinger, Michael Keenan, Juneweenex Mbuthia, and Jemimah Njuki. Part 1: An Overview of the Kenyan Food System, Chapter 1, Pp. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294561_01

Country/Region

Kenya

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Agriculture; Food Security; Food Systems; Diet; Poverty

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294561_01 Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Book Chapter

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Book Chapter

A way forward: Policy-driven transformation

2023Breisinger, Clemens; Keenan, Michael; Mbuthia, Juneweenex
Details

A way forward: Policy-driven transformation

This book has adopted a food systems framework as a new way of conceptualizing and designing food policies and research. Looking beyond agriculture and value chains makes it possible not only to turn food systems into a driver of economic transformation but also to better include health, productivity, resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability as integral parts of system transformation. Such a fresh approach is urgently needed in light of limited development progress over the past years in Kenya and other countries. The share of manufacturing—traditionally a driver of economic transformation—in total output remains low; maize yields have been stagnating for the past 20 years; and poverty and food insecurity are on the rise again (Nafula et al. 2020; FAOSTAT 2022). In addition to structural challenges, growing challenges and vulnerabilities such as the threat of pandemics, commodity price crises, climate change, and conflicts, call for a new development and food policy paradigm (Breisinger et al. 2022; UNICEF 2022). At the same time, such a fresh approach can also help in harnessing the new opportunities that come with digitalization and with (policy) lessons from other countries that can be adapted to the Kenyan context.

Year published

2023

Authors

Breisinger, Clemens; Keenan, Michael; Mbuthia, Juneweenex

Citation

Breisinger, Clemens; Keenan, Michael; and Mbuthia, Juneweenex. 2023. A way forward: Policy-driven transformation. In Food Systems Transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the Past and Policy Options for the Future, eds. Clemens Breisinger, Michael Keenan, Juneweenex Mbuthia, and Jemimah Njuki. Part 6: Toward more sustainable food systems, Chapter 19, Pp. 493-508. https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294561_19

Country/Region

Kenya

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Food Systems; Policies; Agriculture; Value Chains; Health; Agricultural Productivity; Resilience; Sustainability

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294561_19 Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Book Chapter

Blogs

How can artificial intelligence-powered chatbots help policymakers? A roadmap for Kenya
IFPRI Blog
 | 
June 01, 2023

How can artificial intelligence-powered chatbots help policymakers? A roadmap for Kenya

By Boniface Akuku, Clemens Breisinger, Joseph Karugia, Jawoo Koo, Michael Keenan, and Richard Ndegwa

Integrating AI into the policy process.

Events

Food Systems Transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the Past and Policy Options for the Future
Series/Special Event

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January 8, 2024, 4:30 – 5:45 pm

Food Systems Transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the Past and Policy Options for the Future

Hybrid Event: January 8, 2023 at 8:30am-9:45am EST/ 4:30pm-5:45pm EAT. During this hybrid book launch, speakers from academia, Kenyan research institutes, policy institutions, and CGIAR will discuss the new book Food System Transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the Past and Policy Options for the Future. A light reception will follow the presentations.

News

January 08, 2024 | Press Release

A new book provides a roadmap for food systems transformation in Kenya

The past few years have seen Kenya, along with many other countries, confronted with multifaceted and compounding challenges. The disruptions caused by COVID-19, high levels of food price inflation, and environmental crises, such as locust infestations and droughts, have severely tested the resilience of Kenya’s food systems and the affordability of food for its citizens. […]