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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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Development Strategies and Governance

Stephen Davies

Nonresident Fellow

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ORCiD
Stephen Davies

Bio

Stephen Davies is a Nonresident Fellow with the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, and is working in an outposted capacity.

Publications

Publications

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Journal Article

Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices

2024Sheikh, Asjad Tariq; Chaudhary, Ashok Kumar; Mufti, Samaa; Davies, Stephen; Rola-Rubzen, Maria Fay
Details

Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices

CONTEXT Soil salinization is a significant environmental challenge prevalent in arid and semi-arid regions, causing adverse effects on crop yields and jeopardizing household food security. Previous research has examined the influence of institutional dynamics and the adoption of sustainable land management practices in bolstering agricultural output, and some have investigated the interplay among socioeconomic determinants, institutional frameworks, and the uptake of climate-resilient and sustainable methodologies, or the association between soil health and agricultural productivity. Yet, there has been a lack of studies that considered this relationship altogether and their role in enhancing soil fertility. OBJECTIVE We investigate the relationship among socioeconomic and institutional factors, adoption of sustainable land management practices, and the resulting changes in soil fertility between 2016 and 2019 within the context of mixed crop-livestock farms in the three irrigated agroecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan. A household survey was conducted in 2019 to complement soil attributes data collected by the Government of Punjab in 2016. Households that implemented sustainable land management practices between 2016 and 2019 were analysed to investigate the effect of various factors on soil fertility, including the adoption of sustainable land management practices and their influence on soil fertility dynamics. METHODS A structural equation model was employed to examine the relationship among exogenous variables, moderating variables, and endogenous variables, to explain their collective influence on soil fertility between the two periods. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The key findings highlight the significant role of institutional factors, including access to formal information channels such as extension services, demonstration trials, and credit facilities, alongside secure land rights, in predicting the adoption of sustainable land management practices such as gypsum application, laser land leveling, farmyard manuring, and agroforestry. Furthermore, specific SLM practices, particularly agroforestry featuring intercropping with Acacia spp. and farmyard manure application, exhibited positive impacts on change in soil organic matter, albeit with agroforestry showing a negative influence on soil phosphorus levels. The adoption of gypsum and LLL displayed positive effects on soil phosphorus levels over time, contrasting with LLL’s adverse impact on soil organic matter. SIGNIFICANCE Our findings suggest that soil fertility benefits from policies enacted through public-private partnerships that lead to improved access to sustainable land management information, reduced credit barriers, establishment of local soil testing facilities, and expedited land entitlement processes. These findings highlight the critical role of collaborative partnerships and institutional arrangements in enhancing agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability.

Year published

2024

Authors

Sheikh, Asjad Tariq; Chaudhary, Ashok Kumar; Mufti, Samaa; Davies, Stephen; Rola-Rubzen, Maria Fay

Citation

Sheikh, Asjad Tariq; Chaudhary, Ashok Kumar; Mufti, Samaa; Davies, Stephen; and Rola-Rubzen, Maria Fay. 2024. Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices. Agricultural Systems 218: 103964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2024.103964

Country/Region

Pakistan

Keywords

Southern Asia; Asia; Soil Fertility; Crops; Livestock; Farming Systems; Land Management; Sustainable Land Management

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2024.103964 Source record

Project

NEXUS Gains

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Soil quality evaluation for irrigated agroecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan: The Luenberger indicator approach

2024Sheikh, Asjad Tariq; Hailu, Atakelty; Mugera, Amin; Pandit, Ram; Davies, Stephen
Details

Soil quality evaluation for irrigated agroecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan: The Luenberger indicator approach

This article describes the construction of the Luenberger soil quality indicator (SQI) using data on crop yield, non-soil inputs, and soil profile from three irrigated agroecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan, namely, rice–wheat, maize–wheat–mix, and cotton–mix zones. Plot level data are used to construct a soil quality indicator by estimating directional distance functions within a data envelopment analysis (DEA) framework. We find that the SQI and crop yield relationships exhibit diminishing returns to improving soil quality levels. Using the constructed SQI values, we estimate linear regression models to generate weights that could be used directly to aggregate individual soil attributes into soil quality indicators without the necessity of fitting a frontier to the crop production data. For wheat and rice production, we find that SQI is most sensitive to changes in soil electrical conductivity (EC) and potassium (K). The SQI has direct relevance for site-specific decision-making problems where policymakers need to price land resources and conservation services to achieve agricultural and environmental goals.

Year published

2024

Authors

Sheikh, Asjad Tariq; Hailu, Atakelty; Mugera, Amin; Pandit, Ram; Davies, Stephen

Citation

Sheikh, Asjad Tariq; Hailu, Atakelty; Mugera, Amin; Pandit, Ram; and Davies, Stephen. 2024. Soil quality evaluation for irrigated agroecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan: The Luenberger indicator approach. Agricultural Economics 55(3): 531-553. https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12831

Country/Region

Pakistan

Keywords

Southern Asia; Asia; Soil Quality; Crop Yield; Agroecology; Rice; Wheat; Maize; Cotton; Conservation; Environment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12831 Source record

Project

NEXUS Gains

Record type

Journal Article

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Working Paper

Ecosystem services may provide large economic values in Kenya and Vietnam: A value transfer application based on results from a systematic literature review

2023Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Zhang, Wei; Pham, Thuy Thu; Davis, Kristin; Fadda, Carlo
Details

Ecosystem services may provide large economic values in Kenya and Vietnam: A value transfer application based on results from a systematic literature review

This study focuses on the valuation of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam, two countries that have received much attention from the international development community for their biodiversity significance, opportunities for scaling, climate and poverty challenges, and political will. Using The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) framework and the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), this study estimates per hectare values of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam based on a systematic literature review of studies on the values of ecosystem services in both countries. Provisioning services, such as medicines, timber, and non-timber forest products were better studied than regulating, supporting and cultural ecosystem services, underscoring the need for further research to better estimate the values of non-tangible services which would improve the estimation of total value of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam. To complement the national level analysis, we selected forest biomes to conduct a value transfer analysis. Forests provide ecosystem service benefits worth $25.78 billion for Kenya and $35.6 billion in Vietnam in 2022 USD. In comparison, the agricultural sector contributed $48.50 billion to Vietnam’s GDP and $24.10 billon to Kenya’s GDP in 2021. The per hectare values for ecosystem services are used in a value transfer analysis to estimate the total value of forest ecosystem services in Vietnam and Kenya. The average per hectare value of ecosystem services provided by forests in Kenya is $5,718.50 ha−1 yr−1 estimated within a range spanning $1,609.44 to $15,606.62 ha−1 yr−1 , while Vietnam’s forests demonstrate an average value of $3,650.20 ha−1 yr−1 , with a range of $84.93 to $8,978.16 ha−1 yr−1 . We project the loss of forests into 2050 and estimate the annual economic loss of ecosystem services at $48.08 million for Kenya and $76.29 million for Vietnam, respectively, if deforestation and forest degradation continue at the current rates. Our approach presents a comprehensive overview of diverse ecosystem services, equipping policymakers with a nuanced comprehension of ecosystems’ inherent value. By consolidating values from the literature into a national-level estimate, we provide compelling evidence at a broader scale for informed decision-making. Despite the well-known limitations of value transfer method and with caveats, the values presented in our paper can provide a guiding reference for incorporating these estimations into broader policymaking endeavors.

Year published

2023

Authors

Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Zhang, Wei; Pham, Thuy Thu; Davis, Kristin; Fadda, Carlo

Citation

Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Zhang, Wei; Pham, Thuy Thu; Davis, Kristin; and Fadda, Carlo. 2023. Ecosystem services may provide large economic values in Kenya and Vietnam: A value transfer application based on results from a systematic literature review. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2228. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137080

Country/Region

Kenya; Vietnam

Keywords

Africa; Asia; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; South-eastern Asia; Biodiversity; Deforestation; Ecosystem Services; Forests; Policies; Value Theory

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137080 Source record

Project

Nature-Positive Solutions

Record type

Working Paper

Events

The Pakistan Society of Development Economists (PSDE) 31st Annual General Meeting and Conference
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

December 17 to 19, 2015

The Pakistan Society of Development Economists (PSDE) 31st Annual General Meeting and Conference

The Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Pakistan Society of Development Economists (PSDE) provides an important forum for economic professionals, policymakers, businessmen, and various schools of interested observers to debate development issues. The objective of this conference is to provide a forum and a platform to academics and policy-makers for an exchange of ideas on the […]

News

February 04, 2019 | In the News

Water reforms can lead to environmental, economic benefits in Pakistan: WB report (Pakistan Today)

Pakistan Today wrote an article about the World Bank’s recent study about the urgency around the country’s water reforms to improve water efficiency and service delivery due to low levels of water availability per person and high levels of water wastage. As a contributor to the study, Senior Research Fellow Stephen Davies was included in the […]

December 13, 2018 | In the News

Drop in three crops’ production forecast (Dawn)

Dawn released a news article about the first-ever Punjab Food Report that forecasts Pakistan’s future crop productions.  According to research by Senior Research Fellow Stephen Davies and Research Analyst Amna Ejaz, three of the country’s primary crops in the winter season are expected to decrease in yields.