Subscribe

Back

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

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.

Back

What we do

Since 1975, IFPRI’s research has been informing policies and development programs to improve food security, nutrition, and livelihoods around the world.

Research topics

Projects and impact

Modeling tools

Project microsites

What’s new

Where we work

Back

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

Subscribe

experts

Development Strategies and Governance

Steven Were Omamo

Director, Development Strategies and Governance (DSG); Director for Africa

Steven Were Omamo

Bio

Steven Were Omamo is Director of the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, based in Nairobi, Kenya. He also serves as Director for Africa. Were worked most recently for New Growth International, where he served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President. Previously, he held several leadership positions with the UN World Food Programme (WFP), including as Country Director in Ethiopia, and as Deputy Director and Food Systems Coordinator of the WFP Policy and Programme Division. He has also served as Director of Global Engagement and Research with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Director of Policy and Advocacy with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and has held positions with the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), and Egerton University, Kenya. Earlier in his career, Were worked at IFPRI as a Research and then Senior Research Fellow. He is an Adjunct Professor of Agricultural Economics at Virginia Tech University and holds PhD and MA degrees from Stanford University, an MS from the University of Connecticut, and a BS from California State University, Fresno.

LinkedIn

X (Twitter)

Publications

Resource thumbnail

Book Chapter

Climate change and food security in Africa’s drylands

2024Ghanem, Hafez; Ehui, Simeon; Omamo, Steven Were; Jenane, Chakib
Details

Climate change and food security in Africa’s drylands

Year published

2024

Authors

Ghanem, Hafez; Ehui, Simeon; Omamo, Steven Were; Jenane, Chakib

Citation

Ghanem, Hafez; Ehui, Simeon; Omamo, Steven Were; and Jenane, Chakib. 2024. Climate change and food security in Africa’s drylands. In Climate Change and Sustainable Agro-Ecology in Global Dryland, eds. A. S. El-Beltagy, R. Lal, and Kauser A. Malik. Chapter 8, p. 161-185. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781800624870.0008

Country/Region

Senegal; Gambia; Mauritania; Guinea; Mali; Burkina Faso; Niger; Chad; Cameroon; Nigeria

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Climate Change; Food Security; Poverty Reduction; Resilience

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1079/9781800624870.0008 Source record

Record type

Book Chapter

Resource thumbnail

Report

Rural Development Report 2016: Fostering inclusive rural transformation

2016
International Fund for Agricultural Development; Anderson, Jock; Benfica, Rui; Berdegué, Julio; Birner, Regina; Brooks, Karen; Bosc, Pierre-Marie; Nucci, Constanza Di; Huang, Jikun; Hussein, Karim
…more López, David; Omamo, Steven Were; Reardon, Thomas; Sma, Abdelkarim; Swallow, Brent; Swallow, Kimberly; Trivelli, Carolina; Tschirley, David; Turvey, Calum; Binswanger, Hans
Details

Rural Development Report 2016: Fostering inclusive rural transformation

Year published

2016

Authors

International Fund for Agricultural Development; Anderson, Jock; Benfica, Rui; Berdegué, Julio; Birner, Regina; Brooks, Karen; Bosc, Pierre-Marie; Nucci, Constanza Di; Huang, Jikun; Hussein, Karim; López, David; Omamo, Steven Were; Reardon, Thomas; Sma, Abdelkarim; Swallow, Brent; Swallow, Kimberly; Trivelli, Carolina; Tschirley, David; Turvey, Calum; Binswanger, Hans

Citation

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). 2016. Rural Development Report 2016: fostering inclusive rural transformation. Rome, Italy: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). https://www.ifad.org/documents/30600024/30604583/RDR_WEB.pdf/c734d0c4-fbb1-4507-9b4b-6c432c6f38c3

Keywords

Gender; Sustainable Development Goals; Employment; Technology; Transformation; Social Protection; Hunger; Rural Transformation; Rural Development; Inclusiveness; Resilience; Poverty Reduction; Finance

Language

English

Source

Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Private-sector investment in R&D: A review of policy options to promote its growth in developing-country agriculture

2010Naseem, Anwar; Spielman, David J.; Omamo, Steven Were
Details

Private-sector investment in R&D: A review of policy options to promote its growth in developing-country agriculture

Technological innovation is vital to enhancing agricultural productivity and reducing poverty in many developing countries. Public investment in research and development has historically driven technological change in agriculture; however, recent trends suggest that the private sector may play a larger role in the future. Although there is optimism about the private sector’s ability to generate new technologies relevant to developing‐country agriculture, current levels of private investment remain low. The authors examine the determinants of private R&D investment in developing‐country agriculture, the market, and institutional constraints that limit the growth of investment, and incentives that can promote more rapid investment growth. [EconLit classification: O300, Q160]. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Year published

2010

Authors

Naseem, Anwar; Spielman, David J.; Omamo, Steven Were

Citation

Naseem, Anwar; Spielman, David J.; Omamo, Steven Were. 2010. Private-sector investment in R&D: A review of policy options to promote its growth in developing-country agriculture. Agribusiness 26(1): 143-173. https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.20221

Keywords

Innovation; Developing Countries; Agricultural Productivity; Public Investment; Research; Poverty Reduction; Private Investment; Agricultural Sciences; Technology

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.20221 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Events

IFPRI @ CGIAR Science Week
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

April 7 to 12, 2025

IFPRI @ CGIAR Science Week

When humanity has faced its greatest challenges, science and innovation have provided solutions. Today, major and connected global challenges threaten the sustainability of food, land, and water systems, with the most vulnerable people and communities at greatest risk. Recognizing the urgency of these challenges, CGIAR and the Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) are […]

Extraordinary Summit on Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

January 9 to 11, 2025

Extraordinary Summit on Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)

IFPRI is pleased to participate in the Extraordinary Summit on Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), organized by the African Union Commission and hosted by the Government of Uganda on January 9 to 11, 2025. The summit will focus on adopting the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Acton Plan for 2026-2035. This […]

The Socio-Economic Impact of Armed Conflict on Sudanese Urban Households
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

November 4, 2024, 9:00 – 12:00 pm

The Socio-Economic Impact of Armed Conflict on Sudanese Urban Households

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has been concentrated in cities, with major impacts on urban households. Large numbers of families are displaced, employment is down dramatically, and most children are unable to go to school. A comprehensive survey conducted earlier this year by IFPRI’ Sudan Strategy Support Program and the United Nations Development Programme provides […]

View all Events

News

April 04, 2025 | Press Release

Steven Were Omamo appointed IFPRI’s Director for Africa

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is pleased to announce that Steven Were Omamo has been appointed IFPRI’s Director for Africa. Dr. Omamo will also continue to serve as IFPRI’s Director of the Development Strategies and Governance Unit (DSG). Based in IFPRI’s Nairobi, Kenya office, Omamo joined IFPRI in October 2024. “We are delighted […]

October 07, 2024 | Press Release

Steven Were Omamo joins IFPRI as the new Director of the Development Strategies and Governance Unit

IFPRI is pleased to announce that Steven Were Omamo joins IFPRI as the new Director of the DSG Unit.

Research

Topics/Countries