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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

Kalyani Raghunathan

Kalyani Raghunathan is Research Fellow in the Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit, based in New Delhi, India. Her research lies at the intersection of agriculture, gender, social protection, and public health and nutrition, with a specific focus on South Asia and Africa. 

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.

IFPRI Regional Programs

IFPRI Country Programs

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Kutubdia Island in the Bay of Bengal

country program

Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program

Children help their parents by working in their vegetable field on Kutubdia Island in the Bay of Bengal. AKA00830BAN Asia,, Children,, Rural,, Agriculture,, Crops,

country programs

Overview

IFPRI has over four decades of experience conducting research and outreach in Bangladesh. Our country office in Bangladesh is committed to producing high quality, evidence-based outputs that contribute to agriculture development, food security, nutrition, and poverty alleviation.

The Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program (PRSSP) for Food Security and Agricultural Development, which ran from 2010 to 2020, aimed to fill the need for demand-driven food and agriculture research in response to Bangladesh’s Country Investment Plan for agriculture, food security, and nutrition. IFPRI’s largest-ever project in Bangladesh, the PRSSP built on previous IFPRI work in the country alongside government partners in the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management and the Ministry of Agriculture. The program generated information on critical issues, strengthened analytical capacity within the country, and stimulated policy dialogue. Its main objectives were to provide policy options and advisory services, collaborate with national institutions to evaluate and explain evidence, and find effective ways to deliver options and evidence to decision-makers and stakeholders. The PRSSP was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

To learn more, visit the IFPRI Bangladesh website

IFPRI Bangladesh Website

Donors

Partners

Duration

2010-2020

Publications

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Journal Article

Increasing production diversity and diet quality: Evidence from Bangladesh

2024Ahmed, Akhter; Coleman, Fiona M.; Ghostlaw, Julie; Hoddinott, John F.; Menon, Purnima; Parvin, Aklima; Pereira, Audrey; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Roy, Shalini; Younus, Masuma
Details

Increasing production diversity and diet quality: Evidence from Bangladesh

In the context of rural Bangladesh, we assess whether agriculture training alone, nutrition behavior communication change (BCC) alone, combined agriculture training and nutrition BCC, or agriculture training and nutrition BCC combined with gender sensitization improve: (a) production diversity, either on household fields or through crop, livestock, or aquaculture activities carried out near the family homestead; and (b) diet diversity and the quality of household diets. All treatment arms were implemented by government employees. Implementation quality was high. No treatment increased production diversification of crops grown on fields. Treatment arms with agricultural training did increase the number of different crops grown in homestead gardens and the likelihood of any egg, dairy, or fish production but the magnitudes of these effect sizes were small. All agricultural treatment arms had, in percentage terms, large effects on measures of levels of homestead production. However, because baseline levels of production were low, the magnitude of these changes in absolute terms was modest. Nearly all treatment arms improved measures of food consumption and diet with the largest effects found when nutrition and agriculture training were combined. Relative to treatments combining agriculture and nutrition training, we find no significant impact of adding the gender sensitization on our measures of production diversity or diet quality. Interventions that combine agricultural training and nutrition BCC can improve both production diversity and diet quality, but they are not a panacea. They can, however, contribute toward better diets of rural households.

Year published

2024

Authors

Ahmed, Akhter; Coleman, Fiona M.; Ghostlaw, Julie; Hoddinott, John F.; Menon, Purnima; Parvin, Aklima; Pereira, Audrey; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Roy, Shalini; Younus, Masuma

Citation

Ahmed, Akhter; Coleman, Fiona; Ghostlaw, Julie; Hoddinott, John F.; Menon, Purnima; Parvin, Aklima; et al. 2024. Increasing production diversity and diet quality: Evidence from Bangladesh. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 106(3): 1089-1110. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12427

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Agriculture; Agricultural Training; Nutrition; Behaviour; Communication; Gender; Diversification; Production; Dietary Diversity; Aquaculture; Rural Areas; Households

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12427 Source record

Project

Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh

2023Ahmed, Akhter; Coleman, Fiona M.; Hoddinott, John F.; Menon, Purnima; Parvin, Aklima; Pereira, Audrey; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Roy, Shalini
Details

Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh

We use a randomized controlled trial in rural Bangladesh to compare two models of delivering nutrition content jointly to husbands and wives: deploying female nutrition workers versus mostly male agriculture extension workers. Both approaches increased nutrition knowledge of men and women, household and individual diet quality, and women’s empowerment. Intervention effects on agriculture and nutrition knowledge, agricultural production diversity, dietary diversity, women’s empowerment, and gender parity do not significantly differ between models where nutrition workers versus agriculture extension workers provide the training. The exception is in an attitudes score, where results indicate same-sex agents may affect scores differently than opposite-sex agents. Our results suggest opposite-sex agents may not necessarily be less effective in providing training. In South Asia, where agricultural extension systems and the pipeline to those systems are male dominated, training men to deliver nutrition messages may offer a temporary solution to the shortage of fe male extension workers and offer opportunities to scale and promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture. However, in both models, we find evidence that the presence of mothers-in-law within households modifies the programs’ effectiveness on some nutrition, empowerment, and attitude measures, suggesting that accounting for other influential household members is a potential area for future programming.

Year published

2023

Authors

Ahmed, Akhter; Coleman, Fiona M.; Hoddinott, John F.; Menon, Purnima; Parvin, Aklima; Pereira, Audrey; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Roy, Shalini

Citation

Ahmed, Akhter; Coleman, Fiona; Hoddinott, John F.; Menon, Purnima; Parvin, Aklima; Pereira, Audrey; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; and Roy, Shalini. 2023. Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh. Food Policy 118(July 2023): 102484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102484

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Southern Asia; Asia; Rural Areas; Nutrition; Gender; Advisory Officers; Diet Quality; Knowledge Sharing; Intervention; Agricultural Production

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102484 Source record

Project

Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Working Paper

Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh

2022Ahmed, Akhter; Coleman, Fiona M.; Hoddinott, John F.; Menon, Purnima; Parvin, Aklima; Pereira, Audrey; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Roy, Shalini
Details

Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh

We use a randomized controlled trial in rural Bangladesh to compare two models of delivering nutrition content jointly to husbands and wives: deploying female nutrition workers versus mostly male agriculture extension workers. Both approaches increased nutrition knowledge of men and women, household and individual diet quality, and women’s empowerment. Intervention effects on agriculture and nutrition knowledge, agricultural production diversity, dietary diversity, women’s empowerment, and gender parity do not significantly differ between models where nutrition workers versus agriculture extension workers provide the training. The exception is in an attitudes score, where results indicate same-sex agents may affect scores differently than opposite-sex agents. Our results suggest opposite-sex agents may not necessarily be less effective in providing training. In South Asia, where agricultural extension systems and the pipeline to those systems are male-dominated, training men to deliver nutrition messages may offer a temporary solution to the shortage of female extension workers and offer opportunities to scale promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture.

Year published

2022

Authors

Ahmed, Akhter; Coleman, Fiona M.; Hoddinott, John F.; Menon, Purnima; Parvin, Aklima; Pereira, Audrey; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Roy, Shalini

Citation

Ahmed, Akhter; Coleman, Fiona; Hoddinott, John F.; Menon, Purnima; Parvin, Aklima; Pereira, Audrey; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; and Roy, Shalini. 2022. Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2149. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136473

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Southern Asia; Asia; Agriculture; Agricultural Workers; Diet; Dietary Diversity; Diet Quality; Households; Gender; Gender Analysis; Gender Norms; Gender Relations; Men; Nutrition; Nutrition Knowledge; Nutrition Research; Rural Areas; Women; Women’s Empowerment; Attitudes; Agricultural Products; Capacity Development

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136473 Source record

Project

Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia

Record type

Working Paper

Blogs

International Open Data Day 2020: Crowdsourcing global insights from national data in Bangladesh
IFPRI Blog
 | 
March 06, 2020

International Open Data Day 2020: Crowdsourcing global insights from national data in Bangladesh

By Akhter Ahmed and Julie Ghostlaw

The Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS) offers insights into women's empowerment, agriculture, nutrition, and health.

The making of Bangladesh's Blue Revolution
IFPRI Blog
 | 
November 06, 2019

The making of Bangladesh’s Blue Revolution

By Sulin Chowdury

A new IFPRI book explores the explosive growth of aquaculture and what it means for the future.

Impact study demonstrates Bt brinjal eggplant variety helps farmers in Bangladesh earn more with less pesticide
IFPRI Blog
 | 
October 18, 2019

Impact study demonstrates Bt brinjal eggplant variety helps farmers in Bangladesh earn more with less pesticide

By Akhter Ahmed, John Hoddinott, Paul Tanger, and Lesley Perlman

A new genetically-engineered pest-resistant eggplant variety shows promise.

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News

February 11, 2024 | In the News

Agricultural growth key to accelerated poverty reduction in Bangladesh (Financial Express)

Senior research fellow and country representative, Akhter Ahmed writes in an op-ed for the Financial Express (Bangladesh) that the country “has witnessed substantial economic growth over the past decade, with an average annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.6 per cent between 2016 and 2022. Notably, the country experienced a 3.4 per cent increase in GDP in 2020, making Bangladesh one […]

May 11, 2023 | Statement

In Memoriam: Professor Nurul Islam

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) deeply mourns the passing of Professor Nurul Islam, IFPRI Research Fellow Emeritus, a prominent economist, author, and dear friend to many of us. Prof. Islam passed away on Tuesday, May 9, at the age of 94, in Washington, DC.  Often referred to as the greatest economist of Bangladesh, Nurul […]

April 18, 2023 | In the News

VAT on synthetic felt production likely to fall (Business Post) 

The Business Post (Bangladesh) published a story that cited IFPRI research. An IFPRI report states that 56 percent of Bangladesh’s fish comes from ponds. Fish farming in ponds has increased by almost six times in the last three decades.   The current government has been providing incentives in various ways to encourage fish farming including reducing […]

View all News

Events

Virtual Event - CGIAR COVID-19 Hub: Supporting National Responses to a Global Pandemic
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

January 12, 2021, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Virtual Event – CGIAR COVID-19 Hub: Supporting National Responses to a Global Pandemic

As the global leader in agricultural research, CGIAR took action in the earliest days of the pandemic to counter the potentially devastating impact on food security and nutrition worldwide. The CGIAR COVID-19 Hub mobilizes multidisciplinary research and innovation in support of national response efforts. This seminar brings together researchers and national partners from Bangladesh and […]

IFPRI-PRSSP Workshop: Evidence-Based Policy Options for Food and Nutrition Security in Bangladesh
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

October 1, 2014, 1:00 – 9:30 pm

IFPRI-PRSSP Workshop: Evidence-Based Policy Options for Food and Nutrition Security in Bangladesh

Background Food and nutrition security depends not only on food production and consumption but also on the policies that affect food systems, from farm to table. Since 1988, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has had a strong presence in Bangladesh, conducting research, providing policy support, and strengthening stakeholders’ capacity. This on-the-ground presence has […]

Team members

Akhter Ahmed

Akhter Ahmed

Senior Research Fellow / Country Representative, IFPRI Bangladesh, Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

Akhter Ahmed

Akhter Ahmed

Senior Research Fellow / Country Representative, IFPRI Bangladesh, Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

Md. Redoy

Md. Redoy

Field Research Officer, Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

The Programs

  • Kutubdia Island in the Bay of Bengal

    Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program

    Improving food and nutrition security is of paramount concern to millions in Bangladesh.

  • Wuxi, the fast growing city that was formerly known as White Horse Village.

    China Strategy Support Program

    Supports joint research & capacity strengthening as well as policy dialogues & communication to improve policymaking.

  • Farm land in Giza in Egypt

    Egypt Strategy Support Program

    Egypt SSP's main objective is to raise incomes of the rural poor and to improve food and nutrition security in Egypt.

  • Gayo village, Ethiopia

    Ethiopia Strategy Support Program

    ESSP is a collaborative program undertaken by IFPRI and the Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI)

  • amevi-wisdom-wiul_nyafcy-unsplash

    Ghana Strategy Support Program

    Conduct research & advise on policy to support agricultural growth, rural development & economic transformation.

  • Local vendors selling vegetables at a market in Kenya,Africa

    Kenya Strategy Support Program

    KSSP is a policy research, capacity strengthening and policy communication program with the main objectives to accelerate poverty reduction and to improve food security.

  • Mitundu Market, Lilongwe, Malawi

    Malawi Strategy Support Program

    This project facilitates and promotes evidence-based dialogue and decision-making in support of agricultural development, food security, and economic growth in Malawi.

  • Country program Myanmar

    Myanmar Strategy Support Program

    The project supports agricultural transformation and other development policy goals by enhancing national technical, institutional, and policy analysis capacities.

  • Nigeria Strategy Support Program

    NSSP responds to the research, analysis, and capacity needs of stakeholders in the Nigerian agricultural research and policy community.

  • Papua New Guinea Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition Policy Support Program

    The Papua New Guinea Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition Policy Support Program (PNG-AFNP) is an initiative aligned with the Government of Papua New Guinea’s vision to revitalize and transform its agricultural sector to improve economic opportunities, livelihoods, and food security.

  • Fertile field at sunset in the countryside (Rwanda/ Africa)

    Rwanda Strategy Support Program

    Rwanda SSP is an initiative aligned with the Government of Rwanda’s vision to accelerate agricultural transformation and rural development in Rwanda.

  • A sunset view of river Nile in Khartoum, Sudan

    Sudan Strategy Support Program

    The Sudan Country Strategy Support Program (CSSP), with key team members based in Khartoum, can provide needed analytical support to the Government of Sudan, local and international partners.