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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

Kate Ambler

Kate Amber is a Senior Research Fellow in the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Unit. Kate’s research broadly focuses on interventions that can increase incomes for smallholders and other microenterprises in agrifood value chains, with a specific focus on the inclusion of women. This includes work on programming in fragile settings, innovations in agricultural finance, and regulatory solutions for food safety. 

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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Latin America and Caribbean

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Publications

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Journal Article

Levelling the field: A review of the ICT revolution and agricultural extension in the Global South

2025Khan, Rashid Parvez; Gupta, Saurabh; Daum, Thomas; Birner, Regina; Ringler, Claudia
Details

Levelling the field: A review of the ICT revolution and agricultural extension in the Global South

Information and communications technology has evolved significantly over the last seven decades, beginning with radio and video vans and culminating in the rise of smartphones and mobile internet in remote areas of the Global South. While ICT is an integral part of agricultural extension, little is known about how these changes have influenced agricultural extension practices. After a systematic review of 131 papers, we find that changes in ICT have shaped agricultural extension, enabling a shift from linear dissemination and “one-way communication” to co-innovation and farmer-to-farmer learning. The results indicate the potential for smartphones and mobile internet to democratize agricultural extension.

Year published

2025

Authors

Khan, Rashid Parvez; Gupta, Saurabh; Daum, Thomas; Birner, Regina; Ringler, Claudia

Citation

Khan, Rashid Parvez; Gupta, Saurabh; Daum, Thomas; Birner, Regina; and Ringler, Claudia. 2024. Levelling the field: A review of the ICT revolution and agricultural extension in the Global South. Journal of International Development. Article in press. First published online September 5, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3949

Keywords

Africa; Latin America; Caribbean; Asia; Oceania; Agricultural Extension; Communication; Farmers; Information and Communication Technologies; Smartphones

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3949 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Book Chapter

Transforming agricultural support for a sustainable future: A Latin America and Caribbean view

2024Laborde Debucquet, David; Olivetti, Elsa B.; Piñeiro, Valeria
Details

Transforming agricultural support for a sustainable future: A Latin America and Caribbean view

Addressing the complex challenges facing agricultural and food systems requires a detailed and integrated approach that ensures food security, enhances nutrition, protects environmental sustainability, and supports livelihoods. Governments are crucial in guiding this transformation through a range of policy tools, including regulatory measures, market-based mechanisms, price adjustments that reflect true production costs, and the reassessment of agricultural subsidies. Achieving comprehensive solutions to these challenges across the domains of food security, nutrition, and sustainable development hinges on reforming domestic agricultural support.

Year published

2024

Authors

Laborde Debucquet, David; Olivetti, Elsa B.; Piñeiro, Valeria

Citation

Laborde Debucquet, David; Olivetti, Elsa B.; and Piñeiro, Valeria. 2024. Transforming agricultural support for a sustainable future: A Latin America and Caribbean view. In Navigating the trade landscape: A Latin American perspective building on the WTO 13th ministerial conference, eds. Valeria Piñeiro, Adriana Campos, and Martin Piñeiro. Chapter 6, Pp. 60-81. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/151915

Keywords

Latin America and the Caribbean; Agriculture; Sustainable Development; Food Systems; Government; Nutrition

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-SA-3.0-IGO

Source

Source record

Record type

Book Chapter

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Book

Navigating the trade landscape: A Latin American perspective building on the WTO 13th ministerial conference

2024Piñeiro, Valeria; Campos Azofeifa, Adriana; Piñeiro, Martin
Details

Navigating the trade landscape: A Latin American perspective building on the WTO 13th ministerial conference

This publication-a joint effort by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)-is being released in the context of growing changes and fragmentation in global economic and trade relationships. Countries are increasingly adopting protectionist measures in response to recent crises and the decreased competitiveness of value chains, due to rising production, marketing and transportation costs. The complex multilateral trade system and the urgent need to implement concrete actions in this area are prompting countries to work towards the adoption of new standards that aim to protect and preserve the environment but could also become barriers to trade that impose a significant economic and social cost on other countries. The countries of the Americas must continue to support efforts to strengthen the multilateral trade system, ensuring that it is open, transparent and science-based, as well as to effectively participate in discussion forums such as the ministerial conferences of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Amidst this scenario, international trade plays a vital role in transforming food systems, by interconnecting them and contributing to creating a more sustainable global food system. In recent years, the growth of production and exports has converted Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) into the largest net food exporting region in the world. On average, agrifood exports from the region in 2021-2023 accounted for 17% of global agrifood exports, representing one fourth of total exports from the region. During that period, LAC agrifood exports grew by 7.6%. Yet, it bears mentioning that, despite its important role, the region has its share of challenges. During 2023, 85% of LAC agrifood exports were directed at external markets and 53% of the value of exported agrifood exports was concentrated among only 10 products. This demonstrates the region’s significant vulnerability and is undoubtedly a challenge that must be addressed. This document is an inter-institutional effort to share ideas and reflections on the main issues to be tackled building on the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference. We hope that it will serve as input in strengthening the participation of the countries of the Americas in WTO multilateral negotiations, while also highlighting the key role of agricultural trade in agrifood system transformation.

Year published

2024

Authors

Piñeiro, Valeria; Campos Azofeifa, Adriana; Piñeiro, Martin

Citation

Piñeiro, Valeria; Campos Azofeifa, Adriana; and Piñeiro, Martin, eds. 2024. Navigating the trade landscape: A Latin American perspective building on the WTO 13th ministerial conference. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute and Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/151786

Keywords

Latin America and the Caribbean; Agriculture; Climate Change; Economics; Food Systems; International Trade; Vulnerability

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-SA-3.0-IGO

Source

Source record

Record type

Book

Blogs

The wonder and importance of biological control in farming and agrifood systems
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 30, 2024

The wonder and importance of biological control in farming and agrifood systems

By Kris A.G. Wyckhuys

Prioritizing a key form of natural capital.

Borlaug Dialogue side event: Reducing food loss and waste to address climate change in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 26, 2024

Borlaug Dialogue side event: Reducing food loss and waste to address climate change in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia

By Nandita Srivastava

Managing value chains to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Achieving women’s empowerment beyond income and asset increases: What do we still need to know?
IFPRI Blog
 | 
October 29, 2024

Achieving women’s empowerment beyond income and asset increases: What do we still need to know?

By Deborah Rubin

How development organizations think about gender.

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Events

Advancing Sustainable Agri-food Systems for Climate Resilience, Food Security, and Global Collaboration
IFPRI at External Event

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November 12, 2024, 5:00 – 6:30 pm

Advancing Sustainable Agri-food Systems for Climate Resilience, Food Security, and Global Collaboration

The livestream will be available on Tuesday November 12, 2024 at 5:00 – 6:30 pm (America/Sao_Paulo) / 3:00 – 4:30 pm (US/Eastern). Join us for an in-depth discussion on Avanzar2030, an evidence-based initiative that identifies promising innovations in agri-food systems and estimates the costs of implementing them. Launched in response to the 2021 UN Food […]

2024 Global Food Policy Report LAC: Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition
Series/Special Event

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June 27, 2024, 3:00 – 4:30 pm

2024 Global Food Policy Report LAC: Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition

Unhealthy diets are a major driver of all forms of malnutrition, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity. At the same time, our food systems contribute about a third of greenhouse gas emissions and degrade natural resources. The 2024 Global Food Policy Report examines policies, innovations, and governance solutions to strengthen diet quality and […]

Agricultural Innovation for Food Security in the Context of Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

March 5, 2024, 8:00 – 6:00 pm

Agricultural Innovation for Food Security in the Context of Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean

Seminar: March 7, 2024 – 08:00 AM to 09:00 AM EST. IFPRI is participating 2024 Annual Meetings of the Board of Governors of the IDB.

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News

July 28, 2023 | Press Release

Within the framework of the WTO, IFPRI, and IICA launch Latin American Network of Agrifood Trade Negotiators

San Jose. The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) launched a network of agricultural negotiators in Latin America, which will seek to strengthen the positioning of those countries in multilateral forums that address matters related to the agrifood sector, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). It […]

February 10, 2023 | In the News

Top food exporter Argentina confronts rising hunger and poverty (The New Humanitarian) 

The New Humanitarian interviewed Valeria Piñeiro, IFPRI’s acting head for Latin America, for the article about the worsening situation with hunger and poverty in Argentina. Piñeiro is asking the international community not to neglect Argentina and Latin America. In the decade up to 2015, the region was hailed for outperforming others in reducing hunger and poverty, but […]

January 31, 2023 | In the News

Fertilizer additive market statistics and research analysis released in latest industry report 2028 (News Wires) 

News Wires published a story on the fertilizer markets. The article states the market is expected to grow from US$ 3,512.65 million in 2022 to US$ 4,050.19 million by 2028; it is expected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 2.4 percent from 2022 to 2028.  The demand for fertilizers in many […]

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Projects

The Comprehensive Action for Climate Change Initiative (CACCI)

The Comprehensive Action for Climate Change Initiative (CACCI)

CACCI In partnership with local and regional organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, the Comprehensive Action for Climate Change Initiative (CACCI)……

Characterizing and Monitoring External Migration Patterns in Rural Guatemala

Characterizing and Monitoring External Migration Patterns in Rural Guatemala

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ASTI

ASTI

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