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What we do

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.

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researcher spotlight

Samuel Benin

Samuel Benin is the Acting Director for Africa in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. He conducts research on national strategies and public investment for accelerating food systems transformation in Africa and provides analytical support to the African Union’s CAADP Biennial Review.

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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Research by country and region

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TOPIC

Capacity Strengthening

Through research and implementation activities, capacity strengthening works to build the capabilities of organizations and individuals for policy research, analysis, design, and implementation to improve food security and poverty reduction policies in developing countries. To build capacity in low- and middle-income  countries for policy research and implementation, IFPRI works extensively with in-country partners and uses a range of strategies.

IFPRI’s Capacity Strengthening website hosts news and events related to our activities.

IFPRI’s work in this area is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG1, SDG2, SDG3, SDG5, SDG6, SDG8, SDG12, SDG13, SDG15, SDG16, and SDG17, and all of the CGIAR Impact Areas.

topics

Publications

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Report

Food security and social assistance in Sudan during armed conflict: Evidence from the first round of the Sudan Rural Household Survey (November 2023–January 2024)

2024
Kirui, Oliver K.; Ahmed, Mosab; Siddig, Khalid; Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum; Abushama, Hala; Dorosh, Paul A.; Krishnaswamy, Siddharth; Monetta, Cinzia; Clough, Alice; Gualtieri, Alberto
…more Leaduma, Amos
Details

Food security and social assistance in Sudan during armed conflict: Evidence from the first round of the Sudan Rural Household Survey (November 2023–January 2024)

The conflict in Sudan has severely impacted the food security landscape in rural areas, with profound implications for household diets, coping strategies, and overall food insecurity levels. Data from a national rural household phone survey conducted between October 2023 and January 2024 highlights the dire food consumption patterns, the prevalence of food insecurity, and the reliance on reduced coping strategies among the rural population of Sudan. As of the end of 2023, nearly 40 percent of rural households were consuming inadequate diets, with West Kordofan, South Kordofan, North Darfur, East Darfur, and Sennar states experiencing the highest prevalence of poor food consumption (34, 33, 29 and 24 percent, respectively). The primary components of diets were cereals and oils, with nutrient-rich foods, such as meats and fruits, consumed less frequently, highlighting a critical gap in nutritional adequacy. The situation has resulted in households across Sudan resorting to a range of coping strategies to try to meet their food needs, such as buying less preferred or less expensive food (on average 4 days out of 7), limiting portion sizes, or reducing the number of daily meals. The five coping mechanisms that were examined in the analysis were found to be implemented with approximately similar frequencies across rural Sudan. However, the situation was particularly dire in West Darfur, South Kordofan, and Khartoum, the states recording the highest prevalence of consumption of inadequate diets and the highest reduced Coping Strategy Index (rCSI) scores.

Year published

2024

Authors

Kirui, Oliver K.; Ahmed, Mosab; Siddig, Khalid; Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum; Abushama, Hala; Dorosh, Paul A.; Krishnaswamy, Siddharth; Monetta, Cinzia; Clough, Alice; Gualtieri, Alberto; Leaduma, Amos

Citation

Kirui, Oliver K.; Ahmed, Mosab; Siddig, Khalid; Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum; Abushama, Hala; Dorosh, Paul A.; et al. 2024. Food security and social assistance in Sudan during armed conflict: Evidence from the first round of the Sudan Rural Household Survey (November 2023–January 2024). A joint report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the World Food Programme (WFP). June 2024. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145388

Country/Region

Sudan

Keywords

Africa; Northern Africa; Capacity Development; Food Security; Rural Areas; Households; Diet

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

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Report

Brief review of Ghana’s food system transformation pathways

2024Asante, Felix A.
Details

Brief review of Ghana’s food system transformation pathways

Global estimates show over half a billion people go hungry (FAO, 2020) and close to 2 billion people are either obese or overweight with another 2 billion of the world’s population suffering from micronutrient deficiencies (Micha et al., 2020, Fresco et al., 2017). Inarguably, the world faces significant malnutrition problem (including micro- and macro-nutrient deficiencies, obesity, and diet related non-communicable diseases). This is evident in a recent analysis pointing out that effort in achieving the Global Nutrition Targets is likely to be missed. The observed malnutrition threat is accompanied by climate change, which is influencing food production and consumption trends, and thereby leading to undernutrition and affecting overall development. In addition, there are growing incomes, accelerated urbanization, and expanding middle classes which are also causing significant changes in consumer behaviour and nutritional choices, necessitating both public and private expenditures for better food market integration. As a result, there is a pressing need to examine our food systems to guarantee food and nutrition security and to advance sustainable development. It is likely that the COVID-19 impact may further exacerbates the worsening food insecurity and nutritional status of the most vulnerable groups including women, children and adolescents, refugees and displaced people, smallholders in rural areas, and the urban poor.

Year published

2024

Authors

Asante, Felix A.

Citation

Asante, Felix A. 2024. Brief review of Ghana’s food system transformation pathways. Research Report September 2023. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

Country/Region

Ghana

Keywords

Western Africa; Africa; Nutrition; Hunger; Non-communicable Diseases; Obesity; Malnutrition; Climate Change; Food Systems; Covid-19; Capacity Development

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Report

Ghana: Processes and outputs associated with the UN Food Systems Summit

2024Asante, Felix A.
Details

Ghana: Processes and outputs associated with the UN Food Systems Summit

Like other countries in the sub-region particularly West African economies, Ghana is grappling with multiple burdens of malnutrition which is accompanied by climate change that influence food production and consumption trends, and thereby leading to undernutrition and affecting overall development. In addition, growing incomes, accelerated urbanization, and expanding middle classes are also causing significant changes in consumer behavior and nutritional choices, necessitating both public and private expenditures for better food market integration. While food insecurity, and undernutrition (e.g. stunting, micronutrient deficiencies) persist, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases are rising rapidly. General nutrition situation and identification of the highest priority nutrition problems. Various estimates of nutritional status of Ghanaian children under aged 5 years show that 19% were stunted, 5% were wasted, and 11% were underweight. In 2018, the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) showed nearly similar rates of stunting (18%), wasting (7%) and underweight (13%), suggesting that stunting prevalence improved only marginally during the last 5-6 years, whereas child wasting and underweight worsened during the period. Other significant problems of undernutrition in Ghana include a high prevalence anemia in children 6-59 months (55%), adolescent girls (48%) and women of reproductive age (42%). From the foregoing, the high priority nutrition challenges in Ghana, include “stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age; anemia in children 6-59 months of age, adolescent girls, and women of reproductive age; but also, overweight and obesity in school-age children and younger adolescents; and overweight and obesity in women of reproductive age (15-49 y of age). Report of the Demographic and Health Surveys show a significant rising trend in adult obesity – from 10% in 1993 to 40% in 2015 (GSS et al., 2015). Also, the Ghanaian food environments (particularly in the urban areas) is currently characterized by cheap highly-processed foods, with nutrient-dense foods such fruits and vegetables lacking in meals because it is unaffordable (Laar, 2021).

Year published

2024

Authors

Asante, Felix A.

Citation

Asante, Felix A. 2024. Ghana: Processes and outputs associated with the UN Food Systems Summit. Stocktaking Report September 2023. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

Country/Region

Ghana

Keywords

Western Africa; Africa; Malnutrition; Climate Change; Food Production; Consumer Behaviour; Food Security; Non-communicable Diseases; Capacity Development

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Blogs

Implementing a just transition to net zero: Driving climate action through extension system reforms
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 01, 2023

Implementing a just transition to net zero: Driving climate action through extension system reforms

By Suresh Babu and Ramasamy Selvaraju

Guiding agricultural transformation among smallholders.

Capacity strengthening program: Building stronger agrifood trade links in the BIMSTEC region
IFPRI Blog
 | 
March 23, 2023

Capacity strengthening program: Building stronger agrifood trade links in the BIMSTEC region

By Abul Kamar

Key takeaways from the recent event organized by IFPRI South Asia and Research and Information System for Developing Countries.

Policy seminar: Expanding policy research to strengthen Eurasia’s food systems
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 29, 2020

Policy seminar: Expanding policy research to strengthen Eurasia’s food systems

By Francesca Edralin

COVID-19 and other challenges to regional food security.

Events

Addressing Food Security in Central Asia: The cases of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

March 1, 2023, 10:00 – 11:15 am

Addressing Food Security in Central Asia: The cases of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan

Virtual Event: March 1, 2023 – 10:00 AM- 11:15 AM EST. During this event, renowned specialists will discuss the challenges to food security posed by the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and climate change.

IFPRI @ 27th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27)
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

November 6 to 18, 2022

IFPRI @ 27th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27)

Hybrid Event: November 6, 2022 – 4:00 AM to November 18, 2022 – 8:30 PM EST. IFPRI is participating in the 27th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Strengthening policy research and analysis capacity: The role of institutional development programs
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

July 21, 2022, 9:00 – 10:30 am

Strengthening policy research and analysis capacity: The role of institutional development programs

Virtual Event: July 21, 2022 – 09:00 AM to 10:30 AM EDT. In this seminar, panelists and discussants will draw on their experiences with collaborative research in institutional development programs, and explore the lessons learned for strengthening policy research.

News

April 24, 2023 | In the News

Ethiopia signs MoU with International Food Policy Research Institute (Ethiopian News Agency)

Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) announces that the Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands (represented by Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the USA, Seleshi Bekele) and Johan Swinnen, the director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly carry out research in irrigation development, capacity building, and knowledge transfer.   […]

March 06, 2023 | In the News

Food diplomacy, active private sector keys to sourcing good’ (The Financial Express) 

The Financial Express (Bangladesh) features signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the International Food Policy Institute and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) held in Dhaka on March 5. IFPRI Director General Dr Johan Swinnen and BIMSTEC Secretary General Tenzin Lekphell signed the MoU on behalf of their organizations.  Swinnen said […]

March 06, 2023 | In the News

Global food prices to fall amid rise in exports (The Daily Sun) 

The Daily Sun (Bangladesh) quotes Johan Swinnen, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Managing Director of Systems Transformation, CGIAR, who spoke with reporters in Dhaka on Sunday before signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IFPRI and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) secretariat. “The […]

Our experts

Samuel Benin

Samuel Benin

Acting, Director for Africa, Development
Strategies and Governance, Africa

Deanna Olney

Deanna Olney

Director, Nutrition, Diets, and Health (NDH), Nutrition,
Diets, and Health

David Spielman

David Spielman

Director, Innovation Policy and Scaling (IPS), Innovation
Policy and Scaling

Suresh Babu

Suresh Babu

Senior Research Fellow / Head of Capacity Strengthening, Development
Strategies and Governance

Kristin Davis

Kristin Davis

Senior Research Fellow, Natural
Resources and Resilience, Latin America and the Caribbean

Xinshen Diao

Xinshen Diao

Deputy Division Director, Foresight and Policy Modeling, Foresight
and Policy Modeling

Thomas Falk

Thomas Falk

Research Fellow, Natural
Resources and Resilience

Ara Go

Ara Go

Senior Program Manager, Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

Adam Kennedy

Adam Kennedy

Program Head, Development
Strategies and Governance

Ester Jimmy

Ester Jimmy

Research Associate, Innovation
Policy and Scaling