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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

Emily Schmidt

Emily Schmidt is a Senior Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. Her most recent research explores household livelihood strategies in Papua New Guinea, including linkages between agriculture, poverty, and nutrition outcomes among rural smallholder farmers.

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

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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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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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Conference Proceedings

Report on state-level training programme for FPOs in Odisha

2025International Food Policy Research Institute; Government of Odisha
Details

Report on state-level training programme for FPOs in Odisha

This report summarizes the outcomes of two-day State-Level Training Program for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) for 3 batches held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, from December 12-23, 2024. Organized by the Department of Agriculture & Farmer Empowerment (DAFE), Government of Odisha, in collaboration with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the CGIAR, the program aimed to enhance the knowledge and skills of FPO functionaries across the state. The training program, conducted across three batches, engaged approximately 131 participants, with a significant representation of women. The participants comprised CEOs and Board of Directors (BoD) members of FPOs from diverse districts of Odisha. The training curriculum was designed to address key areas of concern for FPOs, including FPO management, shareholder engagement, post-harvest management, certification, and market access. Experienced trainers, including Shri K.K. Jha and Shri Sujay Kar, along with researchers from IFPRI, delivered interactive sessions on these topics. The training program was well-received by the participants, with a strong emphasis on practical learning and interactive discussions. Key areas of interest for the participants included FPO management strategies, optimal shareholder numbers, post-harvest management practices, product certification, and exploring diverse marketing channels for their produce. This training program serves as a crucial step towards strengthening FPOs in Odisha by equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary for sustainable growth and success. The insights and learnings gained from this program will be valuable in further enhancing the capacity of FPOs to contribute to the development of the agricultural sector in the state. The training program highlighted the critical role of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in improving farmer livelihoods and strengthening the agricultural sector in Odisha. It provided a valuable platform for FPO functionaries to enhance their knowledge and skills in key areas of FPO management, such as financial management, marketing, and governance. The program fostered peer learning and networking among FPO representatives from different parts of the state. Furthermore, it identified key areas of concern and priorities for FPOs in Odisha related to the size, composition and structure, and tried to put forward some workable strategies to further strengthen the FPO ecosystem in the state. This executive summary provides a concise overview of the FPO training program, its objectives, methodology, and key outcomes.

Year published

2025

Authors

International Food Policy Research Institute; Government of Odisha

Citation

International Food Policy Research Institute. 2025. Report on state-level training programme for FPOs in Odisha. New Delhi, India: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173550

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Capacity Building; Training

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Conference Proceedings

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Brief

Advancing women’s voice and empowerment in the agrifood policy process: Findings and recommendations from the WEAGov India Pilot Study

2025Ragasa, Catherine; Kyle, Jordan; Yasmin, Sabina; Pande, Harshita; Basu, Sampurna; Sharma, Aanshi; Najjar, Dina
Details

Advancing women’s voice and empowerment in the agrifood policy process: Findings and recommendations from the WEAGov India Pilot Study

Women’s equal participation and leadership in political and public life can boost a country’s long-run economic growth, foster social inclusion, and help countries reach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Beyond these important outcomes, women’s inclusion in public life is a basic human right: women deserve a role in making decisions, controlling resources, and shaping policies. Yet, globally, only 22 percent of members of parliament and 16 percent of cabinet secretaries are women. Although disproportionately employed in the agrifood system, women lack decision-making power regarding the policies that govern it. And beyond high-level statistics like the share of women in national parliaments, there is a lack of tools for measuring and tracking gender equality in national- and state-level governance (ElDidi et al., 2021; Quisumbing et al., 2023; Ragasa et al., 2022). Yet, achieving meaningful progress on gender equality within governance requires identifying specific gaps and opportunities within a country’s policy process.

Year published

2025

Authors

Ragasa, Catherine; Kyle, Jordan; Yasmin, Sabina; Pande, Harshita; Basu, Sampurna; Sharma, Aanshi; Najjar, Dina

Citation

Ragasa, Catherine; Kyle, Jordan; Yasmin, Sabina; Pande, Harshita; Basu, Sampurna; Sharma, Aanshi; and Najjar, Dina. 2025. Advancing women’s voice and empowerment in the agrifood policy process: Findings and recommendations from the WEAGov India Pilot Study. WEAGov Brief 2025. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173280

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Agrifood Systems; Capacity Development; Decision Making; Women’s Empowerment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Gender Equality

Record type

Brief

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Report

Completion report: Agricultural transformation and market integration in the ASEAN region: Responding to food security and inclusiveness concerns

2025International Food Policy Research Institute; Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture
Details

Completion report: Agricultural transformation and market integration in the ASEAN region: Responding to food security and inclusiveness concerns

The ATMI-ASEAN project was launched on October 7–8, 2016, in the Philippines. It is a five-year project funded by International Funds for Agriculture Development (IFAD) with a year’s extension due to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The implementation of the project was led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and co-implemented by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). The ATMI-ASEAN project comprises three main components: Component 1. Policy studies and expert workshops; Component 2. High-level policy forums (HLPFs) and roundtables; and Component 3. Technical assistance for planning and policy development. Each component was scheduled and implemented over the project implementation from 2016 to 2021, then extended for a year to finalize the project implementation affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This report elaborates on all project outputs throughout the implementation.

Year published

2025

Authors

International Food Policy Research Institute; Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture

Citation

International Food Policy Research Institute; and Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture. 2025. Completion report: Agricultural transformation and market integration in the ASEAN region: Responding to food security and inclusiveness concerns. New Delhi, India: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/170263

Country/Region

Philippines

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Policies; Development; Food Security; Agrifood Sector; Value Chains; Capacity Development

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Blogs

Trust the messenger? The role of AI transparency in policy research communication
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 31, 2024

Trust the messenger? The role of AI transparency in policy research communication

By Michael Keenan, Jawoo Koo, Christine Mwangi, Naureen Karachiwalla, Clemens Breisinger, and MinAh Kim

Testing reader responses to chatbot- vs. human-written blog posts.

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.

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Events

Fruit & Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets: 2024 FRESH Science Conference
Series/Special Event

 | 

August 26 to 27, 2024

Fruit & Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets: 2024 FRESH Science Conference

Poor diets are a primary cause of malnutrition and the leading cause of disease worldwide. Improving diets, especially through increasing fruit and vegetable intake, can help to address these health and nutrition challenges. However, fruit and vegetable intake falls below recommended levels globally. The factors contributing to low fruit and vegetable consumption are complex, requiring […]

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.

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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 […]

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Our experts

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

Samuel Benin

Samuel Benin

Senior Research Fellow, Development
Strategies and Governance, Africa

Kristin Davis

Kristin Davis

Senior Research Fellow, Natural
Resources and Resilience

Mariam Dawoud

Mariam Dawoud

Program Manager, Development
Strategies and Governance

Ara Go

Ara Go

Senior Program Manager, Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

Adam Kennedy

Adam Kennedy

Program Head, Development
Strategies and Governance

Ian Masias

Ian Masias

Program Head, Development
Strategies and Governance

Ester Jimmy

Ester Jimmy

Research Associate, Innovation
Policy and Scaling

Harriet Mawia

Harriet Mawia

Research Officer, Development
Strategies and Governance