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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.

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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

Impact evaluation of the economic inclusion programme in Kenya: Baseline report for cohort 2

2024Abay, Kibrom A.; Ayalew, Hailemariam; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hidrobo, Melissa; Kimathi, Sally; Kosec, Katrina; Mekonnen, Yalew
Details

Impact evaluation of the economic inclusion programme in Kenya: Baseline report for cohort 2

Graduation and economic inclusion programs complement cash or food transfers with multisectoral investments in asset building, income generation, skill training, and access to financial services and markets to strengthen resilience and opportunity for households who are poor (Andrews et al., 2021). Compared to classic social assistance programs that offer regular cash or food transfers to ensure minimum consumption levels, these programs aim to enable beneficiaries to invest in assets and skills that can make them more productive. Following promising results from initial studies on multiple economic Photo Credit: Peter Lowe / CIMMYT and social outcomes (e.g., Banerjee et al., 2015; Bandiera et al., 2017; Banerjee et al., 2021), these graduation and economic inclusion programs are increasingly being taken up by governments to complement their national social assistance programs. In 2019 the Government of Kenya’s (GoK) State Department of Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs, Directorate of Social Development, initiated the Kenya Social and Economic Inclusion Programme (KSEIP). The KSEIP is designed to complement and build on the flagship National Safety Net Programme (NSNP) and target those being served by it, moving beyond cash transfers to an integrated Social Protection system to enhance social and economic inclusion services and shock-responsive safety nets for poor and vulnerable households. The KSEIP is expected to contribute towards Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Year published

2024

Authors

Abay, Kibrom A.; Ayalew, Hailemariam; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hidrobo, Melissa; Kimathi, Sally; Kosec, Katrina; Mekonnen, Yalew

Citation

Abay, Kibrom A.; Ayalew, Hailemariam; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hidrobo, Melissa; Kimathi, Sally; Kosec, Katrina; and Mekonnen, Yalew. 2024. Impact evaluation of the economic inclusion programme in Kenya: Baseline report for cohort 2. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

Country/Region

Kenya

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Capacity Development; Impact Assessment; Economic Integration; Data

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Fragility, Conflict, and Migration

Record type

Report

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Journal Article

Bottom-up approaches and decentralized extension structures for improving access to and quality of extension services and technology adoption: Multi-level analysis from Malawi

2024Ragasa, Catherine; Alvarez-Mingote, Cristina; McNamara, Paul
Details

Bottom-up approaches and decentralized extension structures for improving access to and quality of extension services and technology adoption: Multi-level analysis from Malawi

This paper looks at village agriculture committees, model villages, and stakeholder panels at various levels as participatory and decentralized structures for improving demand articulation and accountability in agricultural extension service provision in Malawi. It uses various datasets including nationally representative household and community surveys, a survey of service providers, a survey of representatives from the various structures, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. It employs various estimation methods including matching techniques, matching plus regression adjustments, and an instrumental variables approach. Results show diverse experiences and functionality of these structures. Contrary to earlier reports, most of these structures are active, except for district stakeholder panels (DSPs), of which only about a quarter are active. Similarly, most of them provide a platform for discussion and feedback on service providers and the quality of their advice, except for DSPs. However, most structures were given poor ratings in terms of their responsiveness to the concerns and issues raised. Household participation in village development or agriculture committees is strongly associated with better household outcome indicators. These village committees, if they are active and responsive to farmers’ expressed concerns and needs, can contribute to better community-level outcomes. Results show that these village-level structures matter and that strengthening them is key to addressing their long-term functionality. On the other hand, a model village concept that focuses on an integrated approach to solving communities’ challenges is not associated with improved community outcome indicators; therefore, its implementation should be reviewed and improved to contribute to development outcomes.

Year published

2024

Authors

Ragasa, Catherine; Alvarez-Mingote, Cristina; McNamara, Paul

Citation

Ragasa, Catherine; Alvarez-Mingote, Cristina; and McNamara, Paul. 2024. Bottom-up approaches and decentralized extension structures for improving access to and quality of extension services and technology adoption: Multi-level analysis from Malawi. European Journal of Development Research 36: 1093–1146. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-024-00627-y

Country/Region

Malawi

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Agriculture; Stakeholders; Agricultural Extension Systems; Surveys; Capacity Development

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-024-00627-y Source record

Project

Excellence in Agronomy

Record type

Journal Article

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Working Paper

Quantifying food losses in the beans value chain in Rwanda: Analysis and results from a baseline survey

2024Delgado, Luciana; Niyonsingiza, Josue; Bachewe, Fantu Nisrane
Details

Quantifying food losses in the beans value chain in Rwanda: Analysis and results from a baseline survey

At the global level, awareness about the significance of food loss and waste has grown significantly over the past decade. The international community has taken the matter to hand as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and has committed to “halve the per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer level and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses” by 2030.

Year published

2024

Authors

Delgado, Luciana; Niyonsingiza, Josue; Bachewe, Fantu Nisrane

Citation

Delgado, Luciana; Niyonsingiza, Josue; and Bachewe, Fantu. 2024. Quantifying food losses in the beans value chain in Rwanda: Analysis and results from a baseline survey. SFS4YOUTH Working Paper 2. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152031

Country/Region

Rwanda

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Beans; Capacity Development; Surveys; Value Chains

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Gender Equality

Record type

Working Paper

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.

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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

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

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

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

Harriet Mawia

Harriet Mawia

Research Officer, Development
Strategies and Governance