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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.

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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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TOPIC

Nutrition

Good nutrition is key to human well-being. Far too many people around the world are affected by malnutrition ranging from undernutrition to problems of overweight, obesity, and diet-related noncommunicable diseases. Improving nutrition requires contributions not only from the health sector but also from sectors as diverse as agriculture, social protection, gender, and education, which together can address the underlying causes of malnutrition.

IFPRI’s nutrition research aims to generate rigorous evidence on what works—and what does not—to prevent malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries. IFPRI’s nutrition research expertise covers nutrition and dietary assessment; infant and young child nutrition; adolescent nutrition; maternal nutrition; and school-based and other multisectoral nutrition programs.

IFPRI is proud of the strong relationships it has built with program implementers, national health and nutrition institutions, policymakers, and other academics, which help us deliver high-quality research and evidence-based advice. Recognizing the multisectoral nature of malnutrition, IFPRI’s nutrition research aligns closely with work on food systems, health, social protection, education and child development, and gender.

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IFPRI’s research on this topic is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG2, SDG3, SDG4, and SDG6, and the CGIAR Impact Areas on Nutrition, Health, and Food Security; Poverty Reduction, Livelihoods and Jobs, and Gender Equality, Youth, and Social Inclusion.

ATS02371NGR Fatima Abdou, in orange, who was trained by Oxfam to work in villages to survey malnutrition levels, give hygiene training sessions, and perform culinary demonstrations, helps a mother feed her baby.

topics

Publications

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Journal Article

Understanding differential reductions in undernutrition among districts in Rwanda through the perspectives of mid‐level and community actors on policy commitment and policy coherence

2024Iruhiriye, Elyse; Frongillo, Edward A.; Olney, Deanna K.; Niyongira, Emmanuel; Nanama, Simeon; Blake, Christine E.; Rwibasira, Eugene; Mbonyi, Paul
Details

Understanding differential reductions in undernutrition among districts in Rwanda through the perspectives of mid‐level and community actors on policy commitment and policy coherence

Understanding the drivers of improvements in child undernutrition at only the national level can mask subnational differences. This paper aimed to understand the contributions of factors in the enabling environment to observed differences in stunting reduction between districts in Rwanda. In 2017, we conducted 58 semi-structured interviews with mid-level actors (n = 38) and frontline workers (n = 20) implementing Rwanda’s multi-sectoral nutrition policy in five districts in which stunting decreased (reduced districts) and five where it increased or stagnated (non-reduced districts) based on Rwanda’s 2010 and 2014/15 Demographic and Health Surveys. Mid-level actors are government officials and service providers at the subnational level who represent the frontline of government policy. Interviews focused on political commitment to and policy coherence in nutrition, and contributors to nutrition changes. Responses were coded to capture themes on the changes and challenges of these topics and compared between reduced and non-reduced districts. Descriptive statistics described district characteristics. Political commitment to nutrition was high in both reduced and non-reduced districts. Respondents from reduced districts were more likely to define commitment to nutrition as an optimal implementation of policy, whereas those from non-reduced districts focused more on financial commitment. Regarding coherence, respondents from reduced compared to non-reduced districts were more likely to report the optimal implementation of multi-sectoral nutrition planning meetings, using data to assess plans and progress in nutrition outcomes and integration of nutrition into the agriculture sector. In contrast, respondents from non-reduced districts more often reported challenges in their relationships with national-level stakeholders and nutrition and/or monitoring and evaluation capacities. Enhancing the integration of nutrition in different sectors and improving mid-level actors’ capacity to plan and advocate for nutrition programming may contribute to reductions in stunting.

Year published

2024

Authors

Iruhiriye, Elyse; Frongillo, Edward A.; Olney, Deanna K.; Niyongira, Emmanuel; Nanama, Simeon; Blake, Christine E.; Rwibasira, Eugene; Mbonyi, Paul

Citation

Iruhiriye, Elyse; Frongillo, Edward A.; Olney, Deanna K.; Niyongira, Emmanuel; Nanama, Simeon; Blake, Christine E.; Rwibasira, Eugene; Mbonyi, Paul. Understanding differential reductions in undernutrition among districts in Rwanda through the perspectives of mid‐level and community actors on policy commitment and policy coherence. Maternal and Child Nutrition 20(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13640

Country/Region

Rwanda

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Child Nutrition; Stunting; Nutrition Policies; Governance; Capacity Development

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13640 Source record

Project

Agriculture for Nutrition and Health

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

A multi-sectoral community development intervention has a positive impact on diet quality and growth in school-age children in rural Nepal

2024Miller, Laurie C.; Neupane, Sumanta; Joshi, Neena; Lohani, Mahendra
Details

A multi-sectoral community development intervention has a positive impact on diet quality and growth in school-age children in rural Nepal

Poor diet quality (diet diversity and animal-source food [ASF] consumption) during childhood negatively affects growth, development, behaviour and physiologic function in later life. Relatively less is known about the impact of poor diet on the growth of school-age children compared to children <5 years of age, especially in low/middle-income countries. A better understanding of delivery strategies for effective interventions to improve diet and hence growth in school-age children is needed. A 36-month longitudinal controlled impact evaluation in rural Nepal assessed the nutrition and growth of children <5 years of age in families assigned via community clusters to full package intervention (community development, training in nutrition [during pregnancy and for children <5 years] and livestock husbandry), partial package (training only) or control (no inputs). Concurrent data were collected prospectively (baseline plus additional four rounds) on school-age children (5–8 years at baseline) in these households; the present study analysed findings in the cohort of school-age children seen at all five study visits (n = 341). Diet quality improved more in the full package school-age children compared to those in partial package or control households. full package children consumed more ASF (β +0.40 [CI 0.07,0.73], p < 0.05), more diverse diets (β +0.93 [CI 0.55,1.31], p < 0.001) and had better head circumference z-scores (β +0.21 [CI 0.07,0.35], p < 0.01) than control children. In conclusion, a multi-sectoral community development intervention was associated with improvements in diet and growth of school-age children in rural Nepal even though the intervention focused on the diet of children <5 years of age. The diet and growth of school-age children can be favourably influenced by community-level interventions, even indirectly.

Year published

2024

Authors

Miller, Laurie C.; Neupane, Sumanta; Joshi, Neena; Lohani, Mahendra

Citation

Miller, Laurie C.; Neupane, Sumanta; Joshi, Neena; and Lohani, Mahendra. 2024. A multi-sectoral community development intervention has a positive impact on diet quality and growth in school-age children in rural Nepal. Maternal and Child Nutrition 20(3). First published online March 15, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13637

Country/Region

Nepal

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Community Development; Diet Quality; Growth; Rural Communities; Schoolchildren; Animal Source Foods; Child Growth; Dietary Diversity; Nutrition

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13637 Source record

Project

Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Journal Article

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Report

Impacts of Africa RISING in Malawi

2024Haile, Beliyou; Azzarri, Carlo; Boukaka, Sedi-Anne; Chikowo, Regis; Vitellozzi, Sveva
Details

Impacts of Africa RISING in Malawi

This study evaluates the impact of Africa RISING, a large-scale sustainable intensification (SI) program that has been implemented in Central Malawi’s Dedza and Ntcheu districts beginning in 2012. Using a participatory action research framework, the program validated and promoted alternative SI options including fertilized maize, maize-legume intercropping, intercropping of two compatible legumes, cereal-legume rotation, and double-row planting of legumes. Impact is estimated on several SI indicators and domains using two rounds of panel data and difference-in-differences techniques. The unique study design allowed us to estimate impact by comparing outcomes among program beneficiaries with two different counterfactual groups—one located inside program villages (within village comparison) and another in non-program (control) villages (out-of-village comparison). We also conduct a placebo test comparing non-beneficiaries in the two counterfactual groups. The within-village comparison shows positive impact on several agricultural and economic indicators including access to agricultural information, value of harvest, on-farm diversity, labor profitability, annual net household income, per capita household consumption expenditure, household wealth, and household dietary diversity score. We do not find a statistically significant impact on human indicators such as child and maternal nutrition. Estimates based on within-village, out-of-village, and placebo comparisons suggest important insights about the challenges in assessing the impact of agricultural programs in general and, specifically, participatory multi-intervention programs in the presence of sample (self-)selection and spillovers. Our study highlights important lessons learned to inform future program design and impact assessments.

Year published

2024

Authors

Haile, Beliyou; Azzarri, Carlo; Boukaka, Sedi-Anne; Chikowo, Regis; Vitellozzi, Sveva

Citation

Haile, Beliyou; Azzarri, Carlo; Boukaka, Sedi-Anne; Chikowo, Regis; and Vitellozzi, Sveva. 2024. Impacts of Africa RISING in Malawi. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148699

Country/Region

Malawi

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Sustainability; Intensification; Agriculture; Maize; Legumes; Indicators; Income; Nutrition

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Blogs

Transforming food systems for sustainable healthy diets: A global imperative
IFPRI Blog
 | 
May 29, 2024

Transforming food systems for sustainable healthy diets: A global imperative

By Purnima Menon and Deanna Olney

The 2024 Global Food Policy Report focuses on the pivotal role of nutrition.

Research-backed policy to eliminate miniket rice in Bangladesh will improve nutrition
IFPRI Blog
 | 
May 01, 2024

Research-backed policy to eliminate miniket rice in Bangladesh will improve nutrition

By Victor Taleon and Zakiul Hasan

Over-processing removes essential nutrients.

Addressing the global, life-long health impacts of zinc deficiency: A call to action
IFPRI Blog
 | 
April 25, 2024

Addressing the global, life-long health impacts of zinc deficiency: A call to action

By Nicola M. Lowe, Andrew G. Hall, Martin R. Broadley, Jen Foley, Erick Boy, and Zulfiqar A. Bhutta

What an array of studies shows about a key nutritional challenge

Events

Improving Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition in Nigeria: Policies and Actions
Series/Special Event

 | 

July 25, 2024, 10:00 – 1:30 pm

Improving Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition in Nigeria: Policies and Actions

Despite significant progress in addressing hunger and undernutrition in the early 2000s, malnutrition, in all its forms, remains a major challenge in all regions of the world.  Unhealthy diets remain the primary drivers of many forms of malnutrition, including undernutrition, overweight and obesity, micronutrient deficiencies, and diet-related noncommunicable diseases.  Today, the number of people who […]

2024 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

July 8 to 18, 2024

2024 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be held from Monday, July 8, to Wednesday, July 17, 2024, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This includes the three-day ministerial segment of the forum from Monday, July 15, to Wednesday, July 17, 2024 as part of the High-level Segment of the […]

Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition: The MENA launch of IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report
Series/Special Event

 | 

July 8, 2024, 9:00 – 11:00 am

Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition: The MENA launch of IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report

Unhealthy diets are a major driver of all forms of malnutrition, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity. Despite increasing global efforts to address malnutrition, as many as 3 billion people globally cannot afford healthy diets. The need to transform our food systems to ensure sustainable healthy diets for everyone is more urgent than […]

News

May 29, 2024 | Press Release

The 2024 Global Food Policy Report Stresses Urgent Need for Transformative Action to Achieve Sustainable Healthy Diets and Improved Nutrition

Washington DC, May 29, 2024: In the face of growing challenges posed by unhealthy diets, all forms of malnutrition, and environmental constraints, the 2024 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR) — released today by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) — underscores the importance of transforming complex global food systems to ensure sustainable healthy diets for all. Progress […]

April 18, 2024 | In the News

Why a campaign has started to bring back some plants that have been forgotten (NPR) 

In a radio story, NPR explains that the world depends on just a few crops for most of its food.  Because that dependence could be risky, a new international effort supports research and development of overlooked plants as food sources.  NPR interviewed Purnima Menon, senior director of Food and Nutrition Policy at IFPRI, who discussed countries that had invested in […]

November 16, 2023 | Press Release

The IPC expands global partnership to further tackle food insecurity and malnutrition – IFPRI, UNDP, World Bank and WHO

November 16, 2023, Rome — The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative reaches a new milestone today as it expands its global partnership to include four new partners – the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO) – and establishes […]

Our experts

Daniel Gilligan

Daniel Gilligan

Director, Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion (PGI), Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

Purnima Menon

Purnima Menon

Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy, CGIAR and IFPRI, Markets,
Trade, and Institutions, Nutrition, Diets, and Health, Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion

Deanna Olney

Deanna Olney

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

Elodie Becquey

Elodie Becquey

Senior Research Fellow, Africa,
Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Marie Ruel

Marie Ruel

Senior Research Fellow, Nutrition,
Diets, and Health

Ester Jimmy

Ester Jimmy

Research Associate, Innovation
Policy and Scaling

Sakile Kudita

Sakile Kudita

Associate Research Fellow , Innovation
Policy and Scaling