Dr. Ephraim Nkonya is a Nonresident Fellow in the Natural Resources and Resilience Unit. His research is on land resources for poverty reduction. At IFPRI, he led a landmark global study on the economics of land degradation, which uses the broad definition of land degradation as long-term loss of ecosystem services. Ephraim has also conducted studies on impact assessments and best land management practices that could be used for climate change adaptation. He has published 7 books and many book chapters and refereed journal articles on issues related to natural resource management and poverty reduction.
Ephraim is a true east African, with Tanzanian citizenship and ancestral heritage from Kenya and Uganda. He was born and raised on a small farm in northern Tanzania, a setting that inspired and shaped his academic and career development.