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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

Elodie Becquey

Elodie Becquey is a Senior Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit, based in IFPRI’s West and Central Africa office in Senegal. She has over 15 years of research experience in diet, nutrition, and food security in Africa, including countries such as Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, and Tanzania.

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Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion

Aulo Gelli

Senior Research Fellow

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Bio

Aulo Gelli is a Senior Research Fellow in the Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit. His main interests and experience are in the intersection of food policy and nutrition, with a particular focus on evaluating the impact of child health and nutrition interventions.

Prior to working at IFPRI, Aulo worked as a Research Fellow at Imperial College, as a Policy Analyst at the UK Collaborative on Development Sciences, and as a Statistician at the World Food Programme. Aulo trained as a physicist at Imperial College London, and then earned an MS in Information Processing and Neural Networks at Kings College London working on semantic memory models. He later studied human perception and cognition at the Laboratory of Neurobiology at University College London. He transitioned his career toward food policy and earned an MA in Development Economics and Food Security at the University of Rome, and a DPhil from the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London.

Languages spoken: English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish

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Publications

Publications

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Effect of adding milk to a micronutrient fortified high-energy biscuit school feeding programme in Yemen: A cluster-randomised controlled trial

2025
Bliznashka, Lilia; Michail, Monica George; Elsabbagh, Dalia; Gelli, Aulo; Hamid Hossam Al-Qadi, Ahmed Abdel; Saif Al-Ariqi, Munir Hassan; Hanash Qasim, Wajdan Hanash; Qawi Al-Athouri, Saeed Abdul; Hamid Ahmed Abdullah, Majed Abdel; Ali Naji Iskandar, Samia Majed
…more Hamoud Al-Battah, Nazma Saleh; Hamid Mansour, Salah Fazaa; Mohammed Al-Saadi, Samar Saeed; Goel, Mayank; ElHelbawy, Sherif; Rahman Qasem, Adeeb Abdul; Bahader, Hussein; Al-Haj, Waleed Mohammed; Al-Qasus, Adnan Yahya; Ohiarlaithe, Micheal; Suliman, Hala; Ghimire, Pramila; AlSabahi, Mohammed; AlBasha, Muna; Alameri, Abdulhafeed; Akther, Shahida; Qahtani, Fadhl Abdullah; Basaleem, Mohammed; Hassan, Mustafa; Bawazir, Samah
Details

Effect of adding milk to a micronutrient fortified high-energy biscuit school feeding programme in Yemen: A cluster-randomised controlled trial

Background Two billion children globally are estimated to live in conflict-affected areas. School feeding programmes (SFPs) are a widely implemented safety net that supports children during and after conflict. Objective We evaluated the effectiveness of providing milk alongside a high energy biscuits (HEBs) SFP in Yemen on children’s and caregivers’ outcomes. Methods We implemented a two-arm longitudinal cluster-randomised controlled trial from December 2023 to May 2024. 42 schools in Al Mukha district were randomly assigned (1:1) to: control, where children received HEBs (2 packets (100 grams) daily), or milk, where children received HEBs plus a 120 ml carton of ultra-high temperature milk. Children aged 6-18 years were randomly selected for enrolment. The primary outcomes were children’s dietary diversity and milk consumption. Secondary outcomes were children’s cognition, learning, attendance, nutritional status, and health. Tertiary outcomes were child and caregiver mental health, and household food security. We conducted intent-to-treat analysis using linear mixed effects models accounting for clustering. Results 1,299 children were enrolled. After five months, the intervention increased milk consumption, but had no effect on dietary diversity. Children’s cognition [mean difference (MD) 1.00 (95% CI 0.40, 1.61)], literacy [1.14 (0.36, 1.92)], and numeracy [1.06 (0.46, 1.67)] scores improved. Cough symptoms declined: -0.12 (-0.2, -0.03). There were no changes in school attendance or nutritional status. The intervention reduced conduct problems in children [-0.52 (-0.97, -0.08)], severe anxiety in caregivers [-0.03 (-0.06, -0.001)], and household severe food insecurity [-0.09 (-0.17, -0.001)]. Conclusions Adding a daily milk drink to an HEB SFP in Yemen resulted in numerous benefits for children and their families. Hybrid models to incrementally improve meal quality are feasible, acceptable, and lead to meaningful impacts. More research is needed on medium- and long-term benefits.

Year published

2025

Authors

Bliznashka, Lilia; Michail, Monica George; Elsabbagh, Dalia; Gelli, Aulo; Hamid Hossam Al-Qadi, Ahmed Abdel; Saif Al-Ariqi, Munir Hassan; Hanash Qasim, Wajdan Hanash; Qawi Al-Athouri, Saeed Abdul; Hamid Ahmed Abdullah, Majed Abdel; Ali Naji Iskandar, Samia Majed; Hamoud Al-Battah, Nazma Saleh; Hamid Mansour, Salah Fazaa; Mohammed Al-Saadi, Samar Saeed; Goel, Mayank; ElHelbawy, Sherif; Rahman Qasem, Adeeb Abdul; Bahader, Hussein; Al-Haj, Waleed Mohammed; Al-Qasus, Adnan Yahya; Ohiarlaithe, Micheal; Suliman, Hala; Ghimire, Pramila; AlSabahi, Mohammed; AlBasha, Muna; Alameri, Abdulhafeed; Akther, Shahida; Qahtani, Fadhl Abdullah; Basaleem, Mohammed; Hassan, Mustafa; Bawazir, Samah

Citation

Bliznashka, Lilia; Michail, Monica George; Elsabbagh, Dalia; Gelli, Aulo; et al. 2025. Effect of adding milk to a micronutrient fortified high-energy biscuit school feeding programme in Yemen: A cluster-randomised controlled trial. Journal of Nutrition 155(9): 2955-2964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.06.021

Keywords

Capacity Building; School Feeding; Conflicts; Emergencies; Schoolchildren; Dietary Diversity; Randomized Controlled Trials

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.06.021 Source record

Project

Fragility, Conflict, and Migration

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Unpacking power dynamics and women’s economic empowerment in polygynous households in Burkina Faso

2025Eissler, Sarah; Heckert, Jessica; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Sanou, Armande; Ganaba, Rasmané; Gelli, Aulo
Details

Unpacking power dynamics and women’s economic empowerment in polygynous households in Burkina Faso

Objective We aim to describe power distributions in polygynous households and consider how these matter for the production and allocation of food-generating resources in western Burkina Faso, where there is a high prevalence of polygyny. Background Recent studies on polygyny focus on its likely negative consequences and mechanisms for explaining these outcomes using data from large multitopic surveys. These approaches fail to consider the underlying dynamics in polygynous households. Method As part of a 5-year mixed-methods evaluation of a nutrition- and gender-sensitive poultry value chain intervention in western Burkina Faso, we conducted a thematic analysis of 24 gender-disaggregated focus group discussions (265 individuals) and 24 semi-structured interviews in six communities. They focused on gender and power dynamics, food production, and food allocation with a specific focus on polygyny. Results Relationships among co-wives are often cooperative, though not necessarily warm, and typically hierarchical. Monogamous and polygynous marriage may support women’s empowerment in different domains. Polygynous co-wives may be able to divide care work, but first wives often control how labor is divided. In monogamous marriages, wives often make decisions jointly with their husbands, while in polygynous marriages, most co-wives are left out of decisions. In polygynous households, women are better able to maintain control over their earnings. Conclusion We discuss these findings in terms of their implications for studying polygynous households in quantitative surveys and in terms of how to better design and target interventions for this population.

Year published

2025

Authors

Eissler, Sarah; Heckert, Jessica; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Sanou, Armande; Ganaba, Rasmané; Gelli, Aulo

Citation

Eissler, Sarah; Heckert, Jessica; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Sanou, Armande; Ganaba, Rasmané; and Gelli, Aulo. 2025. Unpacking power dynamics and women’s economic empowerment in polygynous households in Burkina Faso. Journal of Marriage and Family 87(3): 1249-1268. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.13063

Country/Region

Burkina Faso

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Gender; Households; Nutrition; Value Chain Analysis; Women’s Empowerment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.13063 Source record

Project

Agriculture for Nutrition and Health

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

A large-scale nutrition- and gender-sensitive poultry market-based program did not improve maternal and child diets in rural Burkina Faso: A cluster-randomized controlled trial

2025Becquey, Elodie; Diop, Loty; Diatta, Ampa D.; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Awonon, Josue; Ganaba, Rasmane; Gelli, Aulo
Details

A large-scale nutrition- and gender-sensitive poultry market-based program did not improve maternal and child diets in rural Burkina Faso: A cluster-randomized controlled trial

Background Livestock production interventions can improve consumption of animal-source foods and diet diversity, which may lead to improved micronutrient adequacy. Objective We assessed the effectiveness on maternal and child dietary outcomes of SELEVER, a livestock intervention designed to improve diets in rural Burkina Faso through training and market facilitation to improve poultry production; women’s empowerment activities; and nutrition and hygiene behavior change communication. Methods For a nonblinded cluster-randomized controlled trial, we randomly assigned 30 communes to SELEVER and 30 communes to control, of which 15 communes served as control for a narrow sample. Fifteen households were randomly selected in two villages per commune; of which 12 were included in the narrow sample. In the wide sample, we used ANCOVA to assess SELEVER’s effectiveness on dietary diversity in index children aged 2-4 years at baseline and in their caregivers, and on minimum acceptable diet in their siblings aged 6-23 months at measurement. In the narrow sample, we used difference-in-difference to assess SELEVER’s effectiveness on vitamin A, iron, and zinc prevalence of adequate intakes (PA) and mean PA of 11 micronutrients in index children and caregivers. Results We enrolled 1,767 index children, 1,766 caregivers and 412 siblings aged 6–23 months at endline in the wide sample, and 1,054 caregiver-child dyads in the narrow sample. In the wide sample, exposure to program activities was higher but moderate in SELEVER communities, with limited effects on dietary knowledge and practices and no effects on diet outcomes. The narrow sample showed a negative effect on zinc PA in children (-26 percentage points, P=0.020), and no effect on other outcomes. Conclusions A program focused on improving the productivity of and demand for nutritious foods did not improve micronutrient adequacy. Implementation strategy and bottlenecks may have limited the system transformations needed to produce measurable shifts toward healthier diets. The study was registered on the ISCRCTN registry (ISRCTN16686478); details are available at https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN16686478

Year published

2025

Authors

Becquey, Elodie; Diop, Loty; Diatta, Ampa D.; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Awonon, Josue; Ganaba, Rasmane; Gelli, Aulo

Citation

Becquey, Elodie; Diop, Loty; Diatta, Ampa D.; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Awonon, Josue; Ganaba, Rasmane; and Gelli, Aulo. 2025. A large-scale nutrition- and gender-sensitive poultry market-based program did not improve maternal and child diets in rural Burkina Faso: A cluster-randomized controlled trial. Journal of Nutrition 155(6): 1909-1922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.027

Country/Region

Burkina Faso

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Children; Dietary Diversity; Poultry; Rural Areas; Trace Elements

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.027 Source record

Project

Agriculture for Nutrition and Health

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

Exploring the promise of regenerative agriculture for school meal programs
IFPRI Blog
 | 
November 05, 2025

Exploring the promise of regenerative agriculture for school meal programs

By Kristin Davis, Upeksha Hettiarachchi, Ryan Nehring, Wei Zhang, Claudia Ringler, and Aulo Gelli

Linking sustainable farming practices to childhood nutrition.

Unlocking opportunities for planet-friendly school meals
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 08, 2023

Unlocking opportunities for planet-friendly school meals

By Aulo Gelli and Marie Ruel

Balancing nutrition and climate.

Kenya’s new urban school meal plan is ambitious – and could offer lessons for scaling up
IFPRI Blog
 | 
September 20, 2023

Kenya’s new urban school meal plan is ambitious – and could offer lessons for scaling up

By Elisheba Kiru and Aulo Gelli

Providing subsidized lunches for 250,000 Nairobi students.

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Events

The Economy-wide Impacts of School Meal Programs in Ghana and Malawi
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

December 10, 2025, 10:00 – 11:00 am

The Economy-wide Impacts of School Meal Programs in Ghana and Malawi

This webinar will explore the latest global evidence on how school feeding programs drive broad-based returns: boosting education, enhancing health outcomes, supporting local agriculture, and strengthening national development as a follow-up to episode 1 of this series. The session will showcase research from Malawi and Ghana, evaluating the economy-wide impacts of both nation’s national school […]

IFPRI @ 30th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP30)
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

November 10 to 21, 2025

IFPRI @ 30th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP30)

IFPRI is pleased to participate in the 30th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP30) being held in Belém, Brazil from November 10 to November 21, 2025. COP30 builds on progress of previous COPs to turn the ambitions of the Paris Agreement into reality. Hosted in the Amazonian city of Belém, the topics of […]

80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Climate Week 2025
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

September 21 to 28, 2025

80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Climate Week 2025

The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly – under the theme Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights – comes at a pivotal moment to renew global commitment to multilateralism, solidarity and shared action for people and planet. This year’s high-level week highlights the urgency of delivering on […]

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News

September 18, 2023 | In the News

Kenya’s new urban school meal plan is ambitious – it could offer lessons for scaling up (The Conversation) 

More than 250,000 children in public primary schools in Nairobi will receive regular subsidized school meals provided by the county government. The Dishi Na County program is Kenya’s first in an urban setting. The national school meal program set up in 2009 serves more than 1.5 million children in rural drought-affected counties. The Conversation asked Elisheba Kiru (African Population and […]

July 11, 2023 | Press Release

Women key to crop success in low-income countries

This post is a slightly modified version of the original press release issued by the University of Edinburgh. Empowering women farmers in low and middle-income countries can lead to greater crop diversity helping to improve year-round supply of healthy foods, suggests a new article published in The Lancet Planetary Health by a group of authors including […]

July 11, 2023 | In the News

Editorial: Empower women to grow (The Lancet Planetary Health)

“Almost half of the world’s agricultural workers are women and women farmers produce up to 80% of the food grown in LMICs. Despite their large contribution to agricultural labor, fewer than 20% of landowners globally are women,” writes The Lancet Planetary Health in an editorial featuring a new article co-authored by IFPRI’s Lilia Bliznashka, Aulo Gelli, and […]

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