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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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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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Foresight and Policy Modeling

James Thurlow

Director, Foresight and Policy Modeling (FPM)

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James Thurlow is Director of the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit, where he oversees the institute’s research program on the major drivers of inclusive agricultural transformation and sustainable development. James’ own research uses economywide models to study the interactions between policies and agrifood systems; structural, climate, and demographic change; and livelihoods, poverty, and food security. He has worked with researchers and governments across Africa and Asia to strengthen foresight capabilities and enhance the coherence of development strategies.

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Publications

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Working Paper

Economywide assessment of CSA interventions in building resilient agri-food systems in Rwanda

2025Aragie, Emerta A.; Thurlow, James; Warner, James; Niyonsingiza, Josue
Details

Economywide assessment of CSA interventions in building resilient agri-food systems in Rwanda

Due to its structural features, the Rwanda’s agri-food system is extremely vulnerable to the risks of climate variability. To accelerate and sustain growth in the food system, increase its resilience to shocks, and improve food security, the Rwandan government incorporated a list of climate-smart agricultural interventions into its updated Fifth Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation (PSTA-5) program, with ambitious, explicit targets. This paper assesses the impacts of these CSA interventions on Rwanda’s agri-food system, both with and without climate change, using historical declines in yield within agriculture as a proxy. Results show that modeled CSA practices during the PSTA-5 period (2024/25-2028/29) increase agricultural and overall GDP growth by 4.2 and 1.3 percentage points by the end of the plan period, respectively, with a long-term growth impact that stretches well beyond the plan period mainly owing to the persistent effects of irrigation and terracing. Cumulative agricultural GDP (2024/25-2028/29) would be 2.7 percent higher than the baseline outcome of no such CSA investments. We also find stronger household level effects, mainly in rural areas. Furthermore, a recurrent 1-in-5-year magnitude of climatic shock in Rwanda can cause substantial reductions in agricultural (-7.6 percent) and overall (-2.7 percent) GDP during the PSTA-5 period. The CSA interventions are impactful in minimizing the effects of climate change on the Rwandan economy.

Year published

2025

Authors

Aragie, Emerta A.; Thurlow, James; Warner, James; Niyonsingiza, Josue

Citation

Aragie, Emerta; Thurlow, Emerta; Warner, James; and Niyonsingiza, Josue. 2025. Economywide assessment of CSA interventions in building resilient agri-food systems in Rwanda. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2373. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177650

Country/Region

Rwanda

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Climate-smart Agriculture; Modelling; Food Systems; Agricultural Policies

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

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Brief

Malawi: Cost effective options for inclusive and sustainable development

2025Aragie, Emerta A.; Kankwamba, Henry; Pauw, Karl; Thurlow, James; Jones, Eleanor
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Malawi: Cost effective options for inclusive and sustainable development

In this policy brief, we present findings of a systematic evaluation and ranking of investment options for Malawi’s agrifood system based on their cost-effectiveness in achieving multiple development outcomes, including agrifood gross domestic product (GDP) growth, agrifood job creation, poverty reduction, declining undernourishment, and lowering diet deprivation. Additionally, the study assesses their environmental footprint, focusing on water consumption, land use, and emissions. Investments in small and medium enterprise (SME) processors, seed systems, and farmers credit are shown to be the most cost-effective at driving improvements in social outcomes, like poverty and undernourishment. They are also highly ranked in terms of expanding agrifood GDP and employment. Investments in extension and advisory services for livestock, SME traders, and seed subsidy also rank high. However, many cost-effective investments have relatively high environmental footprints, which highlights potential tradeoffs. The study further reveals shifts in the cost-effectiveness ranking of in vestment options overtime and when extreme production shocks occur.

Year published

2025

Authors

Aragie, Emerta A.; Kankwamba, Henry; Pauw, Karl; Thurlow, James; Jones, Eleanor

Citation

Aragie, Emerta; Kankwamba, Henry; Pauw, Karl; Thurlow, James; and Jones, Eleanor. 2025. Malawi: Cost effective options for inclusive and sustainable development. Agrifood Investment Prioritization Country Series Brief 6. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177134

Country/Region

Malawi

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Agrifood Systems; Development; Investment; Economic Aspects; Environmental Impact

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

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Working Paper

A good global investment for the United States: How investing in CGIAR makes America stronger, safer and more prosperous

2025
Hill, Ruth Vargas; McNamara, Brian; Ringler, Claudia; Spielman, David J.; Thurlow, James; Berrospi, Maria Lucia; Chambers, Judith A.; Falck-Zepeda, José B.; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Glauber, Joseph W.
…more Hernandez, Manuel A.; Headey, Derek D.; Hoffmann, Vivian; Kosec, Katrina; Martin, Will; Nia, Reza; Nin-Pratt, Alejandro; Piñeiro, Valeria; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Vos, Rob; Zambrano, Patricia; Zhang, Wei
Details

A good global investment for the United States: How investing in CGIAR makes America stronger, safer and more prosperous

This report documents how CGIAR investments have delivered substantial economic, security, and diplomatic benefits for the U.S. that far exceed financial contributions. By driving agricultural innovation and providing evidence-based insights, CGIAR has boosted U.S. farm productivity, expanded export markets, and made food more affordable for American consumers. It has also helped prevent billions of dollars in potential damage from pests and diseases that threaten U.S. food security and farm livelihoods. CGIAR promotes American leadership in agricultural innovation by supplying the majority of the genetic materials used in U.S. crop breeding and acting as a critical research partner for U.S. businesses and universities. CGIAR also makes America safer and stronger through its work on predicting crises, protecting food security, and on improving livelihoods as an alternative to migration.

Year published

2025

Authors

Hill, Ruth Vargas; McNamara, Brian; Ringler, Claudia; Spielman, David J.; Thurlow, James; Berrospi, Maria Lucia; Chambers, Judith A.; Falck-Zepeda, José B.; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Glauber, Joseph W.; Hernandez, Manuel A.; Headey, Derek D.; Hoffmann, Vivian; Kosec, Katrina; Martin, Will; Nia, Reza; Nin-Pratt, Alejandro; Piñeiro, Valeria; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Vos, Rob; Zambrano, Patricia; Zhang, Wei

Citation

Hill, Ruth; McNamara, Brian; Ringler, Claudia; Spielman, David; Thurlow, James; Berrospi, Maria Lucia; et al. 2025. A good global investment for the United States: How investing in CGIAR makes America stronger, safer and more prosperous. IFPRI Working Paper. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176753

Country/Region

United States

Keywords

Americas; Northern America; Economic Aspects; Finance; Agricultural Innovation; Exports; Markets; Food Security; Research

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

Events

Shaping Food Policy in a Changing World: Research Priorities for Greater Impact
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

December 15, 2025, 9:00 – 4:00 pm

Shaping Food Policy in a Changing World: Research Priorities for Greater Impact

Also streaming on Please type your questions into the chat box with name, affiliation, and country. The event video, presenter slides, and podcast will be available in the days following the event. In today’s fast-changing world and evolving food systems, the need for evidence-based food policy has never been more urgent – demanding research that […]

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 […]

4th International Conference on Financing for Development
IFPRI at External Event

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June 30 to July 3, 2025

4th International Conference on Financing for Development

IFPRI is pleased to participate in the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4). This conference provides a unique opportunity to reform financing at all levels, including to support reform of the international financial architecture and addressing financing challenges preventing the urgently needed investment push for the SDGs. FFD4 Conference will be held in […]

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News

June 23, 2025 | Press Release

New study proposes smarter cropland allocation to support sustainable agricultural intensification in Senegal

The study explores how farmers’ land-use decisions can be guided by the relative risks and returns of different crops—similar to how financial investments are managed.

August 13, 2024 | In the News

Sudan’s catastrophe: farmers could offer quick post-war recovery, if peace is found

Despite the stark reality, there is a potential path forward for Sudan, believe IFPRI experts.

February 03, 2021 | In the News

Integrated customer experience strategies essential to enterprise growth (Nigeria Communications Week)

Nigeria Communications Week published an article stating that a report from Nigeria’s Statistics Bureau showed that the economy contracted by 6.1% year on year by Quarter 2 of 2020 alone. This decline is Nigeria’s steepest recorded in the past decade. In addition, a report from IFPRI, Coronavirus: Lockdowns across Africa creating major economic loss showed that during the lockdown […]

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