The Development Strategies Unit is organized around three broad research themes central to defining policies and development strategies that will support food system transformation, help to end poverty and malnutrition, and improve livelihoods.

• To promote growth and rural transformation, the Development Strategies Unit’s research aims to identify the set of policies and market opportunities that can best enable agriculture and the rural economy to catalyze food system transformation, generate broad-based growth, and create decent farm and nonfarm employment.
• The Unit’s work on pro-poor public investments investigates the types of public investments that can sustainably deliver high-quality services and reduce poverty. Research also looks at the processes that enable and encourage more pro-poor public spending.
• Work on governance for rural development addresses the structure of institutions and the relationships between governments and citizens and how these affect the prospects for effective, inclusive, transparent, and accountable development policies.

To ensure policy relevance and enhance impact, the Development Strategies Unit implements much of its work through IFPRI’s Regional Offices for Africa, Asia, and Latin America and through IFPRI’s Country Programs. Together with the CGIAR Research Initiative on National Policies and Strategies, these offices and programs facilitate regular interactions with key stakeholders to ensure that IFPRI’s research and analysis are responsive to the needs of national and regional policymakers. IFPRI’s capacity strengthening efforts are also largely implemented through the Regional Offices and Country Programs.

Predecessor IFPRI Division page is available at :

• DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AND GOVERNANCE (DSGD)
• REGIONAL OFFICES