Subscribe

Back

Who we are

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

Eliot Jones-Garcia

Eliot Jones-Garcia is a Senior Research Analyst with the Natural Resources and Resilience Unit based in Washington, DC. His research focuses on human-AI interaction, user-centered design, and the ethical and responsible development of AI. Eliot is currently finalizing a PhD on the digitalization of agricultural advisory services at Wageningen University & Research.

Back

What we do

Since 1975, IFPRI’s research has been informing policies and development programs to improve food security, nutrition, and livelihoods around the world.

Research topics

Projects and impact

Food Security Portal

Modeling tools

What’s new

Where we work

Back

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.

IFPRI Regional Programs

IFPRI Country Programs

Research by country and region

Subscribe

experts

Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion

Moogdho Mahzab

Research Fellow

Follow

Moogdho

at:

@moogdho_mahzab
ORCiD

Bio

Moogdho Mahzab is a Research Fellow with the Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit, based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is a development economist with research interests in environment, health, and political economy. Prior to joining IFPRI, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford Graduate Business School and Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University. He received his PhD in Economics from the University of Viginia. He also received the U.S. Fulbright Scholarship from Bangladesh to pursue a master’s in Policy Economics at Williams College.

Personal Website

LinkedIn

Publications

Resource thumbnail

Manuscript-unpublished

Module for measuring gender norms in agrifood systems: Adapted for focusing on youth and mechanization in Bangladesh

2025Heckert, Jessica; Mahzab, Moogdho; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Simi, Sonjida Mesket
Details

Module for measuring gender norms in agrifood systems: Adapted for focusing on youth and mechanization in Bangladesh

This module is designed for use in agricultural communities in Bangladesh. Specifically, we expect that it will be well suited for evaluating changes in gender norms for gender transformative approaches paired with technical interventions with an agricultural mechanization component. This module is also designed to focus on differences in norms for young women (~ age 1534) and more mature women (~age 35-64) working in agriculture. First, we suggest identifying and using culturally appropriate terminology to refer to women in these two age groups. Additionally, we suggest piloting this survey in a sample with adequate numbers of younger and older women and men. For example, >300 respondents in each of the following categories: women 15-34, men 15-34, women 35-64, and men 35-64. These sample sizes will make it possible to compare perceptions of gender norms regarding younger and older women and consider gender by youth intersectionality. In the modules that follow, the same questions are asked regarding young women and older/mature women. One option to consider that can help avoid respondent fatigue from repeating similar questions would be to randomly assign half of the sample questions about young women and the other half of the sample questions about older/mature women.

Year published

2025

Authors

Heckert, Jessica; Mahzab, Moogdho; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Simi, Sonjida Mesket

Citation

Heckert, Jessica; Mahzab, Moogdho; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; and Simi, Sonjida Mesket. 2025. Module for measuring gender norms in agrifood systems: Adapted for focusing on youth and mechanization in Bangladesh. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179398

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Gender; Agrifood Systems; Youth; Gender Norms; Mechanization

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Manuscript-unpublished

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Brick kilns and agricultural productivity in Bangladesh: Evidence from satellite data and a natural experiment

2025Mahzab, Moogdho; Bakhtiar, M. Mehrab; Mattsson, Martin; Anowar, Md Sadat
Details

Brick kilns and agricultural productivity in Bangladesh: Evidence from satellite data and a natural experiment

Bangladesh’s brick kiln industry plays a critical role in supplying construction materials for rapid urbanization. However, the sector remains largely informal and weakly regulated, with widespread extraction of fertile topsoil and substantial emissions of particulate matter and black carbon. These practices raise growing concerns about long-term environmental degradation, agricultural productivity, and food security. This policy brief summarizes new national-scale evidence on the impacts of brick kiln expansion on agricultural productivity in Bangladesh. Using satellite-based vegetation data covering more than two decades and a newly constructed geospatial inventory of brick kilns, the study provides causal estimates of how kiln establishment affects vegetation health and crop productivity over time.

Year published

2025

Authors

Mahzab, Moogdho; Bakhtiar, M. Mehrab; Mattsson, Martin; Anowar, Md Sadat

Citation

Mahzab, Moogdho; Bakhtiar, M. Mehrab; Mattsson, Martin; and Anowar, Md Sadat. 2025. Brick kilns and agricultural productivity in Bangladesh: Evidence from satellite data and a natural experiment. FCA Brief. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179197

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Drying Kilns; Bricks; Agricultural Productivity; Satellites; Data; Satellite Imagery

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Labor market and gender impacts of agricultural mechanization: Evidence from Bangladesh’s combine harvester subsidy program

2025Mahzab, Moogdho; Bakhtiar, M. Mehrab; Karim, Md. Aminul; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Roy, Shalini
Details

Labor market and gender impacts of agricultural mechanization: Evidence from Bangladesh’s combine harvester subsidy program

Bangladesh’s Phase III agricultural mechanization subsidy program (2020–2024) distributed over 35,000 machines worth BDT 1,595 crore (USD 163 million), including nearly 9,000 combine harvesters (CHs) that accounted for 84% of machinery expenditure. Earlier causal econometric analysis suggests that high-allocation CH areas saw 6-13% yield gains, 38-70% lower labor costs, and 12-26% lower production costs. In this note, we explore the distributional consequences of subsidized combine harvesters, particularly along gender lines. As a result of the program, self-employment in agriculture increases by 5.3 percentage points; men shift from wage labor to own-account farm work linked to mechanized operations. Female self-employment in agriculture declines by 2.6 percentage points; overall female employment probability falls by 1.8 percentage points. Unlike men, women do not transition into non-agricultural employment, indicating limited capacity to absorb displaced female workers. Among those who remain self-employed, women increase their time allocation substantially—suggesting that while fewer women participate, those who do work more hours, likely in livestock and fisheries. Foreign migration increases by 6.1 percentage points in high-mechanization areas, suggesting households use freed labor for overseas opportunities.

Year published

2025

Authors

Mahzab, Moogdho; Bakhtiar, M. Mehrab; Karim, Md. Aminul; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Roy, Shalini

Citation

Mahzab, Moogdho; Bakhtiar, M. Mehrab; Karim, Md. Aminul; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; and Roy, Shalini. 2025. Labor market and gender impacts of agricultural mechanization: Evidence from Bangladesh’s combine harvester subsidy program. IFPRI Project Note. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178946

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Labour Market; Gender; Impact; Agricultural Mechanization; Subsidies; Combine Harvesters

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

Events

Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia: Towards Impact at Scale
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

December 2 to 4, 2025

Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia: Towards Impact at Scale

South Asia continues to face an enduring burden of malnutrition in all its forms—undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and a steady increase in overweight and obesity and non-communicable diseases. Over 1 billion people in South Asia cannot afford a healthy diet. While many promising solutions have emerged, translating them into sustained, large-scale impact remains a challenge. This […]