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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

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.

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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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Publications

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Journal Article

Effect of combining lower- and higher-value monthly cash transfers with nutrition-sensitive agriculture, male engagement and psychosocial intervention on maternal depressive symptoms in rural Malawi: A secondary analysis of a cluster-randomised controlled trial

2026
Bliznashka, Lilia; Nwabuikwu, Odiche; Ahun, Marilyn N; Roschnik, Natalie; Phiri, Brenda; Gondwe-Matekesa, Esnatt; Kachinjika, Monice; Mvula, Peter; Munthali, Alister; Maggio, Daniel
…more Katundu, Mangani; Maleta, Kenneth; Gladstone, Melissa; Gelli, Aulo; MAZIKO trial team
Details

Effect of combining lower- and higher-value monthly cash transfers with nutrition-sensitive agriculture, male engagement and psychosocial intervention on maternal depressive symptoms in rural Malawi: A secondary analysis of a cluster-randomised controlled trial

Maternal depression affects one in five women in Malawi. Integrated interventions simultaneously addressing multiple risks are a promising strategy to improve mental health. This study evaluated the impact of a nutrition-sensitive social behaviour change (SBC) intervention (agriculture and livelihoods, male engagement and Caring for the Caregiver) with or without cash transfers on maternal perinatal depression during the lean season in rural Malawi. A midline survey for a cluster-randomised controlled trial was conducted, where 156 clusters were randomly assigned to four arms (39 clusters/arm): (1) standard of care (SoC), (2) SBC, (3) SBC+low cash (US$17 per month) and (4) SBC+high cash (US$43 per month). Pregnant women and mothers of children <2 years of age (n=2677) were enrolled at baseline (May–June 2022). A subsample of 1303 women was followed-up at midline (November–December 2023). Maternal perinatal depression was assessed using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire with a score of ≥8 indicating symptoms consistent with depression. Intervention effects were estimated using linear mixed effects models. At midline, SBC+high cash reduced depression scores relative to SoC (mean difference −1.13 (95% CI −1.96 to –0.31)) but had no impact on the proportion of women with depressive symptoms. Relative to SoC, SBC+low cash and SBC alone had no impact on depression scores or the proportion of women with depressive symptoms. Relative to SBC alone, adding cash to SBC reduced depression scores and the proportion of women with depressive symptoms regardless of the size of the cash transfer. Cash transfers integrated with SBC can benefit maternal perinatal mental health in rural Malawi during the lean season.

Year published

2026

Authors

Bliznashka, Lilia; Nwabuikwu, Odiche; Ahun, Marilyn N; Roschnik, Natalie; Phiri, Brenda; Gondwe-Matekesa, Esnatt; Kachinjika, Monice; Mvula, Peter; Munthali, Alister; Maggio, Daniel; Katundu, Mangani; Maleta, Kenneth; Gladstone, Melissa; Gelli, Aulo; MAZIKO trial team

Citation

Bliznashka, Lilia; Nwabuikwu, Odiche; Ahun, Marilyn N.; Roschnik, Natalie; Phiri, Brenda; et al. 2026. Effect of combining lower- and higher-value monthly cash transfers with nutrition-sensitive agriculture, male engagement and psychosocial intervention on maternal depressive symptoms in rural Malawi: A secondary analysis of a cluster-randomised controlled trial. BMJ Global Health 11(1): e018860. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2025-018860

Country/Region

Malawi

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Capacity Building; Rural Areas; Cash Transfers; Social Protection; Nutrition; Gender; Randomized Controlled Trials

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2025-018860 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Nurturing care in the first 10 years of life: Results from a Vietnamese longitudinal study

2025Tran, Lan Mai; Stein, Aryeh D.; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Young, Melissa F.; Ramakrishnan, Usha
Details

Nurturing care in the first 10 years of life: Results from a Vietnamese longitudinal study

Nurturing care (NC) is essential for children to meet their optimal development potential. However, the various NC dimensions and their patterns from preconception through adolescence have not been comprehensively documented. This study explored five NC dimensions (health, nutrition, safety/security, learning, and relationships) using prospectively collected data from 1040 mother–child dyads in a birth cohort conducted in Vietnam from 2011 to 2023. We described distributions of age‐specific variables of the NC dimensions from preconception through ages 2, 6, and 10 years, and generated scaled scores that ranged from 0 to 1. Mean scores varied across dimensions and life stages (range: 0.45–0.83). The scores were 0.1–0.2 points higher among mothers with higher schooling levels. Smaller differences (0.03–0.06 points) in scores were also observed between ethnicities, but no significant difference was observed between boys and girls. We observed positive correlations among most of the five dimensions within each study period (r range: 0.03–0.38). The variation of NC dimensions across different time points indicates a need to measure NC across life stages. Our findings demonstrate important gaps in gaining full achievement in NC from preconception through age 10 years.

Year published

2025

Authors

Tran, Lan Mai; Stein, Aryeh D.; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Young, Melissa F.; Ramakrishnan, Usha

Citation

Tran, Lan Mai; Stein, Aryeh D.; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Young, Melissa F.; and Ramakrishnan, Usha. 2025. Nurturing care in the first 10 years of life: Results from a Vietnamese longitudinal study. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1545(1): 145-156. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.15297

Country/Region

Vietnam

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Child Development; Health; Nutrition; Data; Children; Longitudinal Studies

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.15297 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Report

2025 Global report on food crises

2025Food Security Information Network; Global Network Against Food Crises
Details

2025 Global report on food crises

The Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2025 provides consensus-based analysis on acute food insecurity, acute malnutrition and population displacement in countries/territories identified as having food crises in 2024 . It is produced in collaboration with technical agencies and partners to provide a consensual analysis based on rigorous methodologies and the consolidation of data from various sources.

Year published

2025

Authors

Food Security Information Network; Global Network Against Food Crises

Citation

Food Security Information Network; and Global Network Against Food Crises. 2025. 2025 Global report on food crises. Rome, Italy: FSIN and GNAFC. https://www.fsinplatform.org/grfc2025

Keywords

Food Security; Malnutrition; Displaced Persons; Refugees; Policy Analysis

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Blogs

Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia 2024 Conference: Connecting the dots across systems
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Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia 2024 Conference: Connecting the dots across systems

By Julie Ghostlaw, Esha Sarswat, Shreya Chakraborty, Neha Kumar, Swetha Manohar, and Samuel Scott

Exploring the interconnectedness of food systems.