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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.

Erick Boy

researcher spotlight

Erick Boy

Erick Boy is the Chief Nutritionist in the HarvestPlus section of the Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit. As head of nutrition for the HarvestPlus Program since 2008, he has led research that has generated scientific evidence on biofortified staple crops as efficacious and effective interventions to help address iron, vitamin A, and zinc deficiency in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.

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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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The Earth Planet

Benin

countries and regions

Publications

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Fruit and vegetable consumption among adolescent secondary school students in Boukombe and Natitingou, North Benin

2025Houndolo, Melina Maureen; Houndolo, Sam; Jordan, Irmgard; Majaliwa, Elianna; Koukou, Elie; Ngianga-Bakwin, Kandala; Azandjeme, Colette; Katsivo, Melanie Nyambura; Termote, Céline; Hounkpatin, Waliou Amoussa
Details

Fruit and vegetable consumption among adolescent secondary school students in Boukombe and Natitingou, North Benin

Fruit and vegetables (F&V) are recommended for a healthy life. Adolescence is a critical period for the onset of eating disorders and future health. F&V consumption among adolescents is globally low, making this group a key target for diet/nutrition-related interventions. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess F&V consumption among secondary school students in the food-insecure communes of Boukombe (rural) and Natitingou (urban), Benin. Using probabilistic random sampling, 303 students completed F&V intake frequency questionnaires and 24-h dietary recalls on school and non-school days. Poisson models identified factors associated with F&V consumption. The results showed that only 8.8% (Boukombe) and 11% (Natitingou) of students consumed fruit at least twice per day, and over 80% of students had not eaten fruit in the preceding 24 h; 9.9% and 11.4%, respectively, consumed vegetables at least twice per day. On average, 45.5% of students in Boukombe and 68% in Natitingou consumed at least three types of vegetables on school days. The most commonly consumed fruits were oranges in Boukombe and lemons in Natitingou. Factors influencing fruit consumption included sex (p = 0.005), age (p = 0.04), and mothers’ occupation (p = 0.03) on school days/and school or non-school days, while commune (p = 0.00017) and ethnic group affected vegetable consumption. Such low F&V consumption among surveyed students is a matter of public health concern, as it is likely to affect their health―in terms of micronutrient deficiency―and intellectual performance. These results should incentivize nutrition researchers, project managers, public health officials, and policymakers to (re)design and implement broader measures targeting secondary school students’ dietary practices to increase their F&V consumption.

Year published

2025

Authors

Houndolo, Melina Maureen; Houndolo, Sam; Jordan, Irmgard; Majaliwa, Elianna; Koukou, Elie; Ngianga-Bakwin, Kandala; Azandjeme, Colette; Katsivo, Melanie Nyambura; Termote, Céline; Hounkpatin, Waliou Amoussa

Citation

Houndolo, Melina Maureen; Houndolo, Sam; Jordan, Irmgard; Majaliwa, Elianna; Koukou, Elie; Ngianga-Bakwin, Kandala; et al. Fruit and vegetable consumption among adolescent secondary school students in Boukombe and Natitingou, North Benin.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22(5): 767. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050767

Country/Region

Benin

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Adolescents; Fruits; Micronutrient Deficiencies; Vegetables

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050767 Source record

Project

Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Working Paper

Leveraging the role of MSMEs for healthier diets and nutrition: Insights from fruit and vegetable value chain studies across five countries

2024Nguyen, Trang; Termeer, Emma; Berkhout, Ezra; Mekonnen, Daniel Ayalew; Dijkxhoorn, Youri; de Steenhuijsen Pieters, Bart
Details

Leveraging the role of MSMEs for healthier diets and nutrition: Insights from fruit and vegetable value chain studies across five countries

In most low and middle-income countries (LMICs) the food system falls short in providing sufficient amounts of healthy foods to a burgeoning population. The growing awareness of how food systems are stressing planetary boundaries and failing to provide sustainable healthy diets and livelihoods has prompted the widespread call to transform the global food system (Béné 2022; FAO et al. 2020, 2024; Webb et al. 2020). Transforming food systems requires engaging various groups of actors with diverse perspectives and challenges (Leeuwis et al. 2021), including setting up alliances with the informal sector (Brouwer & Ruben 2021) and a strengthened focus on the role of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Globally, MSMEs represent about 90 percent of all businesses and account for 60 to 70 percent of employment and 50 percent of GDP. In the current food system, by being present at all value chain stages and better linking small-scale farmers to markets, MSMEs can offer affordable food to both urban and rural areas, create jobs and opportunities for young and female entrepreneurs, and support sustainable, circular food practices (IFAD 2021). These promises can be fulfilled if certain barriers that can hinder their contributions, such as high rates of food loss and waste (FLW), food safety concerns, and the uncertain informal context in which the majority of them operate are addressed (Termeer et al. 2024).

Year published

2024

Authors

Nguyen, Trang; Termeer, Emma; Berkhout, Ezra; Mekonnen, Daniel Ayalew; Dijkxhoorn, Youri; de Steenhuijsen Pieters, Bart

Citation

Nguyen, Trang; Termeer, Emma; Berkhout, Ezra; Mekonnen, Daniel Ayalew; Dijkxhoorn, Youri; and de Steenhuijsen Pieters, Bart. 2024. Leveraging the role of MSMEs for healthier diets and nutrition: Insights from fruit and vegetable value chain studies across five countries. SHiFT Working Paper December 2024. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168852

Country/Region

Benin; Ethiopia; Philippines; Vietnam

Keywords

Tanzania; Western Africa; Eastern Africa; South-eastern Asia; Africa; Asia; Food Systems; Small and Medium Enterprises; Sustainability; Healthy Diets; Value Chains; Fruits; Vegetables; Food Environment; Markets

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Working Paper

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Nutrition and diet profile: Benin

2024Diatta, Ampa Dogui; Olney, Deanna K.; Honeycutt, Sydney; Mitchodigni, Irene Medeme; Bliznashka, Lilia
Details

Nutrition and diet profile: Benin

Key Findings: -In Benin, undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing. -Diets in Benin have declined in quality over time, particularly among children. For example, low dietary diversity and inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption are prevalent. -Food-based dietary guidelines exist; however, awareness of the guidelines is unknown. -Most nutrition policies in Benin lack guidance on promoting fruit and vegetable intake. -Stronger evidence related to how to improve diet quality and combat malnutrition in Benin is needed to develop relevant interventions and policies.

Year published

2024

Authors

Diatta, Ampa Dogui; Olney, Deanna K.; Honeycutt, Sydney; Mitchodigni, Irene Medeme; Bliznashka, Lilia

Citation

Diatta, Ampa Dogui; Olney, Deanna K.; Honeycutt, Sydney; Mitchodigni, Irene Medeme; and Bliznashka, Lilia. 2024. Nutrition and diet profile: Benin. FRESH Country Brief November 2024. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/159608

Country/Region

Benin

Keywords

Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Nutrition; Diet; Trace Elements; Dietary Guidelines

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Brief

Datasets

Dataset

ASTI Benin Database

2014Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators
Details

ASTI Benin Database

This dataset includes national-level time series data on researcher capacity by qualification level, age bracket, discipline mix, and commodity, as well as a detailed breakdown of agricultural research investment across government, higher education, nonprofit, and (where possible) private for-profit agricultural research agencies. These data were derived through a series of primary survey rounds conducted by IFPRI’s Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) and in close collaboration with a large network of national collaborators. The ASTI data constitute a powerful resource for national and regional research managers, policymakers, donor organizations, and other stakeholders. ASTI’s key indicators provide both a diagnostic tool for assessing the allocation and use of existing resources and an advocacy tool for increasing resources and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of resource use. The ASTI website offers interactive pages that allow users to access country-level time series data, make cross-country comparisons, create graphs, and download country datasets and publications as well as detailed institutional information on agencies involved in agricultural research. The interactive benchmarking tool on the ASTI website is a convenient map-based instrument allowing users to make cross-country comparisons and rankings based on a wide set of financial and human resource indicators. The detailed ASTI datasets are available in an easy-to-use data download tool. Detailed information on definitions, methodology, and calculation procedures are available at www.asti.cgiar.org

Year published

2014

Authors

Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators

Citation

Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators. 2014. ASTI Benin database. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. http://www.asti.cgiar.org/benin. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1. https://www.asti.cgiar.org/benin

Country/Region

Benin

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Western Africa; Agricultural Research

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-3.0

Source

Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Dataset

Dataset

Benin: Small Farmer Survey, 1998

2004International Food Policy Research Institute
Details

Benin: Small Farmer Survey, 1998

This survey includes data from the Enquête des Petits Producteurs (Small Farmer Survey) carried out by IFPRI and LARES (Laboratoire d’Analyse Regionale et d’Expertise Sociale, Cotonou, Republic of Benin). The objectives were to describe rural livelihoods, examine how conditions for farmers have changed over time, and assess the impact of agricultural reforms on rural households. The training of enumerators, field testing of the survey and final revision of the questionnaire took place in June-July 1998. The survey itself was carried out over the period August to November 1998. The households were selected using a two-stage stratified random sample procedure based on the 1997 Pre-Census of Agriculture. In each of the six departments, villages randomly selected, with the number of villages proportional to the volume of agricultural production, subject to a minimum of 10 villages per department. In total, 100 villages were selected. In each village, nine households were randomly selected using listed prepared for the pre-Census. Three alternative households were selected for each village in case one or more of the nine were unavailable. In a few villages, the number of interviewed households was eight or ten, resulting in a final sample size of 899 farm households. Topics addressed in the survey include household and land characteristics, crop production, main agricultural activities, use of fertilizers and other inputs, source of credit, sale and use of crops, storage, consumption, time allocation, and sources of income as well as community level data on transport structure, marketing of agricultural products, village groups, agricultural production, extension services, and formal/informal credit.

Year published

2004

Authors

International Food Policy Research Institute

Citation

International Food Policy Research Institute. 2004. Benin: Small Farmer Survey, 1998. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. http://hdl.handle.net/1902.1/10020. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.

Country/Region

Benin

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Western Africa; Agricultural Situation; Extension; Rural Population; Household Surveys; Crops; Agriculture; Marketing; Small Farms; Livelihoods; Agricultural Productivity; Rural Areas; Credit

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-3.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Dataset

Blogs

Time-use agency: A new measure of women’s empowerment
IFPRI Blog
 | 
July 02, 2021

Time-use agency: A new measure of women’s empowerment

By Sarah Eissler, Jessica Heckert, Emily Myers, Greg Seymour, Sheela Sinharoy, Kathryn M. Yount, and Jessica Wallach

A more nuanced approach to gauging women's strategic choices about time and work.

Events

Fruit & Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets: 2024 FRESH Science Conference
Series/Special Event

 | 

August 26 to 27, 2024

Fruit & Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets: 2024 FRESH Science Conference

Poor diets are a primary cause of malnutrition and the leading cause of disease worldwide. Improving diets, especially through increasing fruit and vegetable intake, can help to address these health and nutrition challenges. However, fruit and vegetable intake falls below recommended levels globally. The factors contributing to low fruit and vegetable consumption are complex, requiring […]

News

April 12, 2022 | In the News

West Africa faces mixed food security impacts from the Russia-Ukraine conflict (Telos)

Telos (France) published an op-ed by senior research fellows Antoine Bouet and David Laborde, and research fellow Fousseini Traoré about how food security in West Africa has been deteriorating since 2015.  Now, like the rest of the world, the region faces rapidly growing impacts from Russia’s war in Ukraine, including spiking food prices and disruptions […]

Projects

National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP)

National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP)

Starting in 2016, IFPRI has led the provision of technical support to countries for next-generation National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIPs) at the request of the……

Program of Accompanying Research for Agricultural Innovation (PARI)

Program of Accompanying Research for Agricultural Innovation (PARI)

…