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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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John M. Ulimwengu

Senior Research Fellow

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John Ulimwengu is a Senior Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit who currently works on food systems mapping in selected African countries. His research interests include food systems dynamics, resilience, and spatial typology for food and nutrition security. Since 2007, John has been involved in strategic research on the transformation of food systems in Africa under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) agenda and has served as the Africa-wide coordinator of the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS). He has codeveloped an interactive spatial typology tool for food and nutrition security that is being used in several countries. He holds a PhD in agricultural economics and a master’s degree in economics from Ohio State University, as well as a master’s degree in development economics from Williams College.

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Publications

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Journal Article

Understanding spatial heterogeneity of hidden hunger in Senegal

2025Marivoet, Wim; Ulimwengu, John M.; Sall, Leysa Maty; Fall, Cheickh Sadibou
Details

Understanding spatial heterogeneity of hidden hunger in Senegal

Using household consumption data collected in 2017/18, this paper analyzes patterns of urban and rural food consumption in Senegal. We adopt two methodological approaches: an in-depth (spatial) profiling of current diets and corresponding nutrient intakes and an application of the Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (QUAIDS). Our findings indicate that Senegal is a typical case of micronutrient deficiency, especially regarding calcium, iron, and vitamin B12. Due to their higher income status and better food access, urban dwellers on average have a more diversified diet with higher nutrient intakes compared to their rural counterparts, especially regarding calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin A. While the country’s food system in general is unable to assure a nutritious diet for all, the most remote rural departments in Senegal, such as Saraya and Podor, display the highest nutrient deficiencies and therefore should be targeted with priority. Apart from geographical targeting and given their higher responsiveness to price and income changes, policies based on food pricing and income transfers should be implemented to ensure a minimal nutrient intake among the most food-insecure households. These policies could be further complemented with behavioral change campaigns to promote an alternative set of nutrient-rich and cost-effective food items.

Year published

2025

Authors

Marivoet, Wim; Ulimwengu, John M.; Sall, Leysa Maty; Fall, Cheickh Sadibou

Citation

Marivoet, Wim; Ulimwengu, John M.; Sall, Leysa Maty; and Fall, Cheickh Sadibou. 2025. Understanding spatial heterogeneity of hidden hunger in Senegal. Cogent Food & Agriculture 11(1): 2533375. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2025.2533375

Country/Region

Senegal

Keywords

Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Household Consumption; Food Consumption; Diet; Nutrition; Micronutrient Deficiencies; Food Systems; Elasticity of Demand; Nutrient Deficiencies

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2025.2533375 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Report

Africa Report: External development financial flows to food systems

2025Gbossa, Nadine; Yamdjeu, Augustin Wambo; Ulimwengu, John M.
Details

Africa Report: External development financial flows to food systems

The 3FS report series contains three key components that together provide first-of its kind evidence on financial flows to food systems: • Country reports from the Governments of Kenya, Niger and Peru, which piloted the 3FS Framework to generate first-time in-country evidence on food systems financing. These reports visualize domestic public resources and external development finance in a complementary manner. The next step is to incorporate private sector investment to complete the financial landscape. Furthermore, seven additional governments across Africa and Asia have formally requested support in applying the 3FS approach to track their own food systems financing. • A global report on the state of external development financial flows to food systems in support of low-income countries and middle-income countries. The report captures trends before and after 2021, the year of the United Nations Food Systems Summit – a key benchmark for assessing global and national commitments to scaling up concessional financing for food systems transformation. It explores: – How much external development financing has been provided – What is being financed – The types of financial instruments used, ranging from grants to highly concessional and concessional loans The global report also profiles major donors and their financing patterns and highlights top recipient regions and countries, with particular attention to how resource allocations align with food systems vulnerabilities. Finally, it includes an annex contributed by the Global Network Against Food Crises, which examines the immediate prospects for bilateral funding for food assistance and beyond. The annex explores the relationship between humanitarian and development financing for food systems in the context of ongoing shifts in bilateral funding.

Year published

2025

Authors

Gbossa, Nadine; Yamdjeu, Augustin Wambo; Ulimwengu, John M.

Citation

Gbossa, Nadine; Yamdjeu, Augustin Wambo; and Ulimwengu, John M. 2025. Africa Report: External development financial flows to food systems. September 2025. Rome; Kigali; Washington DC: IFAD; AKADEMIYA2063; IFPRI. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177269

Country/Region

Kenya; Niger; Peru

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Western Africa; Americas; South America; Development; Financing; Food Systems; Less Favoured Areas; Vulnerability

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

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Brief

Addressing data deficiency in CAADP’s poverty reduction commitment

2025Ulimwengu, John M.; Tefera, Wondwosen
Details

Addressing data deficiency in CAADP’s poverty reduction commitment

This policy brief examines Africa’s data reporting performance on the commitment to halve poverty under the fourth CAADP Biennial Review (BR) of the Malabo Declaration. Data availability is central to tracking progress, yet approximately 40 percent of the required data was missing at the continental level, with significant disparities across regions, indicators, and countries. Central Africa exhibited the highest rate of missing data, while Western Africa reported the lowest and achieved the highest BR scores. The analysis reveals a strong negative correlation between data missing rates and BR performance scores, indicating that improved reporting can enhance the visibility of positive policy outcomes. However, high-quality data alone is not sufficient—outcomes also depend on effective policy design and implementation. The review process uncovered persistent data quality challenges, particularly the presence of extreme outlier values that undermine the reliability and comparability of reported results. These anomalies—such as implausible agricultural growth rates or disproportionate reductions in poverty—highlight weaknesses in data validation and signal a need for strengthened national data governance. The brief recommends institutionalizing the BR process, creating Kampala commitment specific data clusters, and investing in capacity building to improve data consistency and utilization. Strengthening national data systems is essential to achieving the poverty reduction goals of the Kampala Declaration.

Year published

2025

Authors

Ulimwengu, John M.; Tefera, Wondwosen

Citation

Ulimwengu, John; and Tefera, Wondwosen. 2025. Addressing data deficiency in CAADP’s poverty reduction commitment. Kampala Policy Brief Series 9. Kigali, Rwanda: AKEDEMIYA2063. https://doi.org/10.54067/kpbs.09

Keywords

Africa; Poverty; Caadp; Data; Data Analysis; Capacity Building

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.54067/kpbs.09 Source record

Record type

Brief

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 […]

Africa Food Systems Forum 2025 Summit
IFPRI at External Event

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August 31 to September 5, 2025

Africa Food Systems Forum 2025 Summit

The Africa Food Systems Forum will host its annual summit in Dakar, Senegal, from August 31 to September 5, 2025. Africa’s Food Systems Forum, formerly AGRF, is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African food systems forward. Africa […]

UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake (UNFSS+4)
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

July 27 to 29, 2025

UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake (UNFSS+4)

The 2nd UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) will take place from July 27–29, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, co-hosted by Ethiopia and Italy. As we approach four years since the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), UNFSS+4 will provide a platform for reflecting on progress, strengthening collaboration, and unlocking finance and investments to accelerate […]

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News

August 29, 2025 | Press Release

IFPRI at Africa Food Systems Forum 2025

IFPRI’s delegation at AFSF 2025—including Director General and senior researchers—will participate in plenary sessions, high-level panels, side and special events as part of the wider CGIAR delegation at AFSF.

September 06, 2023 | In the News

Unpacking the 2023 Africa agriculture assessment report (CNBC Africa) 

CNBC Africa interviewed John Ulimwengu, IFPRI Senior Research Fellow and the technical editor and lead researcher of the Africa Agriculture Status Report 2023, launched on September 6 at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AGRF). .  The Report titled “Empowering Africa’s Food Systems for the Future” highlights the ways in which Africa is uniquely positioned to redefine its future and […]

August 24, 2018 | In the News

Congo’s maiden agro-industrial park isn’t perfect, but it isn’t a failure (DEVEX)

Devex published an op-ed by IFPRI Senior Research Fellow John Ulimwengu, who detailed Congo’s move towards structural transformation in the agricultural sector with the establishment of their first special economic zone in Bukanga Lonzo.  Created to boost production, encourage private and foreign capital investments, and increase agricultural exports, the agrobusiness park is home to tremendous […]

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