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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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experts

Development Strategies and Governance

Ben Belton

Research Fellow

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Ben Belton

Bio

Ben Belton is a Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, based in Dhaka. He is an applied interdisciplinary social scientist with more than 15 years’ field experience living and working in South and Southeast Asia, in countries including Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam, India, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Ben is a leading global scholar on aquaculture and fisheries development. His research interests are broad, spanning value chains, food systems, livelihoods, rural transformation, agrarian change, and their links to food and nutrition security, poverty, well-being, and the environment. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles on these subjects, using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to develop an evidence base for effective policy actions. In addition to his role at IFPRI, Ben holds a joint appointment as Associate Professor, International Development at the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University.

Publications

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Publications

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Brief

The state of fisheries in Hadramawt: Insights from a scoping review

2026Belton, Ben; Abdelhadi, Ali; Dey, Durjoy; Jovanovic, Nina; Kurdi, Sikandra; Ecker, Olivier
Details

The state of fisheries in Hadramawt: Insights from a scoping review

In this project note, we review prior research and integrate insights from 14 semi-structured key informant interviews with experts on fisheries in southern Yemen to synthesize current knowledge on fisheries in Hadramawt governorate—home to the largest population of fishers in Yemen—and identify gaps that warrant further investigation.

Year published

2026

Authors

Belton, Ben; Abdelhadi, Ali; Dey, Durjoy; Jovanovic, Nina; Kurdi, Sikandra; Ecker, Olivier

Citation

Belton, Ben; Abdelhadi, Ali; Dey, Durjoy; Jovanovic, Nina; Kurdi, Sikandra; and Ecker, Olivier. 2026. The state of fisheries in Hadramawt: Insights from a scoping review. MENA Project Note 29. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179858

Country/Region

Yemen

Keywords

Asia; Western Asia; Fisheries; Systematic Reviews; Stakeholders; Value Chains; Fishing Vessels; Fishery Industry Equipment; Governance; Markets; Postharvest Losses; Fish Consumption

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Fish for food security in Yemen: Insights from the Data in Emergencies survey

2026Dey, Durjoy; Belton, Ben; Kurdi, Sikandra; Ecker, Olivier
Details

Fish for food security in Yemen: Insights from the Data in Emergencies survey

Fish is the most frequently consumed animal-source food in Yemen, apart from dairy. Fish consumption is highest in coastal southern Yemen but also very common in southern inland districts. Nine percent of households in coastal southern Yemen earned income from fishing. Earning fishing income is highly positively associated with consumption of fish or meat and with the frequency of fish or meat consumption. Sustaining fish stocks and fishing livelihoods is critical to food security and nutrition in southern Yemen.

Year published

2026

Authors

Dey, Durjoy; Belton, Ben; Kurdi, Sikandra; Ecker, Olivier

Citation

Dey, Durjoy; Belton, Ben; Kurdi, Sikandra; and Ecker, Olivier. 2026. Fish for food security in Yemen: Insights from the Data in Emergencies survey. MENA Project Note 28. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179637

Country/Region

Yemen

Keywords

Asia; Western Asia; Fish; Food Security; Surveys; Fish Consumption; Fishing; Livelihoods

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Wholesalers and the transformation of the “hidden middle” of the aquaculture value chain in Bangladesh

2026Ali, Hazrat; Belton, Ben; Haque, Mohammad Mahfujul; Hernandez, Ricardo; Murshed-e-Jahan, Khondker; Ignowski, Liz; Reardon, Thomas
Details

Wholesalers and the transformation of the “hidden middle” of the aquaculture value chain in Bangladesh

The rapid growth of aquaculture in Bangladesh over the past 30 years has been accompanied by a proliferation of wholesalers. Wholesalers are often assumed in academic and public discourse to be exploitative and inefficient: extracting rents rather than driving technological change. This view gives rise to development programs that seek to bypass marketing intermediaries or upgrade their practices. However, there has been little rigorous research on the behavior of wholesalers and its implications for outcomes of value chain performance, including food security. To address this gap, we implemented a statistically representative survey of 229 aquatic food wholesalers in 31 markets in one of Bangladesh’s most important aquaculture zones. We found the following. (1) The wholesale segment of the aquaculture value chain has grown rapidly. (2) Markets are increasingly competitive, with open auctions leading to disintermediation and transparent pricing. (3) Wholesale businesses operate on thin margins. (4) Very little food loss or waste occurs in the farm, wholesale, or retail value chain segments in the study zone. (5) Trading aquaculture products generates substantial employment for men but little for women. Contrary to popular belief, the midstream of the aquaculture value chain in southern Bangladesh is dynamic and efficient. The paper contributes to a growing literature highlighting the contributions that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the “hidden middle” segments of agri-food value chains make to food security.

Year published

2026

Authors

Ali, Hazrat; Belton, Ben; Haque, Mohammad Mahfujul; Hernandez, Ricardo; Murshed-e-Jahan, Khondker; Ignowski, Liz; Reardon, Thomas

Citation

Ali, Hazrat; Belton, Ben; Haque, Mohammad Mahfujul; Hernandez, Ricardo; Murshed-e-Jahan, Khondker; Ignowski, Liz; and Reardon, Thomas. Wholesalers and the transformation of the “hidden middle” of the aquaculture value chain in Bangladesh. Food Security. Article in press. First published on November 4, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-025-01605-w

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Southern Asia; Aquaculture; Fish; Wholesale Markets; Surveys; Value Chains; Prices; Food Losses

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-025-01605-w Source record

Project

Asian Mega-Deltas

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

The global drone revolution in agriculture
Research Post
 | 
September 05, 2025

The global drone revolution in agriculture

By Ben Belton and Evgeniya Anisimova

A versatile, affordable technology is spreading rapidly.

News

October 29, 2025 | In the News

Agricultural drones are taking off globally, saving farmers time and money (The Conversation)

Ben Belton (IFPRI/MSU) and Leo Baldiga (MSU) share findings from their new study published in ‘Science’ documenting a rapid growth of agricultural drones usage around the world.

September 18, 2025 | In the News

The rise of drones for farming (Science.org Podcast)

IFPRI Research Fellow Ben Belton discusses what appears to drive drone use in agriculture and how they might make farming more productive and sustainable.