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With research staff from more than 70 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

Danielle Resnick

Danielle Resnick is a Senior Research Fellow in the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Unit and a Non-Resident Fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution. Her research focuses on the political economy of agricultural policy and food systems, governance, and democratization, drawing on extensive fieldwork and policy engagement across Africa 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 480 employees working in over 70 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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Kenya

countries and regions

Publications

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Journal Article

Systematic risk profiling: Assessing compounding economic risks in developing countries

2026Mukashov, Askar; Robinson, Sherman; Arndt, Channing; Thurlow, James; Thomas, Timothy S.
Details

Systematic risk profiling: Assessing compounding economic risks in developing countries

This paper presents a systematic risk profiling (SRP) framework to identify the most critical economic risks facing developing countries. Integrating computable general equilibrium (CGE) models with historical shock data and machine-learning tools, we examine how compound shocks affect development outcomes. We apply this method to Kenya, Rwanda, and Malawi, simulating thousands of plausible combinations of world price, capital flow, and productivity exogenous shocks and their impacts on countries’ GDP, household consumption, poverty, and undernourishment. The results reveal distinct risk profiles driven by structural differences: Kenya’s primary vulnerability is the volatility in global beverage crop prices, whereas Rwanda and Malawi face the highest risks from domestic root crop and cereal yields, respectively. These findings underscore that vulnerability is not just a function of shock magnitude, but of the specific structure of each economy. Specifically, the high economic volatility in Malawi and Rwanda is driven by the larger role of subsistence agriculture and more volatile domestic yields, whereas Kenya’s agricultural sector is more export-oriented. Unlike standard ad hoc scenario analysis, SRP quantifies both the likelihood of compound events and the relative importance of their drivers. This transparent, scalable framework provides policymakers a new tool to move beyond reactive measures and design targeted, country-specific resilience strategies for an increasingly volatile world.

Year published

2026

Authors

Mukashov, Askar; Robinson, Sherman; Arndt, Channing; Thurlow, James; Thomas, Timothy S.

Citation

Mukashov, Askar; Robinson, Sherman; Arndt, Channing; Thurlow, James; and Thomas, Timothy S. 2026. Systematic risk profiling: Assessing compounding economic risks in developing countries. Economic Modelling 157(April 2026): 107511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2026.107511

Country/Region

Kenya; Rwanda; Malawi

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Climate; Computable General Equilibrium Models; Machine Learning; Risk; Uncertainty

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2026.107511 Source record

Project

Foresight

Record type

Journal Article

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Working Paper

Assessment of potato tuber quality in Kenya: Baseline quality assessment survey report

2026Geoffrey, Baragu; Boukaka, Sedi Anne; Azzarri, Carlo
Details

Assessment of potato tuber quality in Kenya: Baseline quality assessment survey report

Potato is the second most important staple crop in Kenya after maize, supporting its food security and providing livelihoods for millions in the value chain, including over 800,000 smallholder farmers. However, fragmented marketing systems, inadequate post-harvest infrastructure, and limited access to quality inputs constrain the performance of the sector and result in severe post-harvest losses. This qualitative study provides empirical analysis on potato tuber quality among 233 farmers in Nakuru and Nyandarua counties, and among traders six different main markets in Kenya. Our findings establish a baseline for potato quality at the farm-level and in major markets, tracking individual shipments to measure degradation during transit due to lack of crucial market conditions and logistical bottlenecks. Our main results reveal some important elements that need to be addressed. Overall, potato quality is compromised at the farm gate, but this initial damage is dramatically amplified post-harvest, with skin abrasions more than doubling and rotting increasing threefold as produce moves along the value chain. Critically, these losses are compounded by limited quality-based sorting and the inadequate use of storage infrastructure, with negligible adoption of cold storage. The study also demonstrates that local/traditional handling practices and poor infrastructure quality are bigger drivers of loss than transport distance. Our research concludes that most economic losses could be addressed, being the direct result of identifiable failures in infrastructure, handling, access to information, and quality governance throughout the value chain. Most aspects of which can be mitigated with digital tools. Indeed, digital tools can enhance farmer-buyer linkages, promote digital education and advisory services -also through collaboration with Farmer Service Centers, encourage cold storage via digital incentives. These recommendations position digital tools as a catalyst for transforming the potato value chain, both directly and indirectly mitigating post-harvest losses while boosting resilience and incomes.

Year published

2026

Authors

Geoffrey, Baragu; Boukaka, Sedi Anne; Azzarri, Carlo

Citation

Geoffrey, Baragu; Boukaka, Sedi Anne; and Azzarri, Carlo. 2025. Assessment of potato tuber quality in Kenya: Baseline quality assessment survey report. SFS4Youth Working Paper 13. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/181383

Country/Region

Kenya

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Potatoes; Quality; Surveys; Tubers; Quality Assurance; Value Chains

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Digital Innovation

Record type

Working Paper

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Journal Article

Using best-worst scaling to inform agroecological interventions in Western Kenya

2026Zander, Kerstin K.; Drucker, Adam G.; Aluso, Lillian; Mengistu, Dejene K.; Fadda, Carlo; Termote, Céline; Davis, Kristin E.
Details

Using best-worst scaling to inform agroecological interventions in Western Kenya

Both the demand for food and the environmental impacts of food production are estimated to significantly increase by 2050. Agroecological interventions have proven effective in facilitating the transition from current food production systems to more sustainable ones. These interventions can not only ensure more equitable food and nutritional security but also address poverty and reduce environmental impacts. As such, agroecological interventions can generate both private and public ecosystem services. Farmers play a key role in how food is produced, as the practices they use are linked with their preferences and expertise, as well as the constraints they face. Understanding farmers’ preferences for the adoption of different agroecological practices and their perceptions of the associated costs and benefits is critical to informing policies that can effectively support farmers in transitioning to more sustainable practices, including those that contribute to the generation of ecosystem services highly valued by broader society. To assess such preferences, we conducted a survey among farmers in Western Kenya which included a best-worst scaling experiment augmented by qualitative questions about the reasons for farmers’ views about the importance of the benefits arising from agroecological practices. Results show that farmers have strong preferences for adopting agroecological practices that generate private goods and are directly related to increasing productivity and food security, including improving health of household members. These may also include practices that have some public good elements as well, such as increasing agrobiodiversity. However, practices that generate broader public good benefits, including improved forest quality/coverage, reduced off-farm environmental impacts, greater community-level resilience to shocks, and improved landscape and wildlife management, were less important to farmers. Such findings can be used to inform policies that support farmer adoption of agroecological interventions best suited to different farming communities, as well as indicating the need for additional types of market-based incentives, such as through Payments for Ecosystem Service mechanisms.

Year published

2026

Authors

Zander, Kerstin K.; Drucker, Adam G.; Aluso, Lillian; Mengistu, Dejene K.; Fadda, Carlo; Termote, Céline; Davis, Kristin E.

Citation

Zander, Kerstin K.; Drucker, Adam G.; Drucker, Adam G.; Aluso, Lillian; Mengistu, Dejene K.; Fadda, Carlo; Termote, Céline; and Davis, Kristin. Using best-worst scaling to inform agroecological interventions in Western Kenya. Environment, Development and Sustainability. Article in press. First published online on June 28, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-05173-5

Country/Region

Kenya

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Agroecology; Sustainability; Farmers; Poverty; Farmers’ Attitudes; Ecosystem Services

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-05173-5 Source record

Project

Nature-Positive Solutions

Record type

Journal Article

Datasets

Dataset

Replication Data for “Rural Credit, Food Security, and Resilience: An Empirical Evaluation from Kenya”

2025International Food Policy Research Institute
Details

Replication Data for “Rural Credit, Food Security, and Resilience: An Empirical Evaluation from Kenya”

This dataset contains replication data and code for the study “Rural Credit, Food Security, and Resilience: An Empirical Evaluation from Kenya.” The study draws on panel data from three rounds of household surveys conducted between 2017 and 2020 in Machakos County, Kenya, as part of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of two credit productsRisk Contingent Credit (RCC) and standard Traditional Credit (TC). A total of 1,053 households were evenly randomized into RCC, TC, and control groups. Surveys were administered using structured, pretested questionnaires. The baseline and midline surveys were conducted through face-to-face interviews, while the endline surveydelayed due to the COVID-19 pandemicwas conducted via phone interviews. All survey waves were implemented electronically using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) tools. Each survey wave included detailed modules on household demographics, food consumption and expenditures, access to and use of financial services, credit constraints, and experiences of shocks and coping mechanisms. The RCC intervention featured an index-based insurance component triggered by low rainfall, modeled using historical dekadal rainfall data and Monte Carlo simulations. The study employed a multistage, stratified sampling design targeting rural households across selected sub-counties, in collaboration with Equity Bank and local administrators. This dataset enables replication of the studys findings and supports further research on the role of credit product design in enhancing food security and resilience among smallholder farmers in semi-arid regions.

Year published

2025

Authors

International Food Policy Research Institute

Citation

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). 2025. Replication Data for “Rural Credit, Food Security, and Resilience: An Empirical Evaluation from Kenya”. Washington, DC: IFPRI [dataset]. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/OBZUCX. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.

Country/Region

Kenya

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Financial Inclusion; Agricultural Credit; Insurance; Climate Change; Resilience; Food Security; Agriculture

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/obzucx Source record

Record type

Dataset

Dataset

FAIR-Ready Socioeconomic Data from the Nature+ Quantitative Baseline Household and Worker Survey in Kenya

2025International Food Policy Research Institute
Details

FAIR-Ready Socioeconomic Data from the Nature+ Quantitative Baseline Household and Worker Survey in Kenya

This dataset is designed to harmonize agricultural research and socioeconomic monitoring in alignment with the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles. It is constructed using rigorous and standardized protocols for variable treatment and construction, explicitly developed to support interoperability and ethical data sharing. The dataset serves as a FAIR-compliant, standardized framework that provides prescriptive guidance on how each variable should be defined, processed, and documented to ensure technical interoperability while safeguarding privacy.

Year published

2025

Authors

International Food Policy Research Institute

Citation

International Food Policy Research Institute. 2025. FAIR-Ready Socioeconomic Data from the Nature+ Quantitative Baseline Household and Worker Survey in Kenya. Washington, DC: IFPRI [dataset]. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/IU9BJT. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.

Country/Region

Kenya

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Farming Systems; Agricultural Practices; Land Use; Nutrition; Poverty Alleviation; Socioeconomic Aspects; Food Security

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/iu9bjt Source record

Project

Nature-Positive Solutions

Record type

Dataset

Dataset

Economic Inclusion Program Cohort 2 in Kenya: Baseline Household Survey

2025International Food Policy Research Institute
Details

Economic Inclusion Program Cohort 2 in Kenya: Baseline Household Survey

This dataset consists of household-level data collected through a baseline survey conducted between April and May 2024 for the Impact Evaluation of the Economic Inclusion Programme (EIP), Cohort 2, in Kenya. The survey covers 3,251 households across four counties, Kisumu, Makueni, Muranga, and Taita Taveta, and was implemented by the Kenyan survey firm REMIT. The EIP intervention package comprises four components: (i) monthly consumption support, (ii) asset grants to support income-generating activities, (iii) skills training paired with weekly mentoring, and (iv) the establishment of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs). The evaluation follows a cluster-randomized controlled trial (cRCT) design, in which villages were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups in a 2:1 ratio, with randomization stratified at the sub-county level. The baseline household survey captures data on demographics, consumption and income, assets, financial inclusion, enterprise activities, food security, mental health, gender equity, social cohesion, and exposure to social protection programs. These data provide a detailed snapshot of household conditions prior to program implementation and enable rigorous impact evaluation, replication, and secondary research on economic inclusion, social protection, and poverty reduction in Kenya.

Year published

2025

Authors

International Food Policy Research Institute

Citation

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). 2025. Economic Inclusion Program Cohort 2 in Kenya: Baseline Household Survey. Washington, DC: IFPRI [dataset]. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/0HCFQN. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.

Country/Region

Kenya

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Economic Integration; Financial Inclusion; Capacity Development; Gender Equity; Social Protection; Domestic Violence; Mental Health

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/0hcfqn Source record

Project

Fragility, Conflict, and Migration

Record type

Dataset

Blogs

The hidden costs of gendered inequities: Findings from true cost accounting of cropping systems in Kenya
Research Post
 | 
December 09, 2025

The hidden costs of gendered inequities: Findings from true cost accounting of cropping systems in Kenya

By Rui Benfica, Baragu Geoffrey, Sedi Boukaka, Kristin Davis, Carlo Azzarri, Carlo Fadda, Martin Oulu, and Céline Termote

Who benefits and who bears the burdens?

Building smallholder farmers’ resilience through index insurance in Kenya
Research Post
 | 
December 05, 2025

Building smallholder farmers’ resilience through index insurance in Kenya

By Anne G. Timu, Kennedy Anahinga, Eileen Bureza, and Liangzhi You

Expanding the reach and effectiveness of a key government program.

IFPRI and causal impact evaluation: Evidence for real-life policies
Research Post
 | 
September 25, 2025

IFPRI and causal impact evaluation: Evidence for real-life policies

By Alan de Brauw

A new report outlines diverse applications.

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Events

Integrating Women’s Empowerment and Nutrition in National Agricultural Surveys: Country Experiences, Perspective and the Path Forward
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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December 2, 2025, 9:00 – 12:30 pm

Integrating Women’s Empowerment and Nutrition in National Agricultural Surveys: Country Experiences, Perspective and the Path Forward

Agrifood systems are essential to women’s livelihoods globally, yet their contributions often remain underrecognized. Women are disproportionately concentrated in informal, low-skilled, and labor-intensive roles and face limited access to resources and exclusion from key decision-making processes. To address these gaps, new tools have emerged to better assess women’s empowerment. Building on the Women’s Empowerment in […]

23rd International Congress of Nutrition (ICN)
IFPRI at External Event

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August 24 to 29, 2025

23rd International Congress of Nutrition (ICN)

IFPRI is participating in the 23rd International Congress of Nutrition (ICN), hosted by the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) on August 24-29 in Paris, France.  The theme of this year’s congress is “Sustainable Food for Global Health,” bringing together experts to discuss evidence and innovations in nutrition, sustainability, food science, and public health. IFPRI […]

Two Years of Crisis: Impact and Pathways to Recovery and Resilience
Series/Special Event

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April 14 to 15, 2025

Two Years of Crisis: Impact and Pathways to Recovery and Resilience

The Sudan conflict, now entering its third year, continues to devastate the country’s socioeconomic fabric. As of January 2025, more than 8.8 million people were internally displaced, and over 3.3 million had sought refuge in neighboring countries. Conservative reports estimate over 32,000 fatalities occurred between the start of the war on April 15, 2023, and […]

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News

February 09, 2026 | Press Release

New IFPRI study introduces breakthrough framework to assess economic risks in developing countries

A groundbreaking approach to understanding how developing economies are affected by multiple, simultaneous shocks.

January 08, 2024 | Press Release

A new book provides a roadmap for food systems transformation in Kenya

The past few years have seen Kenya, along with many other countries, confronted with multifaceted and compounding challenges. The disruptions caused by COVID-19, high levels of food price inflation, and environmental crises, such as locust infestations and droughts, have severely tested the resilience of Kenya’s food systems and the affordability of food for its citizens. […]

September 28, 2023 | In the News

Food prices are rising as countries limit exports. Blame climate change, El Nino and Russia’s war (Associated Press)

“Countries have imposed restrictions on the food they export to protect their own supplies from the combined effect of the war in Ukraine, El Nino’s threat to food production and increasing damage from climate change,” writes the Associated Press. “Tanzania’s onion limits this year are part of the “contagion” of food restrictions from countries spooked by supply […]

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Projects

School Meals and School-based Actions for People and the Planet

School Meals and School-based Actions for People and the Planet

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True Value of Food

True Value of Food

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Economywide Risk Assessments

Economywide Risk Assessments

Developed using advanced machine learning, simulation, and data mining techniques, these country briefs provide detailed risk assessments of key economic indicators. Produced by IFPRI, the……

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