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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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Congo

countries and regions

Publications

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Journal Article

The complex economics of a complete ban on child labor in the cobalt supply chain: The case of the DR Congo

2025Ulimwengu, John M.; Sanginga, Blandine
Details

The complex economics of a complete ban on child labor in the cobalt supply chain: The case of the DR Congo

Year published

2025

Authors

Ulimwengu, John M.; Sanginga, Blandine

Citation

Ulimwengu, John M.; and Sanginga, Blandine. 2025. The complex economics of a complete ban on child labor in the cobalt supply chain: The case of the DR Congo. Extractive Industries and Society 23(September 2025): 101687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2025.101687

Keywords

Congo, Democratic Republic of; Africa; West and Central Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Child Labour; Cobalt; Economics; Mining; Poverty; Supply Chains

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2025.101687 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Building resilience through integrated assistance: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

2024Baoubadi, Atozou; d’Errico, Marco; Ulimwengu, John M.
Details

Building resilience through integrated assistance: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Despite growing investment in resilience-building programs in conflict zones, limited empirical evidence exists on the effectiveness of integrated interventions in such contexts. This study examines the impact of a comprehensive resilience-building program in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (2017-2019), focusing on community infrastructure, farmer associations, and land access. Using propensity score matching and difference-in-differences analysis of primary panel data from 1,643 households, our research reveals that integrated interventions significantly improved households’ resilience capacity, primarily through enhanced market access and strengthened collective marketing systems. The program yielded a statistically significant positive impact on beneficiaries’ access to land and participation in community associations, though impacts on agricultural production and food security were limited. These findings highlight the importance of context-specific, multifaceted approaches in enhancing resilience in areas facing protracted crises, particularly emphasizing market access and social cohesion. Our results provide valuable empirical evidence for policymakers and development practitioners, suggesting that resilience-building in conflict zones requires sustained, locally-adapted interventions that prioritize market linkages and community networks alongside traditional agricultural support. JEL Classification Codes: C01, C23, D04

Year published

2024

Authors

Baoubadi, Atozou; d’Errico, Marco; Ulimwengu, John M.

Citation

Baoubadi, Atozou; d’Errico, Marco; and Ulimwengu, John M. 2024. Building resilience through integrated assistance: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. African Journal of Economic Review 12(4): 167-190. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajer/article/view/284186

Keywords

Congo, Democratic Republic of; Africa; West and Central Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Conflicts; Food Security; Resilience; Shock; Impact Assessment; Communities

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Fragility, Conflict, and Migration

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

What do urban consumers want? Findings from a discrete choice experiment on the preference for locally produced staple food in Central Africa: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

2024Thontwa, Sarah K.; De Weerdt, Joachim; Van Passel, Steven
Details

What do urban consumers want? Findings from a discrete choice experiment on the preference for locally produced staple food in Central Africa: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Year published

2024

Authors

Thontwa, Sarah K.; De Weerdt, Joachim; Van Passel, Steven

Citation

Thontwa, Sarah K.; De Weerdt, Joachim; and Van Passel, Steven. 2024. What do urban consumers want? Findings from a discrete choice experiment on the preference for locally produced staple food in Central Africa: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Agrekon 63(4): 223-239. https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2024.2392582

Keywords

Congo, Democratic Republic of; Africa; West and Central Africa; Consumers; Imports; Value Chains; Urban Areas; Farmers; Rural Areas; Livelihoods

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2024.2392582 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Datasets

Dataset

2018 Social Accounting Matrix for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

2021International Food Policy Research Institute
Details

2018 Social Accounting Matrix for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

The Nexus Project is a collaboration between IFPRI and its partners, including national statistical agencies and research institutions. Our aim is to improve the quality of social accounting matrices (SAMs) used for computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling. The Nexus Project develops toolkits and establishes common data standards, procedures, and classification systems for constructing and updating national SAMs. The 2018 Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) SAM follows the Standard Nexus Structure. The open access version of the DRC SAM separates domestic production into 42 activities. Factors are disaggregated into labor, agricultural land, and capital. Labor is further disaggregated across three education categories. Representative households are disaggregated by rural and urban areas and by per capita expenditure quintile. The remaining accounts include enterprises, government, taxes, savings-and-investment, and the rest of the word.

Year published

2021

Authors

International Food Policy Research Institute

Citation

International Food Policy Research Institute. 2021. 2018 Social Accounting Matrix for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/PD0NKH. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.

Keywords

Congo, Democratic Republic of; Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Middle Africa; National Accounting; Taxes; Household Expenditure; Modelling; Labour; Social Accounting Matrix; Economic Indicators; Sex-disaggregated Data; Household Consumption

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/pd0nkh Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Dataset

Dataset

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Micronutrient Cross-Sectional Household Survey

2020University of British Columbia; International Food Policy Research Institute
Details

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Micronutrient Cross-Sectional Household Survey

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Micronutrient Cross-Sectional Household Survey is a comprehensive nutritional survey among women (18–45 years) and their children (6–59 months) in the South Kivu and Kongo Central Provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The survey was conducted to assess the prevalence of anemia and micronutrient deficiencies among women of childbearing age and children under five years of age. In this cross-sectional survey, 744 mother-child pairs were recruited using a probability proportionate to size (PPS) sampling method in select health zones of South Kivu and the rural district of Lukaya in Kongo Central, DRC between June and October 2014. This dataset includes information on household’s socio-economic characteristics; water, sanitation and hygiene practices; child health and health-seeking behavior; and consumption of bean. Anthropometric measurements were taken by trained personnel using the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA) Anthropometric Indicators Measurement Guide.

Year published

2020

Authors

University of British Columbia; International Food Policy Research Institute

Citation

Department of Food, Nutrition and Health, The University of British Columbia; HarvestPlus, International Food Policy Research Institute. 2020. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Micronutrient Cross-Sectional Household Survey. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/RNWYR8. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.

Keywords

Congo, Democratic Republic of; Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Middle Africa; Anaemia; Anthropometry; Nutrient Deficiencies; Haemoglobin; Trace Elements; Iron

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/rnwyr8 Source record

Record type

Dataset

Dataset

Survey Data for Mapping Technology Adoption in East and Central Africa

2017International Food Policy Research Institute; Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa
Details

Survey Data for Mapping Technology Adoption in East and Central Africa

This dataset include survey instrument and data used in a collaborative technology adoption study conducted by the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) and IFPRI. The study aimed to track the adoption and diffusion of selected technologies generated and promoted by in Tanzania, DRC and Rwanda. The studies were undertaken under the “Monitoring the Geospatial Diffusion of Agricultural Technologies” project funded Research Program on Policies, Institutions and Markets (PIM). The studies involved use of cost-effective ICT-based survey technique to track adoption and diffusion of agricultural technologies and explore scalable options for monitoring farmer’s use of agricultural technologies. This innovative approach sought to document extent of technology adoption and diffusion over time and space since there is little evidence in this area with other approaches. The main objective of the survey was to test innovative methodologies for tracking adoption and generate data, knowledge and information on how far the agricultural technologies have been adopted by smallholder farmers and diffused over time and space. The specific objectives of the diffusion surveys were to: (i) establish the level of adoption of the technologies promoted by ASARECA within the target countries; (ii) identify, track and map out new areas where the technologies promoted by ASARECA have been adopted and diffused over time within the target countries; (iii) identify factors that are limiting the adoption of the technologies promoted by ASARECA within the target countries; and (iv) establish why farmers have stopped using the technologies and estimate level of technology dis-adoption among the target farmers. These studies looked at two technologies promoted by ASARECA within the region: QPM in Tanzania and DRC; and Climbing beans in Rwanda. Survey tools developed by IFPRI in collaboration with ASARECA and implemented as the TechTracker Survey Application developed by Spatial Development International.

Year published

2017

Authors

International Food Policy Research Institute; Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa

Citation

HarvestChoice, International Food Policy Research Institute; Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa. 2017. Survey Data for Mapping Technology Adoption in East and Central Africa. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/TLOU7J. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.

Country/Region

Rwanda

Keywords

Tanzania; Congo, Democratic Republic of; Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Middle Africa; Surveys; Innovation Adoption

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/tlou7j Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Dataset