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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

Timothy Thomas

Timothy Thomas is a Senior Research Fellow in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit. His research focuses on the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity. Tim’s work involves developing innovative methods for simulated climate futures and model coordination between climate, crop, water, energy, and economics.

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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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Where we work

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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partnerships

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) is tasked with promoting Japan’s interests overseas. MOFA emphasizes the importance of development issues and advocates for establishing development targets. MOFA also seeks to create a stable and predictable international environment to build trust and cooperative relationships throughout the world.

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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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Publications

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Brief

Solar powered drip irrigation: Lessons learned from an impact evaluation in Yemen

2025Jovanovic, Nina; Darwish, Maram; Kurdi, Sikandra; Yamauchi, Futoshi
Details

Solar powered drip irrigation: Lessons learned from an impact evaluation in Yemen

This policy note summarizes findings from a clustered randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in eastern Yemen to assess the impacts of subsidized solar powered drip irrigation systems on smallholder farmers’ production decisions and household food security. The study provides causal evidence on how subsidizing solar drip irrigation for smallholders affects crop choice, market engagement, and welfare outcomes in a fragile, water-scarce context. The intervention led to a significant shift in cropping patterns, with treated farmers becoming less likely to cultivate cereals and more likely to grow higher-value horticultural crops. Treated households also sold a greater share of their harvest in markets during the first season following installation, suggesting increased commercialization. However, the study did not detect significant short-term impacts on household food security, indicating that production changes did not immediately translate into improved consumption outcomes.

Year published

2025

Authors

Jovanovic, Nina; Darwish, Maram; Kurdi, Sikandra; Yamauchi, Futoshi

Citation

Jovanovic, Nina; Darwish, Maram; Kurdi, Sikandra; and Yamauchi, Futoshi. 2025. Solar powered drip irrigation: Lessons learned from an impact evaluation in Yemen. MENA Policy Note. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179369

Country/Region

Yemen

Keywords

Western Asia; Middle East; Climate Change Adaptation; Solar Energy; Irrigation; Evaluation; Solar Powered Irrigation Systems; Trickle Irrigation; Groundwater Irrigation; Irrigation Systems

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

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Working Paper

Impact evaluation of a solar powered drip irrigation intervention in eastern Yemen

2025Jovanovic, Nina; Darwish, Maram; Kurdi, Sikandra; Yamauchi, Futoshi
Details

Impact evaluation of a solar powered drip irrigation intervention in eastern Yemen

Groundwater irrigation supports agricultural production and local food security in arid regions, however costs and accessibility of fuel for pumping are a challenge in conflict-affected contexts. Solar-powered drip irrigation technology can support smallholder farmers in such settings. In this study we estimated the impacts of subsidized solar-powered drip irrigation systems on smallholder farmers’ production decisions and household food security via a clustered randomized control trial in eastern Yemen. We found that farmers in the treatment group were significantly less likely to cultivate cereals, more likely to cultivate horticultural crops, and more likely to sell a higher share of their harvests at market during the first season post‑intervention. These results provide causal evidence on the impact of solar drip irrigation systems on shifting smallholder farmers’ crop production toward higher-value crops. We did not find significant impacts on household food security within the short-term post-intervention period that the analysis covered. These findings also provide preliminary support for investments in solar and drip irrigation technology in Yemen, while acknowledging that more research is needed to address potential negative externalities.

Year published

2025

Authors

Jovanovic, Nina; Darwish, Maram; Kurdi, Sikandra; Yamauchi, Futoshi

Citation

Jovanovic, Nina; Darwish, Maram; Kurdi, Sikandra; and Yamauchi, Futoshi. 2025. Impact evaluation of a solar powered drip irrigation intervention in eastern Yemen. MENA Working Paper. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179397

Country/Region

Yemen

Keywords

Middle East; Impact Assessment; Irrigation; Solar Powered Irrigation Systems; Trickle Irrigation; Groundwater Irrigation; Smallholders; Irrigation Systems

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Fragility, Conflict, and Migration

Record type

Working Paper

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Report

Approaches for the leveraging small and medium enterprises to improve nutrition: A net-map assessment of actors and activities in Ghana

2021Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations; International Food Policy Research Institute; Aberman, Noora-Lisa
Details

Approaches for the leveraging small and medium enterprises to improve nutrition: A net-map assessment of actors and activities in Ghana

This report presents the outcomes of a workshop organized by IFPRI and FAO in Ghana; it represents the result of a wider process of analysis and interventions aiming to leverage the role of small and medium-sized enterprises to improve nutrition in Ghana. The information provided may prove useful for researchers, practitioners, international organizations and policy-makers in planning interventions, designing policies or analyzing contexts other than Ghana.

Year published

2021

Authors

Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations; International Food Policy Research Institute; Aberman, Noora-Lisa

Citation

Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO); and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). 2021. Approaches for the leveraging small and medium enterprises to improve nutrition: A net-map assessment of actors and activities in Ghana. Rome, Italy; and Washington, DC: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO); and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143082

Country/Region

Ghana

Keywords

Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Participation; Nutrition Policies; Stakeholders; Nutrition; Small and Medium Enterprises; Food Systems

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-SA-3.0-IGO

Source

Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Report

Blogs

From hands to machines: How shea mechanization has transformed women’s lives in northern Ghana
Research Post
 | 
October 14, 2026

From hands to machines: How shea mechanization has transformed women’s lives in northern Ghana

By Futoshi Yamauchi, Bedru Balana, Hazel Malapit, Eduardo Maruyama, Doreen Kufoalor, Sena Amewu, Seth Asante, and Samson Dejene

Ending burdensome routines.

School meals and school-based actions for people and the planet: Nourishing bodies, minds, and futures
Research Post
 | 
May 01, 2026

School meals and school-based actions for people and the planet: Nourishing bodies, minds, and futures

By Tamsin Zandstra, Aulo Gelli, Daniel Gilligan, and Eleanor Jones

Impacts on education and beyond.

How AI can help reduce food loss and waste in Nigeria’s tomato value chain
Research Post
 | 
March 25, 2026

How AI can help reduce food loss and waste in Nigeria’s tomato value chain

By Futoshi Yamauchi, Aoi Fukuhara, Dauda Bawa, Caleb Olanipekun, and Olufemi Popoola

Using photos to analyze when and where produce goes bad.

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