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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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Working Paper

The impact of genetically modified cowpea on yields, postharvest losses, and profitability in Nigeria: Findings from a cluster randomized controlled trial

2025Amare, Mulubrhan; Andam, Kwaw S.; Spielman, David J.; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Zambrano, Patricia; Chambers, Judith A.; Fasoranti, Adetunji; Popoola, Olufemi
Details

The impact of genetically modified cowpea on yields, postharvest losses, and profitability in Nigeria: Findings from a cluster randomized controlled trial

We assess the impacts of a genetically modified pod borer-resistant (PBR) cowpea variety in Nigeria through a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in two major cowpea-cultivating states. Our design allows us to examine the impacts of PBR cowpea with and without a package of complementary inputs (fertilizer and insecticides) and in comparison to farmers who received only a conventional improved cowpea variety. Results indicate that farmers who received and planted PBR cowpea experienced significant increases in yield (21 percent) and net margins (49 percent) compared to those growing the conventional variety, with larger gains observed among those provided with the inputs package. Analysis of heterogeneous effects indicates substantial variation in outcomes based on baseline characteristics such as household size, landholding, pest control practices, and wealth. Estimation of group average treatment effects and classification analysis using a causal machine learning approach identify plot size, pesticide use, and assets as key drivers of impact heterogeneity. Findings highlight the need for targeted dissemination strategies to realize the sizable benefits of PBR cowpea for small-scale, resource-constrained farmers.

Year published

2025

Authors

Amare, Mulubrhan; Andam, Kwaw S.; Spielman, David J.; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Zambrano, Patricia; Chambers, Judith A.; Fasoranti, Adetunji; Popoola, Olufemi

Citation

Amare, Mulubrhan; Andam, Kwaw S.; Spielman, David J.; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Zambrano, Patricia; et al. 2025. The impact of genetically modified cowpea on yields, postharvest losses, and profitability in Nigeria: Findings from a cluster randomized controlled trial. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2383. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178553

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Western Africa; Impact; Genetically Modified Organisms; Seed Damaging Insects; Pest Resistance; Cowpeas; Randomized Controlled Trials; Machine Learning; Smallholders; Information Dissemination; Yields; Postharvest Losses; Profitability

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Working Paper

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Opinion Piece

Forest loss in Malawi: how having women at the table affected debates and decisions about solutions – research

2025Kosec, Katrina; Clayton, Amanda; Robinson, Amanda Lea; Dulani, Boniface
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Forest loss in Malawi: how having women at the table affected debates and decisions about solutions – research

Around the world, climate change is being tackled, not just in parliaments and global summits, but also in villages and farming communities. In these local spaces, lives and livelihoods depend directly on natural resources, and decisions are often made in groups. Globally, including women in action against climate change is seen as crucial. Especially in rural agricultural settings, women bear a substantial burden from the warming planet. But there has been little research on whether simply having more women involved in climate action changes the decisions taken by communities to combat global warming – or whether it matters.

Year published

2025

Authors

Kosec, Katrina; Clayton, Amanda; Robinson, Amanda Lea; Dulani, Boniface

Citation

Kosec, Katrina; Clayton, Amanda; Robinson, Amanda Lea; and Dulani, Boniface. 2025. Forest loss in Malawi: how having women at the table affected debates and decisions about solutions – research. The Conversation US, Inc. Published online July 23, 2025. https://theconversation.com/forest-loss-in-malawi-how-having-women-at-the-table-affected-debates-and-decisions-about-solutions-research-259699

Country/Region

Malawi

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Women; Climate Change; Natural Resources Management; Rural Areas; Forests

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-ND-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Opinion Piece

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Journal Article

Real and simulated shocks to the food system: A nested food-economic system model for assessing resilience using a networked input–output approach

2025Brinkley, Catherine; Ulimwengu, John M.; Raj, Subhashni
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Real and simulated shocks to the food system: A nested food-economic system model for assessing resilience using a networked input–output approach

Introduction: This study provides a novel, system-wide framework that integrates food and economic systems using networked input–output. Methods: We demonstrate this framework in analyzing food system resilience to real and simulated sector-level shocks, yielding insights into how structural vulnerabilities within the economy can compromise the food system and vice versa. The nested and networked approach of considering the food system as embedded within the overall economic system, enables predictions within and across both systems as they relate to one another. We focus on recovery and resiliency after a shock by evaluating the U.S. food and economic system in 2007 and 2012, a period covering a major financial downturn. Results and Discussion: We find that between 2007 and 2012, the majority (82.2%) of food systems sectors increased in centrality compared to other sectors within the economy, showing how the food system became more integral in the overall economic system during and after the financial crisis. Further, we demonstrate that simulated removal of sectors with the highest centrality in the economic system leads to a decrease in overall network density, clustering, degree, and weighted degree—highlighting vulnerabilities within each economic sector with the potential to propagate system-wide. We draw timely attention to the critical role of scientific research as an important sector within the economy that requires relatively little funding input but amplifies economic outputs across the food system and other economic sectors. We conclude by warning about the bias produced in analyzing food system dynamics outside of overall economic systems and urge future research to consider a nested food-economic model.

Year published

2025

Authors

Brinkley, Catherine; Ulimwengu, John M.; Raj, Subhashni

Citation

Brinkley, Catherine; Ulimwengu, John; and Raj, Subhashni. 2025. Real and simulated shocks to the food system: A nested food-economic system model for assessing resilience using a networked input–output approach. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 9: 1608981. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1608981

Country/Region

United States

Keywords

Americas; Northern America; Shock; Food Systems; Models; Economic Situation; Resilience

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1608981 Source record

Record type

Journal Article