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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.

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David Spielman

David Spielman is the director of IFPRI’s Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit and has been with the institute since 2004. His research agenda covers a range of topics including agriculture and rural development policy; agricultural science, technology, and innovation; plant genetic resources and seed systems; agricultural extension and advisory services; and community-driven rural development.

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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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The Population Council conducts research to address critical health and development issues. In the developing world, the Population Council works with governments and civil society organizations to overcome obstacles to health and development. The Council also uses state-of-the-art biomedical science to develop new contraceptives and products to prevent the transmission of HIV.

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Publications

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Report

Evidence of the multifunctional performance of the Akole Landscape in Maharashtra, India

2026
Yadav, Shweta; Behera, Abhijit; Krishnan, Smitha; Samaddar, Ayan; Malaiappan, Sudharsan; Tripathi, Mansi; Kumar, Gopal; Sikka, Alok; Mittra, Sarika; Rana, Jai
…more Alvi, Muzna
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Evidence of the multifunctional performance of the Akole Landscape in Maharashtra, India

This report presents evidence on the multifunctional performance of the Akole landscape in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India, located in the ecologically significant Western Ghats. Drawing on assessments conducted between 2022 and 2024, the study evaluates agronomic, economic, environmental, and social dimensions to understand landscape-level sustainability and resilience. Akole, situated in the Sahyadri ranges, is predominantly inhabited by tribal and rural communities dependent on agriculture and forest resources. Despite its rich biodiversity and traditional knowledge systems, the landscape faces mounting pressures from soil erosion, declining water retention, deforestation, monocropping, excessive tillage, and high fertilizer use. Increasing climatic variability—marked by erratic rainfall, droughts, and pest outbreaks—further exacerbates vulnerability. Limited livelihood diversification, high poverty levels, and malnutrition intensify socio-economic risks, while critical data gaps persist, particularly in assessing human health and well-being. The report identifies key bottlenecks and synthesizes available data to evaluate early outcomes of targeted nature-positive and agroecological interventions. It advocates a transition from production-centric agriculture to a Multifunctional Landscape approach that integrates diversified livelihoods, sustainable resource management, and equity. Such a shift is essential to enhance long-term resilience, ecological integrity, and economic sustainability under changing climatic conditions.

Year published

2026

Authors

Yadav, Shweta; Behera, Abhijit; Krishnan, Smitha; Samaddar, Ayan; Malaiappan, Sudharsan; Tripathi, Mansi; Kumar, Gopal; Sikka, Alok; Mittra, Sarika; Rana, Jai; Alvi, Muzna

Citation

Yadav, S.; Behera, A.; Krishnan, S.; Samaddar, A.; Malaiappan, S.; Tripathi, M.; Kumar, G.; Sikka, A.; Mittra, S.; Rana, J.; Alvi, M. 2026. Evidence of the multifunctional performance of the Akole Landscape in Maharashtra, India. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes Program. 26p.

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Landscape Approaches; Agroecology; Sustainable Agriculture; Climate Variability; Rural Livelihoods

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

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Book Chapter

What determines a farmer’s adoption of agricultural machinery: Assessing demographic factors and asset ownership of smallholder farmers in Bangladesh

2026Sharma, Akriti; Timsina, Pragya; Barooah, Prapti; Kishore, Avinash; Krupnik, Timothy J.; Brown, Brendan
Details

What determines a farmer’s adoption of agricultural machinery: Assessing demographic factors and asset ownership of smallholder farmers in Bangladesh

Agricultural mechanization provides a pathway to support farmers by reducing labor dependency, increasing efficiency, and improving the timeliness of agricultural operations. This enables smallholder farming communities to apply multiple cropping patterns between seasons, thereby improving their overall livelihoods (Amponsah et al. 2025; Gathala et al. 2022 Paudel et al. 2019; Chaudhary et al. 2023). In South Asian countries, especially Bangladesh, mechanization has historically been lower than in other regional nations. However, over the past 2 decades, there has been a notable increase in mechanization, as demonstrated by the substantial growth in the use of mechanical power for farming activities (Bakhtiar et al. 2025; Brown et al. 2025; Hossen et al. 2020). Understanding this trend and its implications is essential due to the complexities of mechanization adoption in Bangladesh. As the country’s population grows, expanding agricultural mechanization will be crucial to efficiently meet rising food demand.

Year published

2026

Authors

Sharma, Akriti; Timsina, Pragya; Barooah, Prapti; Kishore, Avinash; Krupnik, Timothy J.; Brown, Brendan

Citation

Sharma, Akriti; Timsina, Pragya; Barooah, Prapti; Kishore, Avinash; Krupnik, Timothy J.; and Brown, Brendan. 2026. Mechanizing agriculture in Bangladesh: Trends, challenges, and policy priorities. In Transforming Smallholder Agriculture Through Mechanization in Asia: Volume 1: Pathways and Policies, eds. Ma, Wanglin; Rahut, Dil B.; and Sonobe, Tetsushi. Chapter 1, p. 43-97. https://doi.org/10.56506/QOOJ5699

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Farm Equipment; Technology Adoption; Smallholders; Ownership; Agricultural Assets

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.56506/qooj5699 Source record

Project

Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia

Record type

Book Chapter

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Working Paper

Changes in work participation across genders in rural India: Evidence from 2019 and 2024 time use surveys

2026Kumar, Anjani; Bathla, Seema; Singh, Dhiraj K.
Details

Changes in work participation across genders in rural India: Evidence from 2019 and 2024 time use surveys

This study examines gendered patterns of time use in rural India using nationally representative time use surveys from 2019 and 2024, capturing shifts in labor force participation amid significant socioeconomic changes, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis reveals a notable rise in rural women’s labor force participation—from 32 percent to 35.9 percent in agriculture—with a 38 percent increase in their paid agricultural work time. However, this progress coexists alongside entrenched gender disparities in unpaid domestic work, where women continue to spend nearly five hours daily, limiting their engagement in nonagricultural employment, which remains male-dominated and stagnant for women. Using multivariate regression and Gelbach decomposition, the study identifies gender, landholding, education, income, and caste as significant determinants of time allocation. Yet, much of the increase in women’s work time is driven by unobserved factors, likely linked to post-pandemic livelihood adjustments and structural constraints. The findings underscore that recent gains in women’s participation reflect genuine shifts rather than statistical artefacts but caution that without addressing time poverty, gender norms, and access to diversified livelihoods, these gains may not translate into sustainable empowerment. The paper calls for integrated policy measures, including gender-responsive agricultural support, public care infrastructure, skill development, and behavioral interventions to rebalance domestic responsibilities and facilitate women’s transition to higher productivity sectors.

Year published

2026

Authors

Kumar, Anjani; Bathla, Seema; Singh, Dhiraj K.

Citation

Kumar, Anjani; Bathla, Seema; and Singh, Dhiraj K. 2026. Changes in work participation across genders in rural India: Evidence from 2019 and 2024 time use surveys. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2404. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/181545

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Southern Asia; Asia; Gender; Labour; Multivariate Analysis; Rural Areas; Unpaid Work; Surveys; Time Study

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper