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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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Development Strategies and Governance

Bart Minten

Senior Research Fellow/ Program Leader of the Myanmar Strategy Support Program

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Bio

Bart Minten, a Belgian citizen, is a Senior Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. Since 2020, he has been out-posted in Yangon, Myanmar, as the Program Leader of the Myanmar Strategy Support Program, focusing on research, capacity building, and outreach and communication of research related to food and agricultural issues in Myanmar. Previously, he worked in Addis Ababa as the Program Leader of the Ethiopia Strategy Support Program and in the New Delhi Office, where his work focused on agricultural value chains in South Asia. Prior to joining IFPRI, he was a Senior Research Associate for the Cornell Food and Nutrition Policy Program in Madagascar. He also has held the position of Assistant Professor at the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Economics, KU Leuven, as well as teaching positions at Cornell University and the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar. Bart received his PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from Cornell University and his bio-engineering degree from KU Leuven.

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Publications

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Brief

Wages of the poor: Insights from the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey in Q3/Q4 2025

2026Zu, A Myint; Minten, Bart; van Asselt, Joanna
Details

Wages of the poor: Insights from the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey in Q3/Q4 2025

We assess the wage levels and food purchasing power of casual laborers, who are among the poorest segment of the population, using data from the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey (MHWS) collected in the second half of 2025, and compare these results with earlier survey rounds.

Year published

2026

Authors

Zu, A Myint; Minten, Bart; van Asselt, Joanna

Citation

Zu, A Myint; Minten, Bart; and van Asselt, Joanna. 2026. Wages of the poor: Insights from the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey in Q3/Q4 2025. Myanmar SSP Research Note 129. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180695

Country/Region

Myanmar

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Remuneration; Poverty; Costs; Labour Costs; Workers; Working Class

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

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Report

Myanmar Monthly Food Price Report – December 2025

2026Htar, May Thet; Minten, Bart; Masias, Ian
Details

Myanmar Monthly Food Price Report – December 2025

Rice prices declined sharply in December 2025 nationally, falling by 20 percent year-on-year and 5 percent month-on-month. These declines were driven by falling international prices and increased market supply from the monsoon harvest. All states and regions saw stable or declining prices month-on-month, with the largest drops observed in major rice-producing regions such as Ayeyarwady (30 percent) and Sagaing (19 percent). While these trends benefit consumers, they raise concerns for paddy producers, especially in light of rising agricultural input costs. Prices of pulses diverged. Green gram prices rose sharply year-on-year (21 percent), supported by export demand following China’s decision to ease its temporary suspension. In contrast, black gram, chickpea, and pigeon pea prices remained well below last year’s levels, reflecting weak demand from India. Maize prices also declined year-on-year (6.5 percent). Animal-sourced food prices surged over the past year, led by mutton (up 58 percent), due to lower production, while fish prices rose amid strong export demand. Multiple risks lie ahead, including weak international agricultural commodity prices, ongoing conflict, export quality concerns, import restrictions affecting livestock production, border trade and regional policy changes, and policy uncertainty, all of which may undermine agricultural incentives, farm incomes, and food security.

Year published

2026

Authors

Htar, May Thet; Minten, Bart; Masias, Ian

Citation

Htar, May Thet; Minten, Bart; and Masias, Ian. 2026. Myanmar Monthly Food Price Report – December 2025. Myanmar Monthly Food Price Report December 2025. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180549

Country/Region

Myanmar

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Food Security; Food Prices; Crops; Agricultural Marketing; Rice; Animal Source Foods

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

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Journal Article

Disruptions to agrifood value chains in fragile and conflict-affected states: Evidence from Myanmar

2026Goeb, Joseph; Minten, Bart; Aung, Zin Wai; Htar, May Thet; Sabai, Moe; Syntb, Kham Nang Lun; Zu, A Myint; Mahrt, Kristi
Details

Disruptions to agrifood value chains in fragile and conflict-affected states: Evidence from Myanmar

Agrifood value chains (AVCs) play crucial roles in food security in fragile and conflict-affected economies where there are widespread challenges and disruptions to business operations, food access, and incomes. Yet, given these challenges, safe data collection is challenging in conflict-affected settings and, as a result, the evidence on the disruptions AVC businesses face is thin. In this paper, we rely on novel panel data from AVC businesses in Myanmar, one of 7 countries in the world with extreme conflict. This short paper documents the disruptions experienced by businesses at several levels of the food supply chain, including farmers, input retailers, crop traders, rice millers, and food vendors. We also provide evidence on the implications for prices by analyzing price changes over this period: farm input and sales prices using farm survey data, food retail using data from food vendors, and dietary cost estimates combining consumption and price data. Our results highlight vulnerabilities in food supply chains in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Potential opportunities to strengthen food supply chains in such settings include ensuring access to banking and financial services; minimizing transportation disruptions to mitigate widening gaps between producer and consumer prices; and maintaining access to fuel and electricity as well as cellphone internet networks. Efforts to support these areas could stabilize food availability and reduce food prices, while also increasing farm-gate shares of food prices thereby supporting rural incomes. JEL codes: Q13; Q11; 013

Year published

2026

Authors

Goeb, Joseph; Minten, Bart; Aung, Zin Wai; Htar, May Thet; Sabai, Moe; Syntb, Kham Nang Lun; Zu, A Myint; Mahrt, Kristi

Citation

Goeb, Joseph; Minten, Bart; Aung, Zin Wai; Htar, May Thet; Sabai, Moe; Synt, Kham Nang Lun; Zu, A Myint; and Mahrt, Kristi. Disruptions to agrifood value chains in fragile and conflict-affected states: Evidence from Myanmar. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. Article in Press. First published online on May 5, 2025. https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr.1204

Country/Region

Myanmar

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Agrifood Systems; Value Chains; Conflicts; Food Security; Prices

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr.1204 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

Resource-poor rice farmers in Myanmar suffer double impact from political conflict
Research Post
 | 
November 12, 2024

Resource-poor rice farmers in Myanmar suffer double impact from political conflict

By Hiroyuki Takeshima, Zin Wai Aung, Ian Masias, and Bart Minten

Productivity erodes amid turmoil.

Impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on vegetable value chains in Ethiopia
Research Post
 | 
April 13, 2020

Impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on vegetable value chains in Ethiopia

By Seneshaw Tamru, Kalle Hirvonen, and Bart Minten

As restrictions take effect, a survey shows reductions in food trade and consumption.

2019 Global Food Policy Report Ethiopia Launch: Achieving rural Africa's inclusive transformation
Event Post
 | 
May 09, 2019

2019 Global Food Policy Report Ethiopia Launch: Achieving rural Africa’s inclusive transformation

By Nahume Yadene and Bart Minten

Ethiopia's rural areas are at risk. Revitalizing them, and rural regions across Africa, requires a sustained strategic effort.

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Events

32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

August 2 to 7, 2024

32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists

The triennial International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE-2024), centred on the theme “Transformation Towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems” is scheduled from August 2-7, 2024, in New Delhi, India. The conference offers a distinctive platform, providing a golden opportunity for the agricultural academic institutions and researchers to convene in person, exchange knowledge, and actively contribute to the […]

2022 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

July 31 to August 2, 2022

2022 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting

Virtual Event: July 31, 2022 – 10:00 AM to August 2, 2022 – 6:15 PM PDT. IFPRI is participating in the 2022 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting.

Retail food prices at the country level and implications for food security
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

March 29, 2022, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Retail food prices at the country level and implications for food security

Virtual Event: March 29, 2022 – 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM EDT. How are rising food prices, further aggravated by the invasion of Ukraine, being transmitted at the country level? This policy seminar will examine how global commodity prices are transmitted at the national level and what other country-specific aspects influence retail prices.

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News

April 27, 2020 | In the News

The global food system, under pressure (ARA Newspaper)

ARA Newspaper (Spain) published an article on the current food supply. Globally, from Peru to the US, tons of vegetables and dairy are thrown in the trash while some countries limit exports. Senior Research Fellow Bart Minten stated, “Africa is heavily dependent on food imports, especially rice and cereals. Last year’s harvests were very good and there are enough reserves in […]

March 10, 2019 | In the News

Will the latest superfood come from Africa? Ethiopian traditional fruit is a dream to avoid wheat – and it was already patented in Europe (YLE)

Finland’s YLE released an article highlighting the country’s gluten-free crop, teff, gaining traction as a superfood, essential ingredient, and top export. Senior Research Fellow Bart Minten and Research Fellow Kalle Hirvonen were interviewed in the article, cautioning major exportation of the crop as it would increase domestic prices for Ethiopians.

July 19, 2018 | Press Release

NEW BOOK: Higher Investments in Research, Adoption of New Technologies to Improve Productivity and Export Potential of Teff

Addis Ababa: Ethiopia could increase production of its gluten-free and nutrient-rich cash crop teff, and tap into the expanding domestic and international markets, by ramping up investments in basic research; adopting new and better technologies; improving input distribution systems; and extending markets , according to a new book launched by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Addis Ababa today.   “Teff makes a considerable contribution to Ethiopians’ incomes and food security, and has potential to provide […]

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