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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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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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experts

Natural Resources and Resilience

Bedru Balana

Research Fellow and Acting Program Leader, Nigeria

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Bio

Bedru Balana is a Research Fellow and the Acting Program Leader for the Nigeria Country Program in the Natural Resources and Resilience Unit. He is an agricultural economist with extensive experience in applied microeconomic research to inform agricultural development and food policies in Africa. His core research areas include technical and institutional constraints to investments in smallholder agriculture, agricultural markets, rural finance, agricultural technology adoption, climate-smart agriculture, livelihoods and poverty, and food and nutrition security in developing countries. He currently leads and manages large research-for-development (R4D) projects, oversees the planning and implementation of household surveys, and delivers capacity strengthening trainings. Through his supervision, mentorship, and communication with research staff, local partners, and collaborators, Bedru ensures timely completion of project activities, and his engagement with program implementers, policymakers, and donors helps inform the design and delivery of programs and policies that can sustainably enhance food security and reduce poverty in low-income countries. He has published more than 50 articles in high-impact, peer-reviewed international journals as well as book chapters, policy briefs, and technical reports. He has experience in Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso, where he undertakes several agriculture development research, policy dialogue, and capacity strengthening activities. Prior to joining IFPRI, Bedru worked in different academic and development research organizations including Mekelle University (Ethiopia), James Hutton Institute (UK), and in two CGIAR centers (IWMI and IFPRI). He earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Addis Ababa University, and a PhD in agricultural economics from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.

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Publications

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Journal Article

Unpacking the effects of conflict on fertilizer use and maize yields: Empirical evidence From Nigeria

2026Amare, Mulubrhan; Andam, Kwaw S.; Balana, Bedru; Olanrewaju, Opeyemi; Omamo, Steven Were
Details

Unpacking the effects of conflict on fertilizer use and maize yields: Empirical evidence From Nigeria

Conventional recommendations emphasize increasing the use of inorganic fertilizer to enhance maize yields in African countries south of the Sahara, but it is not clear how smallholders’ exposure to violent conflicts affect demand, yield responses, and the profitability of fertilizers. Our study tackles this question. We analyze how maize yield responds to fertilizer use and assess the profitability of fertilizer use in conflict-affected settings. We then investigate how conflict impacts the profitability of fertilizer, given that armed conflicts are likely to increase input costs, logistical difficulties, and market uncertainties. Our study reveals that yield responses to nitrogen are very low in Nigeria. We also show that exposure to conflict reduces input use rates and decreases the marginal physical productivity of nitrogen in maize production, making investment in fertilizer less profitable. Recognizing this effect of conflict on input use and maize yield response is crucial for targeting and resource allocation decisions among smallholders in similar conflict-affected regions. Moreover, the effect of conflict highlights how external factors, beyond the scope of agronomic practices, influence the economic incentives for fertilizer application and the resulting yield outcomes.

Year published

2026

Authors

Amare, Mulubrhan; Andam, Kwaw S.; Balana, Bedru; Olanrewaju, Opeyemi; Omamo, Steven Were

Citation

Amare, Mulubrhan; Andam, Kwaw S.; Balana, Bedru; Olanrewaju, Opeyemi; and Omamo, Steven Were. 2026. Unpacking the effects of conflict on fertilizer use and maize yields: Empirical evidence From Nigeria. Agricultural Economics 57(1): e70078. https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.70078

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Western Africa; Capacity Building; Conflicts; Fertilizers; Maize; Crop Yield; Inputs

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.70078 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Brief

SAA’s extension model: Scaling sustainable farming in Nigeria

2025Kirui, Oliver K.; Balana, Bedru; Olanrewaju, Opeyemi; Edeh, Hyacinth O.; Nwagboso, Chibuzo
Details

SAA’s extension model: Scaling sustainable farming in Nigeria

In Nigeria, scaling agricultural innovations faces a major enabling environment challenge. This includes weak national extension systems, low extension officers-farmer ratios (1:1,800–1:3,000) and ineffective input-output market linkages, limiting technology adoption, and value addition for smallholders. The Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) addressed this through its Value-Chain Based Extension (VCBE) Models, including Commodity Association Trader-Trainers and post-harvest centers, fostering public-private partnerships to build capacity, improve group dynamics, and create aggregation hubs. This innovative extension model has mobilized agricultural produce valued at approximately USD 3.9 million and delivered significant impact for smallholder farmers. The approach has doubled maize yields—from traditional levels of 2,438 kg/ha to 4,823 kg/ha—while enhancing incomes for more than 455,200 farmers. These outcomes are strengthening both food security and economic resilience across participating communities.

Year published

2025

Authors

Kirui, Oliver K.; Balana, Bedru; Olanrewaju, Opeyemi; Edeh, Hyacinth O.; Nwagboso, Chibuzo

Citation

Kirui, Oliver K.; Balana, Bedru; Olanrewaju, Opeyemi; Edeh, Hyacinth O.; and Nwagboso, Chibuzo. 2025. SAA’s extension model: Scaling sustainable farming in Nigeria. Enabling Environment Success and Failure Stories 7. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180316

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Western Africa; Agricultural Extension; Sustainability; Innovation Scaling; Sustainable Agriculture; Farming Systems

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

Resource thumbnail

Working Paper

Bridging the gap: How human-centered design can help unlock bottlenecks in the diffusion of small-scale irrigation in Nigeria

2025
Balana, Bedru; Abba, Aminu; Iraoya, Augustine Okhale; Yakasai, Musa Tukur; Yakasai, Bello; Abdullahi, Kabiru; Shuaibu, Ahmed Usman; Musa, Nuruddeen Muhammad; Kirui, Oliver K.; Edeh, Hyacinth O.
…more Ringler, Claudia
Details

Bridging the gap: How human-centered design can help unlock bottlenecks in the diffusion of small-scale irrigation in Nigeria

Ample evidence shows that small-scale irrigation (SSI) has positive impacts on agricultural productivity, poverty reduction, climate resilience and household food security, nutrition. Despite this, adoption of SSI has remained low in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, where previous research suggests potential for adoption is largest. Factors such as high cost of technologies, farmers’ risk behavior, lack of incentives, and lack of access to finance and capacity gaps have often been noted as key constraints limiting the adoption/scaling of SSI among smallholders. However, in an environment with low overall levels of use, it is important to not only focus on the challenges experienced by smallholder farmers, but also on those of key intermediary actors—specifically government, irrigation equipment distributors, and finance institutions—that are critical for a supportive enabling environment of SSI technology diffusion. To understand the constraints these groups encounter and propose innovative policy, financial, and supply chain solutions, we conducted a series of human-centered design (HCD) workshops in three locations in Nigeria. Key solutions proposed during nine workshops include the need for cross-sector coordination and policy harmonization, improved data and digital systems and platforms, customized financial products and risk-sharing options for SSI, capacity-sharing for extension services, and specific strategies to support women farmers so that they benefit equally.

Year published

2025

Authors

Balana, Bedru; Abba, Aminu; Iraoya, Augustine Okhale; Yakasai, Musa Tukur; Yakasai, Bello; Abdullahi, Kabiru; Shuaibu, Ahmed Usman; Musa, Nuruddeen Muhammad; Kirui, Oliver K.; Edeh, Hyacinth O.; Ringler, Claudia

Citation

Balana, Bedru; Abba, Aminu; Iraoya, Augustine Okhale; Yakasai, Musa Tukur; Yakasai, Bello; et al. 2025. Bridging the gap: How human-centered design can help unlock bottlenecks in the diffusion of small-scale irrigation in Nigeria. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2380. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178299

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Western Africa; Irrigation; Small-scale Irrigation; Government; Financial Institutions; Irrigation Equipment; Design

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

Events

WFP Climate Impact Evaluation Forum
IFPRI at External Event

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October 7 to 9, 2024

WFP Climate Impact Evaluation Forum

Extreme weather events pose one of the biggest threats to global food security. Increasingly, climate disasters like floods, droughts, and cyclones, are striking regions previously unaccustomed to such crises. In the Asia Pacific region, the United Nations World Food Programme work hand-in-hand with several partners to support vulnerable communities preparing, responding, and recovering from climate shocks […]

Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 Summit
IFPRI at External Event

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September 2 to 6, 2024

Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 Summit

The Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 annual summit will be a timely opportunity to convene diverse stakeholders, including world leaders, investors, academia, farmers’ organizations, and the private sector, to spotlight innovations, technologies, best practices, business models, policy delivery mechanisms, and investments to accelerate food systems transformation in Africa and beyond, with youth and women at […]

WFP Impact Evaluation Forum
IFPRI at External Event

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December 4 to 7, 2023

WFP Impact Evaluation Forum

Event: December 4, 2023 – 09:00 AM to December 7, 2023 – 6:30 PM CET. IFPRI is participating in the first United Nations World Food Programme Impact Evaluation Forum in Rome, Italy.

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News

August 27, 2022 | In the News

FG inaugurates six-year policy to promote innovation, investment in agric sector (The Cable) 

The Cable (Nigeria) published an article announcing the six-year national agricultural technology and innovation policy (NATIP) from 2022 to 2027 to enhance agribusiness in the country. The policy also aims to increase resilience and digital agriculture, thereby, promoting agricultural investments.   Bedru Balana, country program leader, IFPRI, said women and youth should be mainstreamed across the […]

August 26, 2022 | In the News

Untapped potential in agriculture can help food security – USAID/Nigeria (News Agency Nigeria) 

News Agency Nigeria posted an article on the launch of the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) 2022 – 2027.  Agriculture is important to the growth and development of the economy, adding that in 2020, agriculture contributed over 25 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The new policy is a deliberate effort by […]

July 26, 2019 | In the News

Irrigation earns flood-prone farmers US$4,344 a hectare (SciDev.Net)

Promoting flood-recession agriculture could reduce seasonal migration during the dry season, helping farmers increase production, income, and food security. 

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