Subscribe

Back

Who we are

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.

Erick Boy

researcher spotlight

Erick Boy

Erick Boy is the Chief Nutritionist in the HarvestPlus section of the Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit. As head of nutrition for the HarvestPlus Program since 2008, he has led research that has generated scientific evidence on biofortified staple crops as efficacious and effective interventions to help address iron, vitamin A, and zinc deficiency in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.

Back

What we do

Since 1975, IFPRI’s research has been informing policies and development programs to improve food security, nutrition, and livelihoods around the world.

Research topics

Projects and impact

Modeling tools

Project microsites

What’s new

Where we work

Back

Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

IFPRI Regional Programs

IFPRI Country Programs

Research by country and region

Subscribe

experts

Markets, Trade, and Institutions

Berber Kramer

Senior Research Fellow

Follow

Berber

at:

@BerberKramer
ORCiD

Bio

Berber Kramer is a Senior Research Fellow in the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Unit, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Her research focuses on financial inclusion, technology adoption, gender, and adaptation to climate change. She leads a research program that aims to strengthen agricultural insurance and finance in Ethiopia, India, and Kenya through digital innovations in the design of financial services. Berber also leads the Behavioral Intelligence work package and the impact assessment component of the CGIAR Research Initiative on Market Intelligence, for which she contributes to the CGIAR action area on genetic innovation. She has a PhD in economics from the Tinbergen Institute, the Netherlands.

LinkedIn

Google Scholar Citations

RePEc Author Profile

Research Gate Profile

CV

Publications

Resource thumbnail

Working Paper

Outcomes and impacts of CGIAR Research Initiatives in Kenya from 2022 to 2024

2025Boukaka, Sedi Anne; Kimaiyo, Faith; Kramer, Berber; Ayalew, Hailemariam; Place, Frank
Details

Outcomes and impacts of CGIAR Research Initiatives in Kenya from 2022 to 2024

Kenya hosted one of CGIAR’s largest portfolios of research and innovation from 2022 to 2024, when pooled funding for the CGIAR was distributed through CGIAR research initiatives. This paper synthesizes CGIAR’s contributions to Kenyan agriculture in that period by triangulating two evidence streams: 148 outcomes logged in the CGIAR Performance and Results Management System (PRMS) and 56 impact assessments published as peer-reviewed journal articles. The analysis shows that CGIAR’s work has catalyzed improvements in seed systems, facilitated refinements in agronomic techniques, and encouraged the adoption of climate-resilient, sustainable farming practices and technologies. These contributions have paved the way for increasing crop productivity, while also supporting key livestock innovations that enhance food safety and bolster the resilience of pastoral communities. Robust local partnerships underpinned several policy shifts and helped align many outputs with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). Yet, important gaps persist. Activities are mainly concentrated in easily reached areas rather than being spread across all agro-ecological zones, and outcomes are recorded in an isolated way, obscuring how separate successes add up to systemic change. Peer-reviewed impact evaluations focused on a different set of impact areas than outcomes reported in PRMS, rarely involve cross-center collaborations, and PRMS entries seldom document how evidence, policy uptake, and multidisciplinary collaboration link together. Looking ahead to the next CGIAR Science Programs phase, the paper urges broader engagement with under-served value chains, deeper cross-program synergies, and closer alignment with Kenya’s BETA and MTP IV priorities to foster inclusive, resilient agricultural growth.

Year published

2025

Authors

Boukaka, Sedi Anne; Kimaiyo, Faith; Kramer, Berber; Ayalew, Hailemariam; Place, Frank

Citation

Boukaka, Sedi Anne; Kimaiyo, Faith; Kramer, Berber; Ayalew, Hailemariam; and Place, Frank. 2025. Outcomes and impacts of CGIAR research initiatives in Kenya from 2022 to 2024. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2344. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175411

Country/Region

Kenya

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Agriculture; Agricultural Innovation; Food Systems; Impact Assessment; Resilience

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

Resource thumbnail

Book Chapter

Gender research: Metrics and policies for greater equity and inclusion

2025Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.; Malapit, Hazel J.; Heckert, Jessica; Kramer, Berber; Van Campenhout, Bjorn
Details

Gender research: Metrics and policies for greater equity and inclusion

Research on gender in development has evolved in parallel with the growing awareness of women’s role in economic development, the importance of gender relations both within and outside the household, and the recognition that women’s empowerment and gender equality are important goals in themselves. This chapter examines the evolution of gender research in the context of the development discourse on gender, focusing on agrifood systems, and identifies major challenges that future research should address. Book link: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174108

Year published

2025

Authors

Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.; Malapit, Hazel J.; Heckert, Jessica; Kramer, Berber; Van Campenhout, Bjorn

Citation

Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.; Malapit, Hazel J.; Heckert, Jessica; Kramer, Berber; and Van Campenhout, Bjorn. 2025. Gender research: Metrics and policies for greater equity and inclusion. In Global food policy report 2025: Food policy: Lessons and priorities for a changing world, eds. Johan Swinnen and Christopher Barrett. Part Four: Transforming Lives and Livelihoods, Chapter 14, Pp. 341-364. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174349

Keywords

Gender; Research; Policies; Gender Equity; Social Inclusion; Intersectionality; Demographic Transition; Women’s Empowerment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Book Chapter

Resource thumbnail

Book Chapter

Agricultural insurance: Policies and programs for reducing farmer risk

2025Ceballos, Francisco; Hazell, Peter B. R.; Hill, Ruth Vargas; Kramer, Berber
Details

Agricultural insurance: Policies and programs for reducing farmer risk

Farm households face many market and production risks to their livelihoods, food security, and economic well-being. Agricultural insurance is intended to help protect households from risk, but many agricultural risks are difficult to insure against and demand for insurance products remains low. This chapter examines how policy-oriented research has encouraged public investment, facilitated farmer use, and improved farmer welfare, and explores how new technologies and approaches are creating opportunities for increasing coverage. Book link: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174108

Year published

2025

Authors

Ceballos, Francisco; Hazell, Peter B. R.; Hill, Ruth Vargas; Kramer, Berber

Citation

Ceballos, Francisco; Hazell, Peter B. R.; Hill, Ruth Vargas; and Kramer, Berber. 2025. Agricultural insurance: Policies and programs for reducing farmer risk. In Global food policy report 2025: Food policy: Lessons and priorities for a changing world, eds. Johan Swinnen and Christopher Barrett. Part Three: Supporting Farmers, Chapter 10, Pp. 245-264. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174303

Keywords

Insurance; Agricultural Insurance; Risk Reduction; Farmers; Economic Policies; Crop Insurance; Weather Index Insurance; Artificial Intelligence; Machine Learning

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Book Chapter

Events

IFPRI @ CGIAR Science Week
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

April 7 to 12, 2025

IFPRI @ CGIAR Science Week

When humanity has faced its greatest challenges, science and innovation have provided solutions. Today, major and connected global challenges threaten the sustainability of food, land, and water systems, with the most vulnerable people and communities at greatest risk. Recognizing the urgency of these challenges, CGIAR and the Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) are […]

2023 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

July 23 to 25, 2023

2023 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting

Event: July 23, 2023 – 8:30 AM to July 25, 2023 – 4:15 PM EDT. IFPRI is participating in the 2023 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting.

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.

View all Events

News

July 16, 2019 | In the News

Making crop insurance work for Indian farmers

Live Mint published an overview article on crop insurance. The article highlighted an IFPRI study that demonstrates how to capitalize on the availability of low-cost internet and the rising use of smartphones. The novel picture-based insurance (PBI) product welds technology with weather index-based insurance (WBI).

October 11, 2019 | In the News

Kenyan farmers snap crops with phones to improve insurance payouts (Reuters)

Reuters published an article about crop insurance in Kenya. Picture-based crop insurance, an application developed by IFPRI researchers allows farmers to capture images with their smartphones to prove crop loss during extreme weather. The app has been successfully tested in India providing an estimate of losses and reducing administrative costs. Republished in ReliefWeb.

May 24, 2018 | In the News

How farmers can use smartphones to make crop loss assessment (The Indian Express)

In an interview with The Indian Express, Berber Kramer explains the comparative advantages of picture-based crop insurance. 

View all News

Research

Projects

Topics/Countries

Awards

  • TW Schultz Award, 2018, International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) 30th Conference of Agricultural Economists