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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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Kinya Kaibung’a

Kinya Kaibung’a is a Research Officer with the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, based in Nairobi, Kenya. She has a keen interest in leveraging machine learning, AI, and other cutting-edge technologies to boost climate resilience and food security in smart agriculture systems.

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Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Elyse Iruhiriye

Associate Research Fellow

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Bio

Elyse Iruhiriye is an Associate Research Fellow in IFPRI’s Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit. At IFPRI, her research has focused on impact evaluations of integrated nutrition and health programs and integrated agriculture and nutrition programs. She has focused on qualitative process evaluation surveys and cost-effectiveness studies of these programs. Elyse holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Boston University. She is fluent in French and Kirundi.

Publications

Publications

Resource thumbnail

Preprint

Healthy diet perceptions and drivers of fruit and vegetable food choices among adolescents in Benin: A qualitative study

2026Diatta, Ampa Dogui; Bodjrenou, Fifali Sam Ulrich; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Eissler, Sarah; Mitchodigni, Irene Medeme; Cunningham, Kenda; Olney, Deanna K.; Bliznashka, Lilia; Iruhiriye, Elyse
Details

Healthy diet perceptions and drivers of fruit and vegetable food choices among adolescents in Benin: A qualitative study

Globally, 75% of adolescents do not meet recommendations for fruits and vegetables (F&V) consumption. This study investigated drivers of F&V choices among adolescents in Benin and identified barriers and facilitators to modifying F&V consumption. We conducted 16 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 126 adolescents and 5 semi-structured school observations in December 2024. FGDs were purposively chosen to explore variation by region (north/south), school location (urban/rural), adolescent age (12 to 15 years/16-18 years) and gender (boys/girls). Inductive and deductive thematic content analysis was performed using Atlas.ti. Findings showed that adolescents perceived a healthy diet as one composed of meals providing nutrients and strength, and including F&V. At home, adolescents mentioned eating staples and other vegetables more than other food groups. The foods adolescents reported typically eating at school varied by age, gender, and location. The primary categories of factors that influenced adolescent F&V choices were: intrapersonal (knowledge related to healthy eating and the nutrition and health benefits of F&V, taste preferences, and health prioritisation), socio-cultural (family and peer influences), and food environment (low availability, low affordability, convenience, and desirability). DFC factors were consistent across adolescent age, gender, and location. Multiple, dynamic, and multilevel factors influence adolescent F&V choices. Interventions that simultaneously address multiple barriers and involve family and peers are likely to be more successful in promoting F&V consumption and healthy diets than interventions only addressing individual barriers.

Year published

2026

Authors

Diatta, Ampa Dogui; Bodjrenou, Fifali Sam Ulrich; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Eissler, Sarah; Mitchodigni, Irene Medeme; Cunningham, Kenda; Olney, Deanna K.; Bliznashka, Lilia; Iruhiriye, Elyse

Citation

Diatta, Ampa Dogui; Bodjrenou, Fifali Sam Ulrich; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Eissler, Sarah; Mitchodigni, Irene Medeme; et al. 2026. Healthy diet perceptions and drivers of fruit and vegetable food choices among adolescents in Benin: A qualitative study. MedRXiv Preprint. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.06.30.26356853

Country/Region

Benin

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Western Africa; Capacity Building; Healthy Diets; Fruits; Vegetables; Feeding Preferences; Adolescents; Qualitative Analysis

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.06.30.26356853 Source record

Record type

Preprint

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Journal Article

From promises to action: Analyzing global commitments to tackle hunger and food insecurity

2025Zorbas, Christina; Resnick, Danielle; Jones, Eleanor; Suri, Shoba; Iruhiriye, Elyse; Headey, Derek D.; Martin, Will; Vos, Rob; Menon, Purnima
Details

From promises to action: Analyzing global commitments to tackle hunger and food insecurity

High-level declarations and commitment statements are a common output of global, intergovernmental meetings and critical to their continued public legitimacy. Yet, to what extent have such statements served as roadmaps for concrete action? To address this question, this paper focuses on commitments to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030. Using a structured framework with seven domains, we analyzed 148 intergovernmental commitment documents emerging from 78 global meetings focused on SDG2 and organized by ten different global bodies between 2015 and 2023. We find that stated visions to address SDG2 increasingly have been emphasized at global meetings over time but that specific actions to accelerate progress towards SDG2 were weaker. For instance, we find few examples of how needed actions will be scaled up over time, how financing might be mobilized, and how to strengthen horizontal (i.e. multi-sectoral) and vertical (i.e. multi-level) policy coherence. Progress reports are often identified as the main tool for providing public accountability, but there rarely are any consequences to governments for failure to uphold their commitments. We offer several policy recommendations emanating from the analysis, including the need to institutionalize monitoring of SDG2 commitments—not just targets—in the next five years, and a better understanding of political economy factors that may inhibit global decisions from translating into national policy decisions.

Year published

2025

Authors

Zorbas, Christina; Resnick, Danielle; Jones, Eleanor; Suri, Shoba; Iruhiriye, Elyse; Headey, Derek D.; Martin, Will; Vos, Rob; Menon, Purnima

Citation

Zorbas, Christina; Resnick, Danielle; Jones, Eleanor; Suri, Shoba; Iruhiriye, Elyse; Headey, Derek D.; Martin, Will; Vos, Rob; and Menon, Purnima. 2025. From promises to action: Analyzing global commitments to tackle hunger and food insecurity. Food Policy(October 2025): 102968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102968

Keywords

Accountability; Diet; Food Security; Governance; Hunger; Nutrition; Sustainable Development Goals

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102968 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Assessing institutional capacities to demand and use nutrition data for decision-making in Nigeria’s health sector: A mixed-methods study

2025Iruhiriye, Elyse; Adeyemi, Olutayo; Akinmolayan, Yetunde; Vishwanath, Padmini; Rodriguez, Daniela; Heidkamp, Rebecca
Details

Assessing institutional capacities to demand and use nutrition data for decision-making in Nigeria’s health sector: A mixed-methods study

Background Using data for policy design, program implementation and accountability is a priority among nutrition stakeholders in Nigeria. However, the capacities of decision-makers to use data are not well-defined. Objective This study used mixed methods to assess the capacity of institutions within Nigeria’s health sector to demand and use data for decision-making on nutrition policies and programs. Methods A quantitative scale capturing organizational and individual factors related to the capacity to demand and use data was administered to 92 nutrition stakeholders in Nigeria across federal government (n = 33), state government (n = 21) and local government areas (LGAs) (n = 29) and development partner organizations (n = 9). We compared scores across sub-groups. Key informant interviews (KIIs) with a subset of the federal (n = 13), state (n = 17), LGA (n = 30), and development partner (n = 11) respondents complemented the quantitative scale and were analysed thematically. Results Mean institutional capacity to demand and use data was 78.6 out of 100 [95% confidence interval (CI) 75.9, 81.3]. The mean organizational capacity score was 51.4 out of 60 (95% CI 49.9, 52.9); individual capacity was 27.2 out of 40 (95% CI 25.7, 28.7). Development partners (mean 85.7; 95% CI 78.9, 92.4) had the highest score, followed by state-level respondents (mean 82.3; 95% CI 76.9, 87.6), but differences were not significant. Both quantitative and qualitative results showed recognition and support for nutrition data demand and use but weak organizational mechanisms to ensure data use. Accessing available nutrition data was a challenge, especially for administrative data. Quantitative and qualitative results identified infrastructural and technological resource barriers for government respondents, especially at the LGA level, but not for development partners. Skills to synthesize and use nutrition data were also a challenge across respondent groups. Conclusions Government and non-government stakeholders in Nigeria’s health sector recognize the importance of data for nutrition decision-making, but gaps remain in individual capacity, resources and data use processes. To strengthen data use for nutrition policy process, investments to address gaps are needed.

Year published

2025

Authors

Iruhiriye, Elyse; Adeyemi, Olutayo; Akinmolayan, Yetunde; Vishwanath, Padmini; Rodriguez, Daniela; Heidkamp, Rebecca

Citation

Iruhiriye, Elyse; Adeyemi, Olutayo; Akinmolayan, Yetunde; Vishwanath, Padmini; Rodriguez, Daniela; and Heidkamp, Rebecca. 2025. Assessing institutional capacities to demand and use nutrition data for decision-making in Nigeria’s health sector: A mixed-methods study. Health Research Policy and Systems 23: 117. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-025-01387-9

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Capacity Development; Data; Decision Making; Nutrition; Research Methods

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-025-01387-9 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

The cost of improving nutritional outcomes through food aid programs: Is more and longer better?
Research Post
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November 20, 2020

The cost of improving nutritional outcomes through food aid programs: Is more and longer better?

By Jef L. Leroy, Jessica Heckert, Deanna K. Olney, Susan Richter, Elyse Iruhiriye, Marie T. Ruel, and Tracy Brown

Evidence shows that these programs can work, but are the costs reasonable?

Events

IFPRI @ NUTRITION 2026 – American Society for Nutrition Annual Meeting
IFPRI at External Event

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July 25 to 28, 2026

IFPRI @ NUTRITION 2026 – American Society for Nutrition Annual Meeting

Poor diets are a leading driver of chronic disease and premature death worldwide, contributing to obesity, diabetes, and other conditions that strain health systems and economies. Rigorous nutrition science is critical to understanding these challenges and informing the policies and interventions needed to achieve healthier diets. NUTRITION 2026, the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting, […]

10th annual Agriculture, Nutrition and Health (ANH) Academy Week
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June 16 to 26, 2025

10th annual Agriculture, Nutrition and Health (ANH) Academy Week

IFPRI is participating in the 10th annual Agriculture, Nutrition and Health (ANH) Academy Week from June 16-26, 2025. The ANH Academy Week is a series of annual events that bring together the community of researchers, practitioners and policymakers working at the intersection of agriculture, food systems, nutrition and health. The objective of the ANH Academy […]

From Commitments to Impact: Analyzing the Global Commitments Toward Promoting Food Security and Healthy Diets
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February 6, 2024, 9:00 – 10:30 am

From Commitments to Impact: Analyzing the Global Commitments Toward Promoting Food Security and Healthy Diets

Hybrid Event: February 6, 2024 at 9:00am-10:30am EST. This event will shed light on commitments already made, share research results on the potential of current commitments to achieve a focused set of food and nutrition security goals, and foster continued dialogue with global advocacy partners.

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