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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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experts

Markets, Trade, and Institutions

Futoshi Yamauchi

Senior Research Fellow

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Bio

Futoshi Yamauchi is Senior Research Fellow in the Market, Trade, and Institutions Unit. His areas of specialization include human capital formation, the labor market, agriculture, rural development, social learning, and governance issues in developing countries. He has extensive field experience in Indonesia, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Kenya, Malawi, Papua New Guinea, and more recently, China and Viet Nam. Prior to rejoining IFPRI in 2018, Futoshi was Senior Economist in the Education and Research Departments at the World Bank. He has also taught at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Yokohama National University, and Kyoto University. Born in Japan, Futoshi received his BA in law and MA in Economics from Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, and his PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Publications

Publications

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Brief

Solar powered drip irrigation: Lessons learned from an impact evaluation in Yemen

2025Jovanovic, Nina; Darwish, Maram; Kurdi, Sikandra; Yamauchi, Futoshi
Details

Solar powered drip irrigation: Lessons learned from an impact evaluation in Yemen

This policy note summarizes findings from a clustered randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in eastern Yemen to assess the impacts of subsidized solar powered drip irrigation systems on smallholder farmers’ production decisions and household food security. The study provides causal evidence on how subsidizing solar drip irrigation for smallholders affects crop choice, market engagement, and welfare outcomes in a fragile, water-scarce context. The intervention led to a significant shift in cropping patterns, with treated farmers becoming less likely to cultivate cereals and more likely to grow higher-value horticultural crops. Treated households also sold a greater share of their harvest in markets during the first season following installation, suggesting increased commercialization. However, the study did not detect significant short-term impacts on household food security, indicating that production changes did not immediately translate into improved consumption outcomes.

Year published

2025

Authors

Jovanovic, Nina; Darwish, Maram; Kurdi, Sikandra; Yamauchi, Futoshi

Citation

Jovanovic, Nina; Darwish, Maram; Kurdi, Sikandra; and Yamauchi, Futoshi. 2025. Solar powered drip irrigation: Lessons learned from an impact evaluation in Yemen. MENA Policy Note. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179369

Country/Region

Yemen

Keywords

Western Asia; Middle East; Climate Change Adaptation; Solar Energy; Irrigation; Evaluation; Solar Powered Irrigation Systems; Trickle Irrigation; Groundwater Irrigation; Irrigation Systems

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

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Working Paper

Impact evaluation of a solar powered drip irrigation intervention in eastern Yemen

2025Jovanovic, Nina; Darwish, Maram; Kurdi, Sikandra; Yamauchi, Futoshi
Details

Impact evaluation of a solar powered drip irrigation intervention in eastern Yemen

Groundwater irrigation supports agricultural production and local food security in arid regions, however costs and accessibility of fuel for pumping are a challenge in conflict-affected contexts. Solar-powered drip irrigation technology can support smallholder farmers in such settings. In this study we estimated the impacts of subsidized solar-powered drip irrigation systems on smallholder farmers’ production decisions and household food security via a clustered randomized control trial in eastern Yemen. We found that farmers in the treatment group were significantly less likely to cultivate cereals, more likely to cultivate horticultural crops, and more likely to sell a higher share of their harvests at market during the first season post‑intervention. These results provide causal evidence on the impact of solar drip irrigation systems on shifting smallholder farmers’ crop production toward higher-value crops. We did not find significant impacts on household food security within the short-term post-intervention period that the analysis covered. These findings also provide preliminary support for investments in solar and drip irrigation technology in Yemen, while acknowledging that more research is needed to address potential negative externalities.

Year published

2025

Authors

Jovanovic, Nina; Darwish, Maram; Kurdi, Sikandra; Yamauchi, Futoshi

Citation

Jovanovic, Nina; Darwish, Maram; Kurdi, Sikandra; and Yamauchi, Futoshi. 2025. Impact evaluation of a solar powered drip irrigation intervention in eastern Yemen. MENA Working Paper. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179397

Country/Region

Yemen

Keywords

Middle East; Impact Assessment; Irrigation; Solar Powered Irrigation Systems; Trickle Irrigation; Groundwater Irrigation; Smallholders; Irrigation Systems

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Fragility, Conflict, and Migration

Record type

Working Paper

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Opinion Piece

Japan reaps the consequences of flawed rice policies

2025Godo, Yoshihisa; Yamauchi, Futoshi
Details

Japan reaps the consequences of flawed rice policies

In response to soaring supermarket rice prices, the Japanese government released 210,000 tonnes of rice from its emergency reserves in February 2025, despite an abundance of rice production in the country. The price spike since summer 2024 did not occur because of a production shortage, but due to media coverage of extreme summer heat, panic buying after an earthquake warning, speculation and rigidities and missing markets in the rice system. A market-friendly approach could provide a more sustainable resolution than ad-hoc government actions.

Year published

2025

Authors

Godo, Yoshihisa; Yamauchi, Futoshi

Citation

Godo, Yoshihisa; and Yamauchi, Futoshi. 2025. Japan reaps the consequences of flawed rice policies. East Asian Forum. Opinion piece published online May 29, 2025. https://eastasiaforum.org/2025/05/29/japan-reaps-the-consequences-of-flawed-rice-policies/

Country/Region

Japan

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Farmers; Food Prices; Rice; Policies

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Opinion Piece

Blogs

TICAD 9: How IFPRI and Japan leverage advanced technologies, know-how, and institutional innovations to advance African development
Event Post
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September 30, 2025

TICAD 9: How IFPRI and Japan leverage advanced technologies, know-how, and institutional innovations to advance African development

By Futoshi Yamauchi, Teunis van Rheenen, and Eduardo Maruyama

Insights from the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development.

Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit: Leveraging Japanese knowledge to address global health and nutrition challenges
Event Post
 | 
January 14, 2022

Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit: Leveraging Japanese knowledge to address global health and nutrition challenges

By Swati Malhotra, Futoshi Yamauchi, and Hiroyuki Takeshima

Innovative approaches to solving the problems of food insecurity.

TICAD7 Side Event: How Japan’s know-how can help address Africa’s food and nutrition challenges
Event Post
 | 
September 27, 2019

TICAD7 Side Event: How Japan’s know-how can help address Africa’s food and nutrition challenges

By Hiroyuki Takeshima, Futoshi Yamauchi, and Swati Malhotra

Japanese organizations and businesses are working with African partners on a variety of fronts, from surimi factories to tomato production—a discussion.

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Events

Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD9)
IFPRI at External Event

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July 24 to August 20, 2025

Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD9)

The Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) is co-hosted by the Government of Japan, the United Nations, UNDP, the World Bank, and the African Union Commission and will take place in Yokohama, Japan, from August 20 to 22, 2025. The TICAD9 conference promotes African ownership and international partnership, bringing together heads of […]

The 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8)
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

September 28, 2022, 6:00 – 7:30 pm

The 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8)

Virtual Event: September 28, 2022 – 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM JST. The side event explores how Japan can lend its expertise to address Africa’s food and nutrition challenges and show some evidence of the impacts.

Side Event: How Japan’s know-how can help address food and nutrition challenges in the developing world
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

November 30, 2021, 6:00 – 7:30 am

Side Event: How Japan’s know-how can help address food and nutrition challenges in the developing world

Virtual Event: Nov 30, 2021 – 06:00 AM to 07:30 AM EST. This event explores how Japan can lend its expertise to address food and nutrition challenges in the developing world.

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News

October 26, 2023 | In the News

Sharp energy solutions Europe delivers 900 bifacial solar panels to Egypt for IFPRI’s innovative solar-powered irrigation project (PV Magazine)

“Sharp Energy Solutions Europe has successfully delivered 900 units of the NB-JD550 bifacial solar panel to Egypt as part of a high-impact project introduced by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan,” writes PV Magazine (International). “In collaboration with Sharp Energy Solutions Europe, IFPRI’s project […]

March 04, 2023 | In the News

Noguchi, IFPRI table interventions to boost Ghana’s school feeding programme (Ghana Web) 

Ghana’s school feeding program is set to receive a major boost in the coming years, writes Ghana Web.    The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in collaboration with other major stakeholders introduced the school launch intervention policy in Accra. The project is designed to play an […]

March 08, 2023 | In the News

IFPRI and NMIMR collaborate with Japanese specialists to intensify school feeding program (Citi Newsroom) 

A Japan-funded project between the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) has been launched, writes Citi Newsroom (Ghana).  The project “Protecting vulnerable children from exacerbated food insecurity crisis through Japan’s expertise on school lunch: Intervention in Ghana” seeks to protect vulnerable children from situations of escalating food […]

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