Subscribe

Back

Who we are

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.

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

Food Security Portal

Modeling tools

What’s new

Where we work

Back

Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 480 employees working in over 70 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

IFPRI Regional Programs

IFPRI Country and Regional Offices

Research by country and region

Subscribe

experts

Development Strategies and Governance

Hala Abushama

Research Analyst

Follow

Hala

at:

ORCiD

Bio

Hala Abushama is a Research Analyst with the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, and is based at IFPRI-Cairo.

Development Strategies and Governance

Publications

Resource thumbnail

Report

Essential commodities prices, availability, and market actors’ perceptions: December 2025

2026Mohamed, Shima; Nigus, Halefom Yigzaw; Rakhy, Tarig; Abushama, Hala; Siddig, Khalid
Details

Essential commodities prices, availability, and market actors’ perceptions: December 2025

Merchants’ expectations remained broadly stable in December. About 62.5 percent planned to continue trading at current levels, similar to November. However, the share intending to expand trading volumes declined to 20.6 percent from 26.7 percent, with planned expansions mainly concentrated in Blue Nile and South Kordofan. Only small shares of merchants planned to reduce trade volumes (4.4 percent, mainly in Gedaref and North Kordofan) or relocate to other markets (around 4 percent, notably in South Kordofan and Kassala). Temporary exits from trading or changes in product mix were negligible, while uncertainty about future plans increased to 6.6 percent, up from 3.5 percent in November.

Year published

2026

Authors

Mohamed, Shima; Nigus, Halefom Yigzaw; Rakhy, Tarig; Abushama, Hala; Siddig, Khalid

Citation

Mohamed, Shima; Nigus, Halefom Yigzaw; Rakhy, Tarig; Abushama, Hala; and Siddig, Khalid. 2026. Essential commodities prices, availability, and market actors’ perceptions: December 2025. Sudan Market Prices and Availability Report 11. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/181303

Country/Region

Sudan

Keywords

Africa; Northern Africa; Capacity Building; Commodities; Prices; Markets; Price Stabilization; Economic Stabilization

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Under the gun: Military and paramilitary actors in Sudan’s agrifood system

2026Resnick, Danielle; Abushama, Hala; Ahmed, Mosab O. M.; Kirui, Oliver K.; Siddig, Khalid
Details

Under the gun: Military and paramilitary actors in Sudan’s agrifood system

Armed actors are entrenched in the agrifood systems of several low- and middle-income countries, often with implications for agricultural transformation and democratic transitions. This paper focuses on the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s agrifood system. Through over 50 semi-structured stakeholder interviews, the paper traces how these actors gained their foothold in the agrifood system and how they interact with the private sector across diverse value chains. We argue that their investments in certain value chains depend on whether the formal private sector is already involved and the degree of technical complexity required for more profitable product upgrading. Based on these considerations, we uncover four strategies used in different value chains: exclusive capture and rent-extraction, biased competition through licencing and quota allocations, acquiescence to private competitors when value-addition is too complex, and innovation when profit potential is high and the private sector is absent. We demonstrate these strategies with respect to livestock, wheat, gum Arabic, and horticulture, with secondary applications to other commodities. Since economic competition between SAF and RSF was a major factor in the outbreak of the 2023-armed conflict, identifying these strategies expands insights about the political economy antecedents of large-scale conflict.

Year published

2026

Authors

Resnick, Danielle; Abushama, Hala; Ahmed, Mosab O. M.; Kirui, Oliver K.; Siddig, Khalid

Citation

Resnick, Danielle; Abushama, Hala; Ahmed, Mosab O. M.; Kirui, Oliver K.; and Siddig, Khalid. Under the gun: Military and paramilitary actors in Sudan’s agrifood system. Journal of Development Studies. Article in press. First published on 5 January 2026. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2025.2601585

Country/Region

Sudan

Keywords

Africa; Northern Africa; Capacity Building; Agricultural Transformation; Food Systems; Military Operations; Political Aspects; Value Chains

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2025.2601585 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Working Paper

Rural livelihoods under prolonged conflict: Evidence from a panel household survey in Sudan

2025Nigus, Halefom Yigzaw; Abushama, Hala; Rakhy, Tarig; Mohamed, Shima; Siddig, Khalid; Kirui, Oliver K.
Details

Rural livelihoods under prolonged conflict: Evidence from a panel household survey in Sudan

This report presents evidence from the Sudan Rural Household Survey of 2023 and 2024, a two-wave panel survey that assesses how rural households are navigating prolonged conflict. By tracking the same households over time, the survey provides longitudinal insights into livelihoods, food security, access to markets and productive resources, and exposure to shocks across an insecure and rapidly evolving context. The findings from the survey data analysis point to an uneven pattern of economic adjustment by households rather than sustained recovery. Rural households are actively adapting through changes in livelihood strategies, income diversification, and increased participation of household members in income-generating activities. Compared to 2023, fewer households reported in 2024 having no employment. Engagement in salaried work and agriculture also rose. Despite these shifts, income losses remain widespread. Only a small share of households reported improved earnings in 2024, indicating that adaptation is largely driven by necessity rather than durable recovery. Food consumption outcomes improved markedly between survey waves, with substantial declines in the share of households in 2024 reporting poor or borderline diets. At the same time, experience-based measures show that food insecurity remains pervasive, with more than half of rural households facing moderate or severe food insecurity. There has been little change in the prevalence of severe food insecurity. The continuing food insecurity challenges underscore the fragility of recent gains and the continued vulnerability of many households.

Year published

2025

Authors

Nigus, Halefom Yigzaw; Abushama, Hala; Rakhy, Tarig; Mohamed, Shima; Siddig, Khalid; Kirui, Oliver K.

Citation

Nigus, Halefom Yigzaw; Abushama, Hala; Rakhy, Tarig; Mohamed, Shima; Siddig, Khalid; and Kirui, Oliver K. 2025. Rural livelihoods under prolonged conflict: Evidence from a panel household survey in Sudan. Sudan SSP Working Paper 25. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179368

Country/Region

Sudan

Keywords

Africa; Northern Africa; Food Security; Conflicts; Livelihoods; Households; Surveys

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

Events

Informing Crisis Response in Sudan
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

October 22, 2025, 3:00 – 4:30 pm

Informing Crisis Response in Sudan

The recent resurgence of armed conflicts in Africa is increasing the need and urgency for investments in shock-responsive humanitarian and social assistance programs. Armed conflicts both increase the need for aid and greatly complicate delivery of humanitarian services to vulnerable populations. In addition, humanitarian organizations are facing an increasing funding gap because of dwindling donor […]

Two Years of Crisis: Impact and Pathways to Recovery and Resilience
Series/Special Event

 | 

April 14 to 15, 2025

Two Years of Crisis: Impact and Pathways to Recovery and Resilience

The Sudan conflict, now entering its third year, continues to devastate the country’s socioeconomic fabric. As of January 2025, more than 8.8 million people were internally displaced, and over 3.3 million had sought refuge in neighboring countries. Conservative reports estimate over 32,000 fatalities occurred between the start of the war on April 15, 2023, and […]

Navigating Sudan’s Conflict: Research Insights and Policy Implications
Series/Special Event

 | 

March 5, 2024, 12:00 – 9:00 pm

Navigating Sudan’s Conflict: Research Insights and Policy Implications

Hybrid Event: March 5, 2024 at 8:00am-6:00pm EAT / 12:00am – 10:00am EST. IFPRI and UNDP have partnered for this event on wide-ranging and in-depth analysis to better understand the socioeconomic impact of the war in Sudan, and to inform policy and programmatic recommendations.

View all Events

News

February 18, 2026 | In the News

Sudan: how warring factions gained influence in the country’s food system – and what it means for the current conflict (The Conversation)

The importance of understanding the political economy incentives that drive large-scale conflict.

February 10, 2026 | In the News

Can digital cash transfers serve those in active conflict zones? (VoxDev)

Digital cash transfers can be delivered even in active conflict settings like Sudan and can significantly protect vulnerable households from worsening food insecurity, though their impacts vary by context and household characteristics.