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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.

researcher spotlight

Eliot Jones-Garcia

Eliot Jones-Garcia is a Senior Research Analyst with the Natural Resources and Resilience Unit based in Washington, DC. His research focuses on human-AI interaction, user-centered design, and the ethical and responsible development of AI. Eliot is currently finalizing a PhD on the digitalization of agricultural advisory services at Wageningen University & Research.

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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 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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Development Strategies and Governance

Haleluya Tesfaye Gebru

Research Officer

tesfaye_haleluya

Bio

Haleluya Tesfaye is a Research Officer with the Ethiopian Strategic Support Program (ESSP) of the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, based in Adis Ababa. Her work largely focuses on evaluations of Ethiopia’s rural productive safety net program (PSNP), the country’s largest social protection program, including PSNP nutrition-sensitive evaluations. Haleluya also supports the coordination of large household surveys and the statistical analysis of primary data. Her research interests include development, food security, agriculture, and behavioral economics. Before joining IFPRI, she worked as a Research Officer at the Policy Studies Institute. Haleluya holds a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Trento, Italy.

Ethiopia Strategy Support Program

Development Strategies and Governance

Publications

Resource thumbnail

Working Paper

The impact of a nutrition-sensitive graduation model program on child nutrition: Experimental evidence from Ethiopia

2025Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Mesfin, Hiwot Mekonnen; Mulford, Michael; Tesfaye, Haleluya
Details

The impact of a nutrition-sensitive graduation model program on child nutrition: Experimental evidence from Ethiopia

Multifaceted graduation models are a promising strategy to sustainably reduce poverty, yet evidence on their effects on child undernutrition remains limited. This randomized controlled trial evaluated a nutrition-sensitive graduation model combining village economic and savings associations, peer-led behavior change communication, and maternal cash transfers (and for a subset, lump-sum livelihoods transfers) implemented among ultra-poor households in rural Ethiopia. The model without maternal cash transfers improved maternal nutrition knowledge and financial inclusion but did not generate meaningful changes in children’s diets or growth. Supplementing the pro-gram with maternal cash transfers produced at least moderate improvements in child diet quality, early childhood development, household consumption, and assets. The largest improvements in child growth occurred among households receiving both the livelihoods grant and maternal cash transfers. Overall, the results suggest that coupling behavior change communication and livelihoods support with sufficient financial support is critical for achieving meaningful progress in both economic well-being and child nutrition.

Year published

2025

Authors

Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Mesfin, Hiwot Mekonnen; Mulford, Michael; Tesfaye, Haleluya

Citation

Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Mesfin, Hiwot Mekonnen; Mulford, Michael; and Tesfaye, Haleluya. 2025. The impact of a nutrition-sensitive graduation model program on child nutrition: Experimental evidence from Ethiopia. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2391. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179205

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Models; Nutrition; Children; Livelihoods; Poverty; Child Nutrition

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

Resource thumbnail

Report

Implementer-Led Evaluation and Learning (IMPEL) evaluation of SPIR II RFSA – Midline survey report

2024Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; Tesfaye, Haleluya
Details

Implementer-Led Evaluation and Learning (IMPEL) evaluation of SPIR II RFSA – Midline survey report

The objective of this report is to present results from the midline survey conducted as part of the IMPEL evaluation of SPIR-II, a randomized controlled trial launched in 2022. The second phase of the Strengthen PSNP Institutions and Resilience (SPIR-II) project aims to enhance livelihoods, increase resilience to shocks, and improve food security and nutrition for rural households vulnerable to food insecurity in Ethiopia. The project is situated within Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), one of the largest safety net programs in Africa. Funded by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), SPIR-II is implemented by World Vision International (lead), CARE, and ORDA in the Amhara and Oromia regions of Ethiopia. The IMPEL SPIR-II impact evaluation employs an experimental design with three arms comparing two treatment combinations of livelihood and nutrition graduation model programming provided to PSNP beneficiaries relative to a control group receiving only PSNP transfers. The treatment assignment is randomized at the kebele level in 234 kebeles. In the first arm (T1; the control group), PSNP is implemented by the government with SPIR II support for the provision of cash and food transfers only (no supplemental programming). In the second arm (T2), SPIR-II programming is rolled out to PSNP beneficiary households in conjunction with nurturing care groups targeting enhanced infant and young child nutritional practices. In the third arm (T3), PSNP beneficiary households receive SPIR-II programming and nurturing care groups (NCGs), supplemented with additional targeted cash transfers to pregnant and lactating women.

Year published

2024

Authors

Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; Tesfaye, Haleluya

Citation

Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; and Tesfaye, Haleluya. 2024. Implementer-Led Evaluation and Learning (IMPEL) evaluation of SPIR II RFSA – Midline survey report. Washington, DC: The Implementer-Led Evaluation & Learning Associate Award; International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/144025

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Cash Transfers; Children; Food Security; Households; Nutrition; Poverty; Women

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Report

Baseline survey report of the Strengthen PSNP Institutions and Resilience phase II (SPIR II) resilience food security activity in Ethiopia

2023Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; Tambet, Heleene; Tesfaye, Haleluya
Details

Baseline survey report of the Strengthen PSNP Institutions and Resilience phase II (SPIR II) resilience food security activity in Ethiopia

The objective of this report is to present results from the baseline survey conducted as part of the Implementer-Led Evaluation and Learning (IMPEL) evaluation of SPIR II, a randomized controlled trial launched in 2022. The second phase of the Strengthen PSNP Institutions and Resilience (SPIR) Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA) aims to enhance livelihoods, increase resilience to shocks, and improve food security and nutrition for rural households vulnerable to food insecurity in Ethiopia. The RFSA is situated within Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), one of the largest safety net programs in Africa. Funded by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), SPIR II is implemented by World Vision International (lead), CARE, and ORDA in the Amhara and Oromia regions of Ethiopia. The IMPEL SPIR II impact evaluation employs an experimental design with three arms, comparing two treatment combinations of livelihood and nutrition graduation model programming provided to PSNP beneficiaries relative to a control group receiving only PSNP transfers. The treatment assignment is randomized at kebele level in 234 kebeles. In the first arm (the control group), PSNP is implemented by the government with SPIR II support for the provision of cash and food transfers only (no supplemental programming). In the second arm, SPIR II programming is rolled out to PSNP beneficiary households in conjunction with nurturing care groups (NCGs) targeting enhanced infant and young child nutritional practices. In the third arm, PSNP beneficiary households receive SPIR II programming and NCGs, supplemented with additional targeted cash grants to pregnant and lactating women.

Year published

2023

Authors

Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; Tambet, Heleene; Tesfaye, Haleluya

Citation

Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; Tambet, Heleene; and Tesfaye, Haleluya. 2023. Baseline survey report of the Strengthen PSNP Institutions and Resilience phase II (SPIR II) resilience food security activity in Ethiopia. Washington, DC: The Implementer-Led Evaluation & Learning Associate Award (IMPEL); International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140194

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Gender; Households; Social Protection; Nutrition; Children; Food Security; Poverty; Credit; Resilience; Women

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Events

SPIR II Learning Event
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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May 16 to 17, 2023

SPIR II Learning Event

May 16 and 17, 2023 (9:00am – 5:00pm Addis Ababa): The Strengthen PSNP5 Institutions and Resilience (SPIR II) Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA) in Ethiopia is a five-year project (2021-2026) that supports implementation of the fifth phase of the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP5) in Amhara and Oromia regions and provides additional graduation model programming through complementary gender-sensitive livelihood, nutrition, and climate resilience activities to strengthen the program and expand its impacts.

National Nutrition Conference in Ethiopia: Diets, Affordability and Policy in Ethiopia: From Evidence to Action
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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December 12, 2019, 9:00 – 4:30 pm

National Nutrition Conference in Ethiopia: Diets, Affordability and Policy in Ethiopia: From Evidence to Action

Despite progress, many children in Ethiopia remain stunted, diet diversity continues to pose a challenge, and food systems are changing rapidly. To support the implementation of Ethiopia’s National Food and Nutrition Policy (NFNP), IFPRI, Policy Studies Institute (PSI), Ethiopia Public Health Institute (EPHI), and the Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) program will present new […]