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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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Natural Resources and Resilience

Hua Xie

Research Fellow

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Bio

Hua Xie is a Research Fellow in the Natural Resources and Resilience Unit. He specializes in water resources and environmental systems analysis and is interested in developing and applying analytical and modeling tools to address various issues in water resources and environmental management. Topics of his research at IFPRI include irrigation investment analysis, global water quality modeling, large-scale hydrologic and crop simulation, climate change impact assessment, and sustainable land management. Hua Xie is a citizen of China. He holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Languages spoken: Chinese, English

Publications

CV

Publications

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Water for food security: The contribution of CGIAR in addressing global agricultural water challenges

2025Xie, Hua; Masso, Cargele
Details

Water for food security: The contribution of CGIAR in addressing global agricultural water challenges

Water is a fundamental input for food production and is used extensively across all agricultural activities, including crop cultivation, livestock production, aquaculture, and food processing. Substantial investments have been made to expand water supply capacity for agriculture, which has made a significant contribution to agricultural production growth (FAO, 2021). At the same time, the intensive use of water in agriculture and related processes creates significant pressures on water resources and aquatic ecosystems. Water scarcity and pollution are among the major water-related challenges associated with global food production, which are directly relevant to SDG 6.

Year published

2025

Authors

Xie, Hua; Masso, Cargele

Citation

Xie, Hua and Masso, Cargele. 2025. Water for food security: The contribution of CGIAR in addressing global agricultural water challenges. IFPRI Project Note. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179405

Keywords

Water Management; Food Security; Water

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

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Brief

Effect of organic fertilizer use on crop yield and soil health in maize production in Kenya

2024Xie, Hua
Details

Effect of organic fertilizer use on crop yield and soil health in maize production in Kenya

Sub-Saharan Africa faces an elevated risk of food insecurity. The agricultural sector in Sub-Saharan African countries encounters significant challenges in increasing crop production to meet the ever-growing food demand driven by population growth and economic development. Nutrient management is a critical component of crop production, yet nutrient input levels in the region are notably low. In many areas of cropland, nutrient balances are in deficit (Liu et al., 2010). At the recent Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit, African leaders pledged to strengthen nutrient management practices to enhance food production through increased fertilizer use. Fertilizers can be categorized into different types. Most discussions on fertilizer policy to date have focused on inorganic fertilizers, which are produced through industrial processes. In contrast, organic fertilizers are derived from naturally occurring materials. The use of organic fertilizers may offer additional long-term benefits, particularly for improving soil health. Notably, soil organic carbon is a key indicator of soil health, and organic fertilizers, being rich in carbon, can contribute to increasing soil carbon content. A study was conducted to evaluate the impact of organic fertilizers on crop productivity and soil health, focusing on maize production in Kenya. Maize is the primary staple crop in Kenya, with a harvested area of 2.1 million hectares, representing about 40% of the total harvested area for all crops in the country (FAOSTAT). Maize is also the largest consumer of fertilizers in Kenya. It is estimated that maize cultivation uses 2.8 million tons of fertilizers annually, accounting for approximately 50% of the country’s total fertilizer consumption. Fertilizers are applied on about 70% of the maize-planted area (IFDC & AFAP, 2018). However, the average maize yield in Kenya remains low, at less than 2 metric tons per hectare (FAOSTAT), indicating suboptimal management practices or inadequate input levels, including insufficient fertilizer use (De Groote, 2023).

Year published

2024

Authors

Xie, Hua

Citation

Xie, Hua. 2024. Effect of organic fertilizer use on crop yield and soil health in maize production in Kenya. Policy Note December 2024. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/169881

Country/Region

Kenya

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Fertilizers; Crop Yield; Soil Quality; Maize; Agricultural Production; Food Security

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Agroecology

Record type

Brief

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Brief

Financial and environmental outlook of groundwater-solar irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa

2024Xie, Hua; Zeng, Ruijie; Ringler, Claudia
Details

Financial and environmental outlook of groundwater-solar irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa

Groundwater-fed irrigation holds great promise for enhancing food production in Sub-Saharan Africa. Solar energy offers a renewable and cost-effective solution to power groundwater irrigation; however, unregulated use may threaten the long term sustainability of groundwater resources.

Year published

2024

Authors

Xie, Hua; Zeng, Ruijie; Ringler, Claudia

Citation

Xie, Hua; Zeng, Ruijie; and Ringler, Claudia. 2024. Financial and environmental outlook of groundwater-solar irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa. IFPRI Policy Note December 2024. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168413

Keywords

Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Groundwater Irrigation; Food Production; Solar Energy; Renewable Energy; Groundwater; Agriculture

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

NEXUS Gains

Record type

Brief

Blogs

Solar-powered irrigation: A pathway to low-carbon farming in sub-Saharan Africa
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 22, 2025

Solar-powered irrigation: A pathway to low-carbon farming in sub-Saharan Africa

By Hua Xie and Claudia Ringler

A cost-effective alternative to diesel pumps.

How can we address recurring global food and fuel crises? The role of solar powered irrigation
IFPRI Blog
 | 
October 20, 2022

How can we address recurring global food and fuel crises? The role of solar powered irrigation

By Claudia Ringler and Hua Xie

Confronting wicked problems from the ground up.

Modeling the optimal energy solutions for irrigation in Ethiopia
IFPRI Blog
 | 
September 23, 2022

Modeling the optimal energy solutions for irrigation in Ethiopia

By Dawit Mekonnen and Hua Xie

The best places for grid-based, solar, and diesel powered equipment.

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Events

Groundwater: Potential and Pitfalls for Africa
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

March 20, 2023, 8:00 – 9:30 am

Groundwater: Potential and Pitfalls for Africa

Virtual Event: March 20, 2023 – 8:00 AM- 9:30 AM EST. This event will discuss the African Ministers’ Council on Water’s (AMCOW) groundwater program with case studies on the benefits of groundwater development as well as institutional advances in several African countries.

World Water Week 2021
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

August 23 to 27, 2021

World Water Week 2021

AUG 24, 2021 – 06:00 PM to 7:00 PM EDT. This session will showcase new insights into the multiple and synergistic roles of water in food systems and for the nutrition that was deliberated during the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit. 

News

June 14, 2024 | Press Release

New study emphasizes tradeoffs between arresting groundwater depletion and food security

A new study published today in Nature Sustainability, reaffirms the world’s growing dependence on depleting groundwater systems.