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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.

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Elodie Becquey

Elodie Becquey is a Senior Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit, based in IFPRI’s West and Central Africa office in Senegal. She has over 15 years of research experience in diet, nutrition, and food security in Africa, including countries such as Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, and Tanzania.

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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

Joachim De Weerdt

Senior Research Fellow / Program Leader

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Joachim De Weerdt

Bio

Joachim De Weerdt is a Senior Research Fellow and Program Leader in IFPRI’s Development Strategies and Governance Unit. He is currently based in Lilongwe, where he heads IFPRI’s Malawi Country Office, engaging in research and outreach activities to support evidence-based policymaking, while building in-country capacity. He has published extensively on topics related to poverty, agricultural and rural development, internal migration, urbanization, social networks, early childhood development and survey methodology. Before joining IFPRI, Joachim was an associate professor at the Institute of Development Policy, University of Antwerp, and a senior research fellow at the LICOS Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven. He also co-founded Economic Development Initiatives (EDI), a research firm based in Tanzania, where he served as research director for more than 10 years. During that time, EDI grew from a small, two-person start-up to a sustainable, internationally recognized research institute. Joachim holds a PhD in economics from KU Leuven, Belgium.

Publications

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Publications

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Opinion Piece

Malawi can end hunger after the 2025 elections if bold steps are taken to transform food systems

2025De Weerdt, Joachim; Chirwa, Gowokani Chijere; Duchoslav, Jan; Nagoli, Joseph; Cockx, Lara
Details

Malawi can end hunger after the 2025 elections if bold steps are taken to transform food systems

Malawi has a history of peaceful democratic transitions. Since the advent of multiparty politics in 1994, power has regularly shifted between rival parties. Citizens and institutions have upheld electoral democratic norms, from respecting term limits to rerunning elections after irregularities. Yet, democratic elections haven’t translated into economic prosperity, nor into strong economic institutions. Malawi remains the world’s poorest conflict-free nation. At the last count in 2019, 70% of Malawians lived below the international poverty line of US$2.15 per day. More than half of Malawi’s residents are deprived in many, overlapping ways.

Year published

2025

Authors

De Weerdt, Joachim; Chirwa, Gowokani Chijere; Duchoslav, Jan; Nagoli, Joseph; Cockx, Lara

Citation

De Weerdt, Joachim; Chirwa, Gowokani Chijere; Duchoslav, Jan; Nagoli, Joseph; and Cockx, Lara. 2025. Malawi can end hunger after the 2025 elections if bold steps are taken to transform food systems. The Conversation. Article published September 14, 2025. https://doi.org/10.64628/AAJ.yyj5xdcek

Country/Region

Malawi

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Hunger; Food Systems; Political Systems; Poverty

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.64628/AAJ.yyj5xdcek Source record

Record type

Opinion Piece

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Brief

Economic and welfare implications of the reduction of US foreign assistance in Malawi

2025Cockx, Lara; De Weerdt, Joachim; Duchoslav, Jan; Jamali, Andrew; Nagoli, Joseph; Pauw, Karl; Thurlow, James
Details

Economic and welfare implications of the reduction of US foreign assistance in Malawi

For over a decade, the US has consistently ranked as either the largest or second-largest donor to Malawi. Annual foreign assistance disbursements have averaged over $360 million between 2020 and 2023. In January 2025 the US government suspended all US-funded foreign aid programs. As of April 2025, the available information suggests that funding for many of these programs in Malawi has been withdrawn, resulting in an estimated decline in US foreign assistance to Malawi of around 59% for 2025. As a result, Malawi faces a potential decline in foreign exchange inflows of around $177 million in 2025, a loss equivalent to approximately 6.3% of the annual merchandise import bill. With Malawi’s economy currently highly vulnerable, lacking the buffers needed to absorb shocks, the eco nomic and welfare implications of these recent events are concerning. The suspensions may lead to an economic contraction from reduced activities by US implementing partners, immediate pressure on the exchange rate (endangering the affordability or availability of critical imports) and declining productivity in key sectors such as agriculture. Deteriorating health and education outcomes could further affect the productivity of workers in the longer run. In this policy note we combine qualitative and quantitative information gathered in-country with modeled results of the possible economywide impacts of the reduction of US foreign assistance on key economic and welfare indicators over the next six years. We also discuss policy options that could help mitigate some of the adverse impacts.

Year published

2025

Authors

Cockx, Lara; De Weerdt, Joachim; Duchoslav, Jan; Jamali, Andrew; Nagoli, Joseph; Pauw, Karl; Thurlow, James

Citation

Cockx, Lara; De Weerdt, Joachim; Duchoslav, Jan; Jamali, Andrew; Nagoli, Joseph; Pauw, Karl; and Thurlow, James. 2025. Economic and welfare implications of the reduction of US foreign assistance in Malawi. MaSSP Policy Note 53. Lilongwe, Malawi: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174201

Country/Region

Malawi

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Welfare; Aid Programmes; Economic Situation; Agriculture; Shock; Development Aid

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

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Journal Article

Rural underemployment and urbanisation: Insights from a 9-year panel from Malawi

2025Van Cappellen, Hanne; De Weerdt, Joachim
Details

Rural underemployment and urbanisation: Insights from a 9-year panel from Malawi

Rural labour markets in Africa are frequently characterised by underemployment, with farmers unable to fully deploy throughout the year one of their most important assets—their labour. Using a nine-year panel data set on 1,407 working-age adults from rural Malawi, we document changes in rural underemployment over this period and how they are associated with urbanisation. Nearby urban growth is linked to increased hours worked in casual labour (ganyu) and in non-agricultural sectors, at the expense of work on the household farm. Improved urban access is also associated with a small increase in wage labour and, at the intensive margin, with hours supplied in household enterprises. We draw lessons from these results for policies, investments and interventions to leverage urban growth for rural development.

Year published

2025

Authors

Van Cappellen, Hanne; De Weerdt, Joachim

Citation

Van Cappellen, Hanne; and De Weerdt, Joachim. Rural underemployment and urbanisation: Insights from a 9-year panel from Malawi. Journal of African Economies 34(2): 208–236. https://doi.org/10.1093/jae/ejae004

Country/Region

Malawi

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Underemployment; Rural Employment; Farmers; Labour; Urbanization

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1093/jae/ejae004 Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

Behavioral explanations for the sell-low-buy-high puzzle in smallholder market participation: Lessons from a field experiment in Malawi
IFPRI Blog
 | 
July 22, 2024

Behavioral explanations for the sell-low-buy-high puzzle in smallholder market participation: Lessons from a field experiment in Malawi

By Joachim De Weerdt, Brian Dillon, Emmanuel Hami, Bjorn Van Campenhout, and Leocardia Nabwire

Our study tested two behavioral interventions—budgeting and sales planning—to understand and mitigate this paradox.

Responding to Malawi’s impending food crisis
IFPRI Blog
 | 
May 31, 2024

Responding to Malawi’s impending food crisis

By Jan Duchoslav, Mazvita Chiduwa, Simon Denhere, Joachim De Weerdt, Rodwell Mzonde, and George Phiri

Food imports can make up for shortages if quick action is taken.

Act now to address Malawi’s looming food crisis
IFPRI Blog
 | 
April 12, 2024

Act now to address Malawi’s looming food crisis

By Jan Duchoslav, Joachim De Weerdt, and Rodwell Mzonde

Harvest shortfalls caused by severe drought conditions.

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Events

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

 | 

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 […]

From Relief to Resilience in Somalia: Harnessing Research to Inform Social Protection Policy and Practice
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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June 16, 2025, 3:30 – 5:00 pm

From Relief to Resilience in Somalia: Harnessing Research to Inform Social Protection Policy and Practice

Policymakers and program implementers in Somalia are increasingly recognizing the importance of complementing short-term support in the form of cash or in-kind transfers with interventions targeting longer-term development goals and poverty exit, a goal that cuts across both more traditional social protection systems and programming targeting internally displaced people. This webinar will bring together representatives […]

Implications of El Niño 2023/24 for Africa South of the Sahara
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

November 29, 2023, 7:30 – 9:00 am

Implications of El Niño 2023/24 for Africa South of the Sahara

Virtual Event: November 29, 2023 at 7:30am-9:00am EST. IFPRI in collaboration with USAID FEWS NET and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, is hosting a presentation on the potential impact of the upcoming El Niño on the global agrifood system, with special emphasis on low-income countries in Africa South of the Sahara. The event will be organized around four short talks.

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News

September 12, 2024 | In the News

Tale of two villages: In Malawi, farmers point the way as drought drives hunger (WFP/AllAfrica/Relief Web)

The WFP story shared by All Africa and Relief Web quotes Jan Duchoslav and Joachim De Weerdt (IFPRI Malawi) on the food security crisis in the country.

Research

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