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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.

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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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Luis Escalante

Associate Research Fellow

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Bio

Luis Escalante is an Associate Research Fellow in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit. His research interests include the impacts of climate change, gender inequalities, poverty reduction, and food security. Before joining IFPRI, Luis worked as a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Minho, Portugal. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad de Cusco, Peru, and a master’s degree and a doctorate in development economics from the Université le Havre, France, where he specialized in computable general equilibrium (CGE) models.

Research Gate Profile

Publications

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Working Paper

The two sides of migration in Central America: Distributional impacts in Guatemala

2025Escalante, Luis Enrique; Aragie, Emerta A.; Hernandez, Manuel A.
Details

The two sides of migration in Central America: Distributional impacts in Guatemala

International migration has become a defining force shaping Guatemala’s economy, with both outflows and return inflows generating diverse impacts across economic sectors, labor markets, and household welfare. This study quantifies the economy-wide and distributional impacts of these migration dynamics using a modeling framework that integrates detailed microdata on migration profiles. Three scenarios are considered: a reference case reflecting recent-historical migration patterns (MIG-0), moderately restricted migration (MIG-1), and net return migration (MIG-2), capturing newly emerging shifts in emigration and return flows by skill level within the country. Results reveal trade-offs between aggregate economic performance and distributional impacts across households. Compared to a baseline economy with no mobility, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rises modestly under the reference scenario (+0.2%) and by an additional 0.3-0.5 percentage points under the more restrictive cases, driven by higher labor availability from returnees and currency depreciation. Non-agro-processing manufacturing shows the largest expansion (up to 1.8%), reflecting its strong labor-absorption potential. Household welfare, however, is highly sensitive to remittance flows, with income and consumption declining under the restrictive scenarios. These findings underscore the need for policies that facilitate returnee reintegration and strengthen social protection for remittance-dependent households, ensuring that the macroeconomic gains from migration adjustments translate into equitable welfare improvements.

Year published

2025

Authors

Escalante, Luis Enrique; Aragie, Emerta A.; Hernandez, Manuel A.

Citation

Escalante, Luis Enrique; Aragie, Emerta A.; and Hernandez, Manuel A. 2025. The two sides of migration in Central America: Distributional impacts in Guatemala. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2387. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179008

Country/Region

Guatemala

Keywords

Central America; Migration; Models; Econometric Models; Macroeconomic Analysis; Labour Market; Welfare

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

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Journal Article

Economic and food security impacts of climate disasters and mitigation policies: Insights from Nigeria

2025Escalante, Luis Enrique; Mamboundou, Pierre; Meyimdjui, Carine; Omoju, Oluwasola E.
Details

Economic and food security impacts of climate disasters and mitigation policies: Insights from Nigeria

Climate disasters, exacerbated by climate change, are becoming more frequent and severe, leading to significant socioeconomic and food system implications. Using econometrics and a dynamic general equilibrium model, this study examines the economic impact of climate disasters in Nigeria and evaluates the effect of mitigation strategies. The results show that the direct effects of climate disaster shocks on crop production spill over to other sectors of the economy, resulting in an overall 2.11% fall in real GDP. The analysis also highlights the substantial influence of climate disasters on Nigeria’s food systems and the consequent increase in food insecurity, particularly in the northern region, where the likelihood of food shortages increases by 6.50%. The analysis of mitigation measures suggests that a mix of policies is more efficient than stand-alone policies. Specifically, we found that a combined strategy of cash transfers for rural households and tax reductions for urban households is the best option, as it improves consumption and employment. However, it also leads to increased food imports and vulnerability. Complementing this strategy with targeted investments and subsidies is key to strengthening crop resilience and mitigating disaster impacts.

Year published

2025

Authors

Escalante, Luis Enrique; Mamboundou, Pierre; Meyimdjui, Carine; Omoju, Oluwasola E.

Citation

Escalante, Luis; Mamboundou, Pierre; Meyimdjui, Carine; and Omoju, Oluwasola E. 2025. Economic and food security impacts of climate disasters and mitigation policies: Insights from Nigeria. Environmental and Resource Economics 88(6): 1657-1677. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-025-00981-3

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Climate Change Mitigation; Food Security; Natural Disasters; Policies

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-025-00981-3 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Working Paper

Understanding the gender gap in the Colombian agricultural sector

2025Rueda-Gallardo, Jorge; Mateus, Daniel Vergara; Piñeiro, Valeria; Escalante, Luis Enrique
Details

Understanding the gender gap in the Colombian agricultural sector

We live in a complex world facing uncertainties, crises-including conflict and extreme weather- and a global economic slowdown. These challenges highlight the importance of understanding the agricultural sector’s contributions to the economy and designing effective policies to support its resilience and growth. Within this context, examining the gender gap in the Colombian agricultural sector takes on even greater relevance. The sector plays a crucial role in the country’s economy, contributing 6.4% of the total value-added in 2019 and providing 82.1% of agricultural employment in rural areas. However, a significant gender gap exists, with women facing disadvantages in terms of participation, wages, and income generation. Women’s participation in the agricultural workforce is significantly lower than men’s. In 2019, only 6.1% of employed women worked in agriculture, compared to 21.6% of men, creating a gap of 15.4 percentage points. This disparity is the largest among all the economic sectors analyzed. This lower participation translates into an unequal distribution of labor income. While the agricultural sector accounts for 11.3% of the total labor income for men, it contributes only 2.6% for women. Women in agriculture also earn considerably less than men. The average salary for women in the sector was USD 117.4, while men earned USD 168.7, a 43.7% difference. These disparities are persistent across different areas and qualification levels. To promote a more equitable and resilient agricultural sector, it is essential to understand and address the underlying causes of this gender gap. This paper aims to comprehensively analyze the gender gap in Colombian agriculture by examining its various dimensions and identifying potential solutions. By highlighting the disparities in participation, wages, and income generation across different areas and qualification levels, this paper aims to inform the design of policies and interventions that promote gender equality, empower women in agriculture, and enhance the sector’s overall contribution to the country’s social and economic development.

Year published

2025

Authors

Rueda-Gallardo, Jorge; Mateus, Daniel Vergara; Piñeiro, Valeria; Escalante, Luis Enrique

Citation

Rueda-Gallardo, Jorge; Mateus, Daniel Vergara; Piñeiro, Valeria; and Escalante, Luis Enrique. 2025. Understanding the gender gap in the Colombian agricultural sector. LAC Working Paper 34. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174402

Country/Region

Colombia

Keywords

Americas; South America; Agricultural Sector; Gender; Employment; Policies

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

Research

Topics/Countries