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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

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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experts

Markets, Trade, and Institutions

Ruth Hill

Director, Markets, Trade, and Institutions

Bio

Ruth Hill is the Director of the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Unit in the Food and Nutrition Policy Department. She was previously a Lead Economist in the Poverty and Equity Global Practice at the World Bank, where she spent a decade leading work on the distributional impacts of climate change, fiscal policy, markets, and institutions. She also led the development of the World Bank’s Rural Income Diagnostics and conducted Poverty Assessments and Systematic Country Diagnostics in East Africa and South Asia. From 2019 to 2021, she was on external service as the Chief Economist at the UK government’s Centre for Disaster Protection. Before joining the World Bank in 2013, Ruth was a Senior Research Fellow at IFPRI, conducting impact evaluations on insurance and market interventions. She has published in the Journal of Development Economics, World Bank Economic Review, Economic Development and Cultural Change, Experimental Economics, the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, and World Development. She holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Oxford.

Markets, Trade, and Institutions

Publications

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Opinion Piece

Smartphones, women’s rights and coupons: New trends that can boost insurance for African farmers

2025Kramer, Berber; Hill, Ruth Vargas
Details

Smartphones, women’s rights and coupons: New trends that can boost insurance for African farmers

This piece on “The Conversation” highlights how emerging innovations in technology, product design and gender inclusion can expand access to agricultural insurance for smallholder farmers across Africa. As climate change intensifies droughts, floods and other weather extremes, smallholders remain highly exposed, yet traditional insurance models have struggled to reach them due to high costs, limited trust and administrative challenges. The authors discuss how smartphone-based photo verification can simplify loss assessment, how insurance “coupons” can make premiums more affordable at the point of purchase, and how strengthening women’s rights and decision-making power can increase both uptake and the equitable distribution of benefits. They also underscore the value of complementing formal insurance with existing informal risk-sharing networks. Together, these innovations can lower barriers to participation, reduce basis risk, and create more inclusive insurance markets, which will help scale climate-risk protection across the continent.

Year published

2025

Authors

Kramer, Berber; Hill, Ruth Vargas

Citation

Kramer, Berber; and Hill, Ruth Vargas. 2025. Smartphones, women’s rights and coupons: New trends that can boost insurance for African farmers. The Conversation. Published on November 11, 2025. https://doi.org/10.64628/AAJ.6wkxs9tng

Keywords

Crop Insurance; Climate Resilience; Policies; Agriculture; Risk Transfer; Extreme Weather Events; Livelihoods; Food Security; Mobile Phones

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-ND-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.64628/aaj.6wkxs9tng Source record

Record type

Opinion Piece

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Working Paper

A good global investment for the European Commission: How investing in CGIAR reduces global poverty and benefits E.U. citizens

2025Hill, Ruth Vargas; Martin, Will; McNamara, Brian; Nia, Reza; Spielman, David J.; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Vos, Rob
Details

A good global investment for the European Commission: How investing in CGIAR reduces global poverty and benefits E.U. citizens

CGIAR investments have delivered substantial economic benefits for the E.U. while reducing global poverty and food insecurity. CGIAR has boosted productivity on E.U. farms, expanded export markets, and made food more affordable for E.U. consumers. It has also helped prevent potential damage from pests and diseases that threaten E.U. farm livelihoods. This note quantifies the benefits to farmers, exporters and consumers.

Year published

2025

Authors

Hill, Ruth Vargas; Martin, Will; McNamara, Brian; Nia, Reza; Spielman, David J.; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Vos, Rob

Citation

Hill, Ruth Vargas; Martin, Will; McNamara, Brian; Nia, Reza; Spielman, David J.; et al. 2025. A good global investment for the European Commission: How investing in CGIAR reduces global poverty and benefits E.U. citizens. IFPRI Working Paper October 2025. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177514

Keywords

Europe; Investment; European Commission; Poverty Reduction; Agricultural Research

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

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Working Paper

A good global investment for Canada: How investing in CGIAR reduces global poverty and benefits Canadian citizens

2025Hill, Ruth Vargas; Martin, Will; McNamara, Brian; Nia, Reza; Spielman, David J.; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Vos, Rob
Details

A good global investment for Canada: How investing in CGIAR reduces global poverty and benefits Canadian citizens

This note documents how CGIAR investments have delivered substantial economic, benefits for Canada while reducing global poverty and food insecurity. By driving agricultural innovation and providing evidence-based insights, CGIAR has boosted Canadian farm productivity, expanded export markets, and made food more affordable for Canadian consumers. It has also helped prevent billions of dollars in potential damage from pests and diseases that threaten Canadian farm livelihoods. CGIAR investments are likely to continue benefiting Canadian farmers in the future as the CGIAR continues to provide a large share of genetic materials for plant breeding. These genetic materials will be essential to the discovery and development of new traits that increase yields and benefit Canadian farmers in the future. CGIAR research will continue to support the work of Canadian partner institutions and promote demand for Canadian exports by fostering economic growth in low- and middle- income countries.

Year published

2025

Authors

Hill, Ruth Vargas; Martin, Will; McNamara, Brian; Nia, Reza; Spielman, David J.; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Vos, Rob

Citation

Hill, Ruth Vargas; Martin, Will; McNamara, Brian; Nia, Reza; Spielman, David J.; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; and Vos, Rob. 2025. A good global investment for Canada: How investing in CGIAR reduces global poverty and benefits Canadian citizens. IFPRI Working Paper October 2025. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176948

Country/Region

Canada

Keywords

Americas; Northern America; Investment; Economics; Food Security; Poverty

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

Events

Shaping Food Policy in a Changing World: Research Priorities for Greater Impact
IFPRI Policy Seminar

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December 15, 2025, 9:00 – 4:00 pm

Shaping Food Policy in a Changing World: Research Priorities for Greater Impact

In today’s fast-changing world and evolving food systems, the need for evidence-based food policy has never been more urgent – demanding research that is timely, inclusive, and tailored to context. Reliable data and rigorous analysis are essential, but research must also evolve – and become more timely, more relevant, and more inclusive of diverse voices […]

The Impact of Global Change on Food Security in 2050: Assessing the Risks Through the Lens of Food Trade
IFPRI Policy Seminar

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November 19, 2025, 9:30 – 11:00 am

The Impact of Global Change on Food Security in 2050: Assessing the Risks Through the Lens of Food Trade

Trade is crucial to achieving food security. The Jameel Index for Food Trade and Vulnerability (Jameel Index) is a valuable new tool to guide policy and investment decisions that support sustainable international development and food security through food trade. The Index provides food trade vulnerability scores for more than 180 countries by synthesizing global indicators […]

Fertilizers in a Shifting Global Landscape – Trends, Trade, and Sustainability
IFPRI Policy Seminar

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September 16, 2025, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Fertilizers in a Shifting Global Landscape – Trends, Trade, and Sustainability

Fertilizers—both mineral and organic—are indispensable inputs in modern agriculture. Yet, recent years have seen unprecedented volatility in fertilizer prices, trade flows, and policy responses, reshaping the landscape for producers, traders, and farmers alike. This event will explore the evolving dynamics of the global fertilizer market and its critical role in food security and agricultural sustainability. […]

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News

November 11, 2025 | In the News

Smartphones, women’s rights and coupons: new trends that can boost insurance for African farmers (The Conversation)

IFPRI’s Berber Kramer and Ruth Hill discuss how new, innovative forms of insurance could help insure farmers against weather shocks, and how South Africa’s G20 presidency can support these initiatives.

June 12, 2025 | Press Release

New special issue of Food Policy examines fertilizer and soil health policies in the wake of global crises

Key findings were presented and discussed during the IFPRI policy seminar on June 11.

September 03, 2024 | Press Release

Ruth Hill joins IFPRI as the new Director of the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Unit

Ruth Hill joins IFPRI as the new Director of its Markets, Trade, and Institutions (MTI) Unit, starting September 3, 2024. 

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