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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

Ruth Meinzen-Dick

Ruth Meinzen-Dick is a Senior Research Fellow in the Natural Resources and Resilience Unit. She has extensive transdisciplinary research experience in using qualitative and quantitative research methods. Her work focuses on two broad (and sometimes interrelated) areas: how institutions affect how people manage natural resources, and the role of gender in development processes. 

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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

Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Swetha Manohar

Research Fellow

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Bio

Swetha Manohar is a Research Fellow and a nutritional epidemiologist whose research has broadly focused on multisectoral programming and policy to improve nutrition and food security in low-income settings, primarily in South and Southeast Asia. This focus has engaged three thematic areas of study: (1) examining linkages between nutrition and agriculture and broader food systems, (2) metrics and methods to examine child growth, food environments, social protection and nutrition coverage, and (3) consideration of broader equity issues in research practice and toward efforts to improve nutrition and enabling healthy sustainable diets for all. Swetha previously served as faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, primarily based in Nepal and then, at the School for Advanced International Studies.

Swetha holds a PhD and MSPH from the Johns Hopkins University and is a registered dietitian.

Google Scholar Citations

Publications

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Opinion Piece

The Mekong is in transition, what does it mean for food security?

2024Downs, Shauna; Manohar, Swetha; Sok, Serey; Chhinh, Nyda; Fanzo, Jessica
Details

The Mekong is in transition, what does it mean for food security?

Communities along the Mekong River are already seeing their food access shrink as the climate worsens. Smart imminent solutions could ease the burden.

Year published

2024

Authors

Downs, Shauna; Manohar, Swetha; Sok, Serey; Chhinh, Nyda; Fanzo, Jessica

Citation

Downs, Shauna; Manohar, Swetha; Sok, Serey; Chhinh, Nyda; and Fanzo, Jessica. 2024. The Mekong is in transition, what does it mean for food security? 360 Info Blog Post. First published on August 14, 2024. https://doi.org/10.54377/36f7-1e72

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; South-eastern Asia; Climate Change; Food Access; Nutrition; Water

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.54377/36f7-1e72 Source record

Project

Climate Resilience

Record type

Opinion Piece

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Abstract

Understanding patterns of receipt and consumption of IFA supplements during pregnancy: Empirical considerations for measuring coverage

2024Nguyen, Phuong; Manohar, Swetha; Kim, Sunny S.; Pandya, Niharika; Kapoor, Rati; Munos, Melinda
Details

Understanding patterns of receipt and consumption of IFA supplements during pregnancy: Empirical considerations for measuring coverage

Objectives: Daily iron-folic acid (IFA) supplementation during pregnancy is a core intervention in low- and middle-income countries. Yet, there is a concern of poor validity and biased population coverage estimates using maternal reports of total number of IFA supplements. This study examined patterns of IFA receipt and consumption among pregnant women in India and identified considerations for measuring coverage of IFA supplementation.

Year published

2024

Authors

Nguyen, Phuong; Manohar, Swetha; Kim, Sunny S.; Pandya, Niharika; Kapoor, Rati; Munos, Melinda

Citation

Nguyen, Phuong; Pandya, Niharika; Kapoor, Rati; Manohar, Swetha; Munos, Melinda; Watson, Shelley; and Kim, Sunny S. 2024. Understanding patterns of receipt and consumption of IFA supplements during pregnancy: Empirical considerations for measuring coverage. Current Developments in Nutrition 8(Supplement 2): 102970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102970

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Folic Acid; Supplements; Pregnancy; Nutrition

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-ND-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102970 Source record

Record type

Abstract

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Journal Article

Centering context when characterizing food environments: The potential of participatory mapping to inform food environment research

2024Downs, Shauna; Manohar, Swetha; Staromiejska, Wiktoria; Keo, Chanvuthy; Say, Sophea; Chhinh, Nyda; Fanzo, Jessica; Sok, Serey
Details

Centering context when characterizing food environments: The potential of participatory mapping to inform food environment research

Food environments are a critical place within the food system to implement interventions aimed at enabling sustainable diets. In this perspective article, we argue for the need for food environment research to more comprehensively examine the different types of food environments that people access within their communities to ensure that interventions and programs are better aligned with people’s lived experiences. We highlight the potential ways in which participatory mapping (PM) can be leveraged to better design food environment research by: (1) identifying the different food environment types that are accessed within a given community; (2) providing insight into the timing for data collection; (3) informing the prioritization of where to conduct food environment assessments; and (4) highlighting the dynamism of food environments over time (e.g., across a given day or across seasons). We provide a case study example of the application of PM and the lessons learned from it in Cambodia. By conceptualizing food environments in a more comprehensive way, from the perspective of the people living within a given community, we will be able to measure food environments in a way that more closely aligns with people’s lived experiences. This is part of the Journal Research Topic: Measuring Diets and Food Choice in the Context of a Changing World (https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/47398/measuring-diets-and-food-choice-in-the-context-of-a-changing-world/magazine#articles).

Year published

2024

Authors

Downs, Shauna; Manohar, Swetha; Staromiejska, Wiktoria; Keo, Chanvuthy; Say, Sophea; Chhinh, Nyda; Fanzo, Jessica; Sok, Serey

Citation

Downs, Shauna; Manohar, Swetha; Staromiejska, Wiktoria; Keo, Chanvuthy; Say, Sophea; Chhinh, Nyda; Fanzo, Jessica; and Sok, Serey. 2024. Centering context when characterizing food environments: The potential of participatory mapping to inform food environment research. Frontiers in Nutrition 11: 1324102. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1324102

Country/Region

Cambodia

Keywords

South-eastern Asia; Asia; Capacity Development; Food Environment; Food Systems; Sustainability; Diet

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1324102 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Events

Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia: Connecting the Dots Across Systems
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

December 3 to 5, 2024

Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia: Connecting the Dots Across Systems

South Asia grapples with escalating levels of malnutrition in various forms, including undernutrition, overweight and obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies, alongside increasing incidence of diet-related non-communicable diseases. Malnutrition results from a complex interplay of factors incorporating household and individual decision-making, agriculture and food systems, healthcare services, education, and socio-ecological systems that determine access to services and […]