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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.

researcher spotlight

Timothy Thomas

Timothy Thomas is a Senior Research Fellow in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit. His research focuses on the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity. Tim’s work involves developing innovative methods for simulated climate futures and model coordination between climate, crop, water, energy, and economics.

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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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Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 480 employees working in over 70 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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experts

Director General’s Office (DGO)

Tamsin Zandstra

Research Analyst

Tamsin Zandstra

Bio

Tamsin Zandstra is a Research Analyst with the Director General’s Office (DGO) Unit, and is based at IFPRI-Washington, DC.

Director General’s Office (DGO)

Publications

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Journal Article

Transforming food systems in times of global disorder

2026Swinnen, Johan; Zandstra, Tamsin
Details

Transforming food systems in times of global disorder

The transformation of global food systems is affected by global shocks and geopolitical changes. After decades of reductions in poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, the past decade has seen a dramatic reversal. Challenges caused by rising conflicts, climate shocks, and COVID‐19 (CCC) are reinforced by slowing productivity growth, trade disruptions, and increasing market volatility. While transformation requires major investments in agri‐food systems, global public investment in agricultural R&D has slowed, in both high‐ and low‐income countries. Reductions in development assistance further threaten investment in the world's poorest regions. But the crisis also presents opportunities. A new Agri‐food Aid and Investment Architecture (AAA) may be required, and key parts of such a financial architecture are already emerging, characterized by a larger contribution of emerging countries and the private sector, and the need for more efficient use of existing public and private expenditures.

Year published

2026

Authors

Swinnen, Johan; Zandstra, Tamsin

Citation

Swinnen, Johan; and Zandstra, Tamsin. 2026. Transforming food systems in times of global disorder. Agricultural Economics 57(5): e70143. https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.70143

Keywords

Food Systems; Disasters; Conflicts; Climate Change; Covid-19; Resilience; Investment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.70143 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Working Paper

Banking systems, capital markets, and financing the transformation of food systems: The role of macroeconomics, regulations, and incentives

2025Díaz-Bonilla, Eugenio; Zandstra, Tamsin
Details

Banking systems, capital markets, and financing the transformation of food systems: The role of macroeconomics, regulations, and incentives

Improving food systems requires significant expenditures and investments from both the public and private sector. In the case of public outlays, the decisions are taken by the government or by multilateral international organizations (with governments as their owners), while, obviously, private expenditures and investments depend on choices by the private sector. These private financial flows are guided by the decisions of consumers, producers, banking system institutions, and operators in capital markets. Public policy cannot dictate directly how those private actors act (for instance, governments cannot mandate that consumers must eat healthy diets), but it can influence those decisions through adequate macroeconomic, regulatory, and incentive frameworks. This discussion paper will focus briefly on some ideas about how those frameworks can reorient and expand current levels of funding towards food systems transformation, focusing particularly on banking systems and capital markets. First, it briefly analyzes the levels of financial flows in the banking system and capital markets. Then it looks at the role of macroeconomic policy in influencing the operations of food systems, followed by suggestions about other regulatory and incentive frameworks to create healthy, equitable, sustainable and climate-resilient food systems.

Year published

2025

Authors

Díaz-Bonilla, Eugenio; Zandstra, Tamsin

Citation

Díaz-Bonilla, Eugenio; and Zandstra, Tamsin. 2025. Banking systems, capital markets, and financing the transformation of food systems: The role of macroeconomics, regulations, and incentives. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2349. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175792

Keywords

Banking; Capital Markets; Financing; Food Systems; Economic Systems; Macroeconomics; Regulations; Incentives

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

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Book Chapter

Impact: Assessing the outcomes of IFPRI's research

2025Yosef, Sivan; Zandstra, Tamsin; Place, Frank; Babu, Suresh Chandra
Details

Impact: Assessing the outcomes of IFPRI's research

Food policy research plays an essential role in helping to achieve food security for all, promote sustainable and healthy diets, build efficient markets, transform economies, and strengthen food systems institutions and governance. This chapter examines IFPRI’s impacts over the last 50 years through providing independent, high-quality evidence to inform policy options, programs, and investments. Book link: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174108

Year published

2025

Authors

Yosef, Sivan; Zandstra, Tamsin; Place, Frank; Babu, Suresh Chandra

Citation

Yosef, Sivan; Zandstra, Tamsin; Place, Frank; and Babu, Suresh Chandra. 2025. Impact: Assessing the outcomes of IFPRI's research. In Global food policy report 2025: Food policy: Lessons and priorities for a changing world, eds. Johan Swinnen and Christopher Barrett, Part One: Pathways to Progress, Chapter 2, Pp. 33-52. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174154

Keywords

Impact; Impact Assessment; Food Policies; Research; Capacity Development

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Book Chapter