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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

Eliot Jones-Garcia

Eliot Jones-Garcia is a Senior Research Analyst with the Natural Resources and Resilience Unit based in Washington, DC. His research focuses on human-AI interaction, user-centered design, and the ethical and responsible development of AI. Eliot is currently finalizing a PhD on the digitalization of agricultural advisory services at Wageningen University & Research.

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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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Markets, Trade, and Institutions

Thomas Reardon

Nonresident Fellow

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Bio

Thomas Reardon is a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. Tom has been at MSU since 1992; IFPRI Research Fellow 1986-1991; Rockefeller Foundation Post-Doc with IFPRI in Burkina Faso 1984-1986; Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in 1984, and masters from the Université de Nice and Columbia University.

Tom researches the transformation of food value chains: (1) the e-commerce and food delivery intermediaries; (2) the “supermarket revolution” and the “food service revolution” (3) the “Quiet Revolution” (the diffusion of SMEs in the midstream of value chains); and (4) R&D and farm inputs supply chain transformation. He studies the impacts of these transformations on food industry business strategies, on farms, consumption/nutrition, and employment.

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Publications

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Journal Article

Wholesalers and the transformation of the “hidden middle” of the aquaculture value chain in Bangladesh

2026Ali, Hazrat; Belton, Ben; Haque, Mohammad Mahfujul; Hernandez, Ricardo; Murshed-e-Jahan, Khondker; Ignowski, Liz; Reardon, Thomas
Details

Wholesalers and the transformation of the “hidden middle” of the aquaculture value chain in Bangladesh

The rapid growth of aquaculture in Bangladesh over the past 30 years has been accompanied by a proliferation of wholesalers. Wholesalers are often assumed in academic and public discourse to be exploitative and inefficient: extracting rents rather than driving technological change. This view gives rise to development programs that seek to bypass marketing intermediaries or upgrade their practices. However, there has been little rigorous research on the behavior of wholesalers and its implications for outcomes of value chain performance, including food security. To address this gap, we implemented a statistically representative survey of 229 aquatic food wholesalers in 31 markets in one of Bangladesh’s most important aquaculture zones. We found the following. (1) The wholesale segment of the aquaculture value chain has grown rapidly. (2) Markets are increasingly competitive, with open auctions leading to disintermediation and transparent pricing. (3) Wholesale businesses operate on thin margins. (4) Very little food loss or waste occurs in the farm, wholesale, or retail value chain segments in the study zone. (5) Trading aquaculture products generates substantial employment for men but little for women. Contrary to popular belief, the midstream of the aquaculture value chain in southern Bangladesh is dynamic and efficient. The paper contributes to a growing literature highlighting the contributions that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the “hidden middle” segments of agri-food value chains make to food security.

Year published

2026

Authors

Ali, Hazrat; Belton, Ben; Haque, Mohammad Mahfujul; Hernandez, Ricardo; Murshed-e-Jahan, Khondker; Ignowski, Liz; Reardon, Thomas

Citation

Ali, Hazrat; Belton, Ben; Haque, Mohammad Mahfujul; Hernandez, Ricardo; Murshed-e-Jahan, Khondker; Ignowski, Liz; and Reardon, Thomas. Wholesalers and the transformation of the “hidden middle” of the aquaculture value chain in Bangladesh. Food Security. Article in press. First published on November 4, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-025-01605-w

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Southern Asia; Aquaculture; Fish; Wholesale Markets; Surveys; Value Chains; Prices; Food Losses

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-025-01605-w Source record

Project

Asian Mega-Deltas

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Vulnerability of Nigerian maize traders to a confluence of climate, violence, disease and cost shocks

2025Vargas, Carolina M.; Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis Saweda O.; Reardon, Thomas
Details

Vulnerability of Nigerian maize traders to a confluence of climate, violence, disease and cost shocks

Purpose We study five exogenous shocks: climate, violence, price hikes, spoilage and the COVID-19 lockdown. We analyze the association between these shocks and trader characteristics, reflecting trader vulnerability. Design/methodology/approach Using primary survey data on 1,100 Nigerian maize traders for 2021 (controlling for shocks in 2017), we use probit models to estimate the probabilities of experiencing climate, violence, disease and cost shocks associated with trader characteristics (gender, size and region) and to estimate the probability of vulnerability (experiencing severe impacts). Findings Traders are prone to experiencing more than one shock, which increases the intensity of the shocks. Price shocks are often accompanied by violence, climate and COVID-19 shocks. The poorer northern region is disproportionately affected by shocks. Northern traders experience more price shocks while Southern traders are more affected by violence shocks given their dependence on long supply chains from the north for their maize. Female traders are more likely to experience violent events than men who tend to be more exposed to climate shocks. Research limitations/implications The data only permit analysis of the general degree of impact of a shock rather than quantifying lost income. Originality/value This paper is the first to analyze the incidence of multiple shocks on grain traders and the unequal distribution of negative impacts. It is the first such in Africa based on a large sample of grain traders from a primary survey.

Year published

2025

Authors

Vargas, Carolina M.; Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis Saweda O.; Reardon, Thomas

Citation

Vargas, Carolina M.; Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis Saweda O.; and Reardon, Thomas. 2025. Vulnerability of Nigerian maize traders to a confluence of climate, violence, disease and cost shocks. Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies 15(6): 1132-1150. https://doi.org/10.1108/JADEE-08-2023-0214

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Climate; Maize; Violence; Vulnerability; Markets; Climate Change; Covid-19

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1108/jadee-08-2023-0214 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Can the global drone revolution make agriculture more sustainable? Rapid growth in drone use is upending expectations but also inducing trade-offs

2025Belton, Ben; Baldiga, Leo; Justice, Scott; Minten, Bart; Narayanan, Sudha; Reardon, Thomas
Details

Can the global drone revolution make agriculture more sustainable? Rapid growth in drone use is upending expectations but also inducing trade-offs

Use of drones has increased considerably over the past decade, reshaping activities as diverse as warfare, entertainment, delivery services, and disease control. One of the most consequential uses of drones—in agriculture—has taken off globally within only the past 5 years. This is upending expectations and may help to reconcile a fundamental sustainability dilemma—how to produce more food by using fewer inputs—but is also inducing trade-offs. This rapid change has been largely unnoticed by researchers outside of the specialized technical worlds of aeronautical engineering and precision agriculture. Little academic attention has been paid to the use of agricultural drones beyond the laboratory or trial plot. Evidence of the extent and effects of drones’ real-world use is partial and fragmentary. We explored evidence and hypotheses about global agricultural drone diffusion and its implications for sustainability and set out an agenda for future policy and science.

Year published

2025

Authors

Belton, Ben; Baldiga, Leo; Justice, Scott; Minten, Bart; Narayanan, Sudha; Reardon, Thomas

Citation

Belton, Ben; Baldiga, Leo; Justice, Scott; Minten, Bart; Narayanan, Sudha; and Reardon, Thomas. 2025. Can the global drone revolution make agriculture more sustainable? Rapid growth in drone use is upending expectations but also inducing trade-offs. Science 389(6764): 972-976. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ady1791

Keywords

Agriculture; Crops; Sustainability; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ady1791 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

The promise of digital farmer services: Sifting reality from hype in Kenya
Research Post
 | 
January 22, 2025

The promise of digital farmer services: Sifting reality from hype in Kenya

By Michael Keenan, Erwin Bulte, Luc Christiaensen, Thomas Reardon, and Hannah Reed

Accelerating technology adoption.

Two years on, resilience innovations help food supply chains overcome COVID-19 disruptions
Research Post
 | 
February 23, 2022

Two years on, resilience innovations help food supply chains overcome COVID-19 disruptions

By Thomas Reardon, Johan Swinnen, and Rob Vos

Important lessons for policymakers.

Smallholder and agrifood SME resilience to shocks: Lessons from COVID-19 for the UN Food System Summit
Issue Post
 | 
June 10, 2021

Smallholder and agrifood SME resilience to shocks: Lessons from COVID-19 for the UN Food System Summit

By Thomas Reardon, Johan Swinnen, and Rob Vos

Farmers and small businesses show both vulnerabilities and a capacity to adapt.

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Events

Taking Stock of Africa’s Agrifood Processing Sector
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

February 9, 2023, 8:00 – 9:30 am

Taking Stock of Africa’s Agrifood Processing Sector

Virtual Event: February 9, 2023 – 8:00 AM- 9:30 AM EST. During this event key research findings and policy recommendations of the 2022 ATOR will be presented and discussed by a distinguished panel of representatives from academia, the private sector, and international and regional organizations engaged in strengthening Africa’s agri-food processing sector.