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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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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

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.

Contact Information

Publications on Google Scholar

Publications

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Book Chapter

Why DO retail chains contract with so few farmers?

2026Reardon, Thomas; Narayanan, Sudha
Details

Why DO retail chains contract with so few farmers?

Year published

2026

Authors

Reardon, Thomas; Narayanan, Sudha

Citation

Reardon, Thomas; and Narayanan, Sudha. 2026. Why DO retail chains contract with so few farmers? In Routledge Handbook of Contract Farming and Development, eds. Caroline Hambloch, Niels Fold, Sudha Narayanan, and Mark Vicol. Part Three: Dynamics, chapter 21, pp. 260-273. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003513674-24/retail-chains-contract-farmers-thomas-reardon-sudha-narayanan

Keywords

Retail Marketing; Contracting Authorities; Contracts; Farmers; Food Industry; Global South

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Book Chapter

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Opinion Piece

Game of drones: On the cusp of a revolution in Indian agriculture

2026Narayanan, Sudha; Saha, Shree; Gautam, Aditi; Reardon, Thomas
Details

Game of drones: On the cusp of a revolution in Indian agriculture

Drones are being used to spray nutrients, and also herbicides and pesticides across both small and large holdings in Indian agriculture. The use is still small and geographically confined but it is spreading rapidly, driven by an informal sector which is innovative in adaption and use.

Year published

2026

Authors

Narayanan, Sudha; Saha, Shree; Gautam, Aditi; Reardon, Thomas

Citation

Narayanan, Sudha; Saha, Shree; Gautam, Aditi; and Reardon, Thomas. 2026. Game of drones: On the cusp of a revolution in Indian agriculture. The India Forum. https://www.theindiaforum.in/economy/game-drones-cusp-revolution-indian-agriculture

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Agriculture; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles; Smallholders; Technology

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Opinion Piece

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Journal Article

Hidden one-stop shops in transforming agrifood value chains: Agro-input retailers in Myanmar

2026Goeb, Joseph; Minten, Bart; van Asselt, Joanna; Reardon, Thomas; Aung, Zin Wai; Htar, May Thet
Details

Hidden one-stop shops in transforming agrifood value chains: Agro-input retailers in Myanmar

Year published

2026

Authors

Goeb, Joseph; Minten, Bart; van Asselt, Joanna; Reardon, Thomas; Aung, Zin Wai; Htar, May Thet

Citation

Goeb, Joseph; Minten, Bart; van Asselt, Joanna; Reardon, Thomas; Aung, Zin Wai; and Htar, May Thet. 2026. Hidden one-stop shops in transforming agrifood value chains: Agro-input retailers in Myanmar. Food Policy 140(May 2026): 103079. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2026.103079

Country/Region

Myanmar

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Agrifood Systems; Value Chains; Agricultural Value Chains; Farm Inputs; Agricultural Credit; Agricultural Extension; Agricultural Transformation

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2026.103079 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.