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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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Natural Resources and Resilience

Upeksha Hettiarachchi

Research Analyst

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Bio

Upeksha Hettiarachchi is a Research Analyst with the Natural Resources and Resilience Unit, and is based at IFPRI-Washington, DC.

Natural Resources and Resilience

Publications

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Measuring above-ground carbon stock using spatial analysis and the InVEST model: Application in the Thoria Watershed, India

2024Guo, Zhe; Sharma, Himani; Jadav, Mahesh; Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Guha, Chiranjit; Zhang, Wei; Priyadarshini, Pratiti; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.
Details

Measuring above-ground carbon stock using spatial analysis and the InVEST model: Application in the Thoria Watershed, India

Understanding and quantifying above-ground carbon stock is critical for assessing the impact of land use choices on carbon emissions which can inform conservation and management strategies to protect and increase carbon stocks. This study introduces a novel methodology for evaluating above-ground carbon storage and sequestration in the Thoria watershed, India, using time-series open-access remotely sensed datasets and the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs) carbon model. Our spatially explicit analysis examines land cover and land use changes over the past 20 years. Using high-resolution NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) data from Sentinel satellites, we disaggregate land cover types into high and low NDVI classes, which allows enhanced assessment of carbon stocks by capturing the spatial variation within the same land cover types. To assess the potential impacts of land cover changes on carbon stock, we generated two future scenarios suggested by local experts: a 20% expansion of cropland and a 20% expansion of wooded land. Using a proximity-based approach, we create these future land use maps and estimate the corresponding carbon stock with the InVEST carbon model. We demonstrate the utility of the methodology in informing land use decisions through spatially explicitly assessing how carbon stock changes in response to cropland expansion and wooded land growth. Our findings indicate that while urban development contributes to carbon losses, increasing wooded land and tree cover helps mitigate these losses, highlighting the importance of afforestation in maintaining ecological balance and reducing environmental impact.

Year published

2024

Authors

Guo, Zhe; Sharma, Himani; Jadav, Mahesh; Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Guha, Chiranjit; Zhang, Wei; Priyadarshini, Pratiti; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.

Citation

Guo, Zhe; Sharma, Himani; Jadav, Mahesh; Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Guha, Chiranjit; et al. 2024. Measuring above-ground carbon stock using spatial analysis and the InVEST model: Application in the Thoria Watershed, India. Environmental Research Communications 6(11): 115036. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ad95e7

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Modelling; Carbon Stock Assessments; Watersheds; Spatial Analysis

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ad95e7 Source record

Project

Nature-Positive Solutions

Record type

Journal Article

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Working Paper

A conceptual framework of living labs for people for sustainable food systems

2023
Habermann, Birgit; Nehring, Ryan; Zhang, Wei; Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Leñero, Eva Marina-Valencia; Falk, Thomas; Rietveld, Anne M.; Woltering, Lennart; Kumar, Praveen; Wang, Xinxin
…more Zhou, Yunyi; Chen, Kevin Z.; Pham, Thuy Thu; Rodríguez, Luz Ángela; Venegas, Martha
Details

A conceptual framework of living labs for people for sustainable food systems

Innovation spaces are often dominated by linear, top-down approaches, with the transfer of technology being seen as the solution to many problems rather than trying to understand which innovation processes people are engaging with themselves. In other words, barriers to progress are typically viewed as issues of technology adoption, not as part of the innovation process itself. This study contributes to changing the paradigm by proposing a living lab approach, which considers innovation as an adaptive process where stakeholders co-produce knowledge and collaborate based on inclusivity and empowerment. Our specific concept for this approach is called a Living Lab for People (LL4P). This conceptual paper outlines a framework to guide the development of a LL4P that remains flexible to be adapted for specific sites. While we seek to identify common denominators, we recognize the necessity for such a framework to remain open enough to be adaptable for varied contexts. Consequently, the framework draws on the living lab literature but tailors existing approaches for sustainable food system transformation and puts people (men, women, and marginalized groups among key food system actors) at the center of innovation processes with a clear intention to address power and social inequity. We draw on specific cases in China, Colombia, Kenya and Vietnam as learning grounds for formulating LL4Ps through locally led innovation processes. Based on our learnings and consultations, we define a LL4P as an inclusive and diverse space for people to advance their socio-technical innovation processes and associated modes of governance within a facilitated organizational structure. The principles of LL4Ps include co-production, gender equality and social inclusion, governance and institutional sustainability to advance existing and novel innovation processes. The practical experiences from applying this framework in the four case studies indicate alternative pathways for transforming the food system toward a sustainable and socially equitable trajectory through the establishment of a LL4P.

Year published

2023

Authors

Habermann, Birgit; Nehring, Ryan; Zhang, Wei; Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Leñero, Eva Marina-Valencia; Falk, Thomas; Rietveld, Anne M.; Woltering, Lennart; Kumar, Praveen; Wang, Xinxin; Zhou, Yunyi; Chen, Kevin Z.; Pham, Thuy Thu; Rodríguez, Luz Ángela; Venegas, Martha

Citation

Habermann, Birgit; Nehring, Ryan; Zhang, Wei; et al. 2023. A conceptual framework of living labs for people for sustainable food systems. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2227. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137077.

Country/Region

China; Colombia; Kenya; Vietnam

Keywords

Africa; Asia; South America; Eastern Asia; Eastern Africa; South-eastern Asia; Food Systems; Sustainability; Innovation; Governance; Social Inclusion; Inclusion

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137077 Source record

Project

Low-Emission Food Systems

Record type

Working Paper

Resource thumbnail

Working Paper

Ecosystem services may provide large economic values in Kenya and Vietnam: A value transfer application based on results from a systematic literature review

2023Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Zhang, Wei; Pham, Thuy Thu; Davis, Kristin E.; Fadda, Carlo
Details

Ecosystem services may provide large economic values in Kenya and Vietnam: A value transfer application based on results from a systematic literature review

This study focuses on the valuation of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam, two countries that have received much attention from the international development community for their biodiversity significance, opportunities for scaling, climate and poverty challenges, and political will. Using The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) framework and the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), this study estimates per hectare values of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam based on a systematic literature review of studies on the values of ecosystem services in both countries. Provisioning services, such as medicines, timber, and non-timber forest products were better studied than regulating, supporting and cultural ecosystem services, underscoring the need for further research to better estimate the values of non-tangible services which would improve the estimation of total value of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam. To complement the national level analysis, we selected forest biomes to conduct a value transfer analysis. Forests provide ecosystem service benefits worth $25.78 billion for Kenya and $35.6 billion in Vietnam in 2022 USD. In comparison, the agricultural sector contributed $48.50 billion to Vietnam’s GDP and $24.10 billon to Kenya’s GDP in 2021. The per hectare values for ecosystem services are used in a value transfer analysis to estimate the total value of forest ecosystem services in Vietnam and Kenya. The average per hectare value of ecosystem services provided by forests in Kenya is $5,718.50 ha−1 yr−1 estimated within a range spanning $1,609.44 to $15,606.62 ha−1 yr−1 , while Vietnam’s forests demonstrate an average value of $3,650.20 ha−1 yr−1 , with a range of $84.93 to $8,978.16 ha−1 yr−1 . We project the loss of forests into 2050 and estimate the annual economic loss of ecosystem services at $48.08 million for Kenya and $76.29 million for Vietnam, respectively, if deforestation and forest degradation continue at the current rates. Our approach presents a comprehensive overview of diverse ecosystem services, equipping policymakers with a nuanced comprehension of ecosystems’ inherent value. By consolidating values from the literature into a national-level estimate, we provide compelling evidence at a broader scale for informed decision-making. Despite the well-known limitations of value transfer method and with caveats, the values presented in our paper can provide a guiding reference for incorporating these estimations into broader policymaking endeavors.

Year published

2023

Authors

Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Zhang, Wei; Pham, Thuy Thu; Davis, Kristin E.; Fadda, Carlo

Citation

Hettiarachchi, Upeksha; Zhang, Wei; Pham, Thuy Thu; Davis, Kristin; and Fadda, Carlo. 2023. Ecosystem services may provide large economic values in Kenya and Vietnam: A value transfer application based on results from a systematic literature review. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2228. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137080.

Country/Region

Kenya; Vietnam

Keywords

Africa; Asia; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; South-eastern Asia; Biodiversity; Deforestation; Ecosystem Services; Forests; Policies; Value Theory

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137080 Source record

Project

Nature-Positive Solutions

Record type

Working Paper

Events

Rooted in Biodiversity: Transforming Agriculture through Nature-Positive Solutions
IFPRI at External Event

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December 11, 2025, 2:00 – 3:30 pm

Rooted in Biodiversity: Transforming Agriculture through Nature-Positive Solutions

Agriculture is both a major driver of biodiversity loss and a crucial part of the solution. This session will present research and evidence underpinning the forthcoming World Bank report Rooted: Agriculture Rooted in Biodiversity, which identifies strategies and investment pathways to harness biodiversity for resilient agricultural systems. By showcasing sustainable practice bundles, the economics of […]