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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.

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David Spielman

David Spielman is the director of IFPRI’s Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit and has been with the institute since 2004. His research agenda covers a range of topics including agriculture and rural development policy; agricultural science, technology, and innovation; plant genetic resources and seed systems; agricultural extension and advisory services; and community-driven rural development.

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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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experts

Foresight and Policy Modeling

Valencia Wenqian Xu

Research Analyst

Bio

Valencia Wenqian Xu is a Research Analyst in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit, based in Washington, DC, where she works on computable general equilibrium (CGE) and the Rural Investment and Policy Analysis (RIAPA) models. Her academic interests include value chains, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), impact investment, entrepreneurship, gender, and climate.

Before joining IFPRI, Wenqian worked as a social entrepreneur and impact investor across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. She holds an MPA in economic and political development from Columbia University and a BBA in entrepreneurship, design, and innovation from the University of Hong Kong.

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Publications

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Mozambique: Cost effective options for inclusive and sustainable development

2025Aragie, Emerta A.; Benfica, Rui; Thurlow, James; Xu, Valencia Wenqian; Jones, Eleanor
Details

Mozambique: Cost effective options for inclusive and sustainable development

In this policy brief, we present findings of a systematic evaluation and ranking of investment options for Mozambique’s agrifood system based on their cost-effectiveness in achieving multiple development outcomes, including agrifood gross domestic product (GDP) growth, agrifood job creation, poverty reduction, declining undernourishment, and lowering diet deprivation. Additionally, the study assesses their environmental footprint, focusing on water consumption, land use, and emissions. In Mozambique, investments in small and medium enterprise (SME) processors and traders are identified as the most cost-effective means of enhancing social outcomes, such as poverty reduction and addressing undernourishment. They are also highly ranked in accelerating agrifood GDP and employment. Moreover, extension services for livestock and agronomy, rural road infrastructure, and post-harvest losses reduction are also highly ranked. However, many of these cost-effective investments come with relatively high environmental footprints, which highlight potential tradeoffs. The study further reveals shifts in the cost-effectiveness ranking of investment options over time and marginally so in the presence of extreme production shocks.

Year published

2025

Authors

Aragie, Emerta A.; Benfica, Rui; Thurlow, James; Xu, Valencia Wenqian; Jones, Eleanor

Citation

Aragie, Emerta A.; Benfica, Rui; Thurlow, James; Xu, Valencia Wenqian; and Jones, Eleanor. 2025. Mozambique: Cost effective options for inclusive and sustainable development. Agrifood Investment Prioritization Country Series Brief 8. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178505

Country/Region

Mozambique

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Agricultural Sector; Sustainable Development; Poverty; Nutrition; Environmental Impact; Investment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Zambia: Cost effective options for inclusive and sustainable development

2025Aragie, Emerta A.; Thurlow, James; Xu, Valencia Wenqian; Jones, Eleanor
Details

Zambia: Cost effective options for inclusive and sustainable development

In this policy brief, we present findings of a systematic evaluation and ranking of investment options for Zambia’s agrifood system based on their cost-effectiveness in achieving multiple development outcomes, including agrifood gross domestic product (GDP) growth, agrifood job creation, poverty reduction, declining undernourishment, and lowering diet deprivation. Additionally, the study assesses their environmental footprint, focusing on water consumption, land use, and emissions. Investments in small and medium enterprise (SME) traders and processors are shown to be the most cost-effective at driving improvements in social outcomes, like poverty and undernourishment. They are also highly ranked in terms of expanding agrifood GDP and employment. Expansion in extension and advisory services for livestock, rural roads, farmers credit, and seed systems also rank high. How ever, many cost-effective investments have relatively high environmental footprints, which highlights potential tradeoffs. The study further reveals shifts in the cost-effectiveness ranking of investment options overtime and when extreme production shocks occur.

Year published

2025

Authors

Aragie, Emerta A.; Thurlow, James; Xu, Valencia Wenqian; Jones, Eleanor

Citation

Aragie, Emerta; Thurlow, James; Xu, Valencia Wenqian; and Jones, Eleanor. 2025. Zambia: Cost effective options for inclusive and sustainable development. Agrifood Investment Prioritization Country Series Brief 5. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176185

Country/Region

Zambia

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Southern Africa; Agrifood Systems; Investment; Development; Poverty; Nutrition

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Tanzania: Cost effective options for inclusive and sustainable development

2025Aragie, Emerta A.; Thurlow, James; Xu, Valencia Wenqian; Jones, Eleanor
Details

Tanzania: Cost effective options for inclusive and sustainable development

In this policy brief, we present research findings of a systematic evaluation and ranking of investment options for Tanzania’s agrifood system based on their cost-effectiveness in achieving multiple development outcomes, including agrifood gross domestic product (GDP) growth, agrifood job creation, poverty reduction, declining rates of undernourishment, and lowering diet deprivation. Additionally, the study assesses their environmental footprint, focusing on water consumption, land use, and emissions. Investments in extension and advisory services on livestock are shown to be the most cost-effective in expanding agrifood GDP and jobs. We also find that targeting SME processors generates stronger impacts on jobs, while extension services in agronomy are particularly cost-effective in fostering growth. Similarly, investing in extension services in agronomy and livestock, along with support to SME processors, yields significant gains in social outcomes, though with varying effects on poverty, hunger, and diet quality. However, many cost-effective investments have relatively high environmental footprints, highlighting potential tradeoffs. The study further reveals shifts in the cost-effectiveness ranking of investment options over time and when extreme production shocks occur.

Year published

2025

Authors

Aragie, Emerta A.; Thurlow, James; Xu, Valencia Wenqian; Jones, Eleanor

Citation

Aragie, Emerta; Thurlow, James; Xu, Valencia Wenqian; and Jones, Eleanor. 2025. Tanzania: Cost effective options for inclusive and sustainable development. Agrifood Investment Prioritization Country Series Brief 4. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175041

Keywords

Tanzania; Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Agrifood Systems; Economics; Environment; Poverty Reduction

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief