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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.

Erick Boy

researcher spotlight

Erick Boy

Erick Boy is the Chief Nutritionist in the HarvestPlus section of the Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit. As head of nutrition for the HarvestPlus Program since 2008, he has led research that has generated scientific evidence on biofortified staple crops as efficacious and effective interventions to help address iron, vitamin A, and zinc deficiency in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.

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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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experts

Innovation Policy and Scaling

Carlo Azzarri

Senior Research Fellow

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Carlo Azzarri is a Senior Research Fellow in the Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit, currently based in Rome. His interests include the relationships among poverty, nutrition, food security, agriculture, environment, production, and migration, analyzed at both the micro- and macroeconomic levels, mostly through quantitative methods. He led the evaluation of the largest sustainable agriculture intensification program in Africa, in addition to several impact assessments of agricultural development interventions by multilateral development agencies. He holds master’s and PhD degrees in economics.

Languages: English, Spanish, Italian

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Publications

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Journal Article

The agrifood-system wage gap and structural transformation: cross-country evidence

2025Benali, Marwan; Slavchevska, Vanya; Piedrahita, Natalia; Davis, Benjamin; Sitko, Nicholas; Azzarri, Carlo; Nico, Gianluigi; Le, Dung Thi; Kluth, Jessika
Details

The agrifood-system wage gap and structural transformation: cross-country evidence

Evidence from high income countries shows that the gender pay gap in wage employment has decreased over time, though it has not closed. However, little evidence exists on how the gender wage gap varies as countries undergo processes of structural transformation that lead to rising wages and a shift in employment from primary agricultural production. Disaggregating agricultural, agrifood-system and non-agrifood-system wage employment, this study provides empirical estimates of the gender pay gap across countries at different stages of structural transformation. Based on a multi-country dataset and using the Kitagawa-Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition approach, the study sheds light on the different factors driving the pay gap along the structural transformation process. Our analysis shows significant gender gaps in both agrifood systems and non-agrifood systems that do not always decrease with structural transformation. Both differences in female and male employee’s observed characteristics and differences in returns continue to contribute to gender gaps, suggesting the need for gender-responsive policies to address the underlying factors that drive these gaps.

Year published

2025

Authors

Benali, Marwan; Slavchevska, Vanya; Piedrahita, Natalia; Davis, Benjamin; Sitko, Nicholas; Azzarri, Carlo; Nico, Gianluigi; Le, Dung Thi; Kluth, Jessika

Citation

Benali, Marwan; Slavchevska, Vanya; Piedrahita, Natalia; Davis, Benjamin; Sitko, Nicholas; Azzarri, Carlo; et al. 2025. The agrifood-system wage gap and structural transformation: cross-country evidence. Global Food Security 46(September 2025): 100851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2025.100851

Keywords

Gender Inequality; Women; Remuneration; Agrifood Systems; Structural Adjustment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2025.100851 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Armed conflict and gendered participation in agrifood systems: Survey evidence from 29 African countries

2025Ronzani, Piero; Stojetz, Wolfgang; Azzarri, Carlo; Nico, Gianluigi; Mane, Erdgin; Brück, Tilman
Details

Armed conflict and gendered participation in agrifood systems: Survey evidence from 29 African countries

This paper provides empirical micro-level evidence on the gendered impacts of armed conflict on economic activity in agriculture and other sectors, combining large-N sex-disaggregated survey data with temporally and spatially disaggregated conflict event data from 29 African countries. We find that local conflict exposure is only weakly related to labour-force participation, but strongly reduces the total number of hours worked and increases engagement in the agricultural sector. These net impacts exist for both men and women. However, the reduction in hours worked is significantly greater among men, while the increase in agricultural activity is significantly greater among women. In the longer term, impacts of conflict on employment two years later are stronger when no more conflict ensues than if further conflict occurs, challenging the widespread idea of one-off conflict shocks fading away over time and suggesting that labour markets adapt to and absorb lasting conflict situations. Different types of conflict event have qualitatively similar impacts, which are strongest for explosions, such as from air strikes or landmines. Overall, our findings underline that armed conflict entails structural economic, social and institutional change, which creates complex, gendered impacts on economic activity.

Year published

2025

Authors

Ronzani, Piero; Stojetz, Wolfgang; Azzarri, Carlo; Nico, Gianluigi; Mane, Erdgin; Brück, Tilman

Citation

Ronzani, Piero; Stojetz, Wolfgang; Azzarri, Carlo; Nico, Gianluigi; Mane, Erdgin; and Brück, Tilman. 2025. Armed conflict and gendered participation in agrifood systems: Survey evidence from 29 African countries. Global Food Security 44: 100821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2024.100821

Keywords

Africa; Data; Gender; Labour Market; Armed Conflicts; Agriculture; Employment; Women’s Participation; Agrifood Systems

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2024.100821 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Network effects in household consumption patterns: Evidence from northern Ghana

2025Bedi, Shaibu Mellon; Kornher, Lukas; Kotu, Bekele Hundie; Azzarri, Carlo
Details

Network effects in household consumption patterns: Evidence from northern Ghana

We study peer effects in consumption patterns and their associated welfare implications among rural farm households in northern Ghana using a panel data set. We construct a social interaction network based on household-specific locations and employ a spatial econometric approach that leverages the structure of the peer networks to identify peer effects. The results indicate that peers’ consumption patterns significantly influence individual consumption decisions, with the magnitude of this effect varying across farm households depending on their resource endowments. We also find that information exchange and partial risk-sharing behaviors drive these peer effects. Overall, our findings suggest that government interventions aimed at enhancing household consumption through transfers would be more effective if targeted at households with relatively large peer networks. In addition, anti-poverty and income-improvement programs can leverage peer networks to enhance their overall impact.

Year published

2025

Authors

Bedi, Shaibu Mellon; Kornher, Lukas; Kotu, Bekele Hundie; Azzarri, Carlo

Citation

Bedi, Shaibu Mellon; Kornher, Lukas; Kotu, Bekele Hundie; and Azzarri, Carlo. Network effects in household consumption patterns: Evidence from northern Ghana. Review of Development Economics. Article in press. First published online June 22, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/rode.13266

Country/Region

Ghana

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Household Consumption; Networks

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/rode.13266 Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Journal Article

Events

32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists
IFPRI at External Event

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August 2 to 7, 2024

32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists

The triennial International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE-2024), centred on the theme “Transformation Towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems” is scheduled from August 2-7, 2024, in New Delhi, India. The conference offers a distinctive platform, providing a golden opportunity for the agricultural academic institutions and researchers to convene in person, exchange knowledge, and actively contribute to the […]

The Unjust Climate: Measuring the impacts of climate change on rural poor, women, and youth
IFPRI Policy Seminar

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June 18, 2024, 9:30 – 11:00 am

The Unjust Climate: Measuring the impacts of climate change on rural poor, women, and youth

Virtual Event: June 18, 2024 at 9:30am-11:00am EDT. This event will discuss key results from the report and hear from policymakers, practitioners, and partners on how they are working to generate relevant evidence and make a difference on the ground.   

From Research to Impact: Towards just and Resilient Agri-food Systems
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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October 9 to 12, 2023

From Research to Impact: Towards just and Resilient Agri-food Systems

Conference: October 09, 2023 – 9:00 AM to October 12, 2023 – 6:00 PM IST. IFPRI is participating in the 2023 annual CGIAR gender research conference will take place in New Delhi, India.

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