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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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TOPIC

Agriculture Production

Sustainable food production is critical to meeting growing global food needs amid climate change and natural resource scarcity. It is also the starting point for a shift toward sustainable, equitable food systems. But in many developing countries, underinvestment in agricultural production means that productivity and farmer incomes remain low, with negative impacts on rural development. Lack of knowledge, capital, labor, or other resources can lead to degradation of the natural resources that support agricultural production. As a result, food production is vulnerable to natural and socioeconomic shocks.

Evidence shows that sound and sustained investment in agriculture, especially in research and development, is key to increasing agricultural productivity, reducing poverty, and fostering economywide growth. Yet many developing countries give little consideration to agricultural science and technology in their national development plans.

… read more

IFPRI’s research examines emerging technologies and policy innovations designed to meet global food needs sustainably and equitably. Our researchers consider innovations in natural resource management, climate and energy policies, mechanization and digital options, biosafety systems for biotechnology, agricultural diversity, property rights, and collective action that can lead to improved food production and sustainability.

With proven innovations in hand, improvements in agricultural extension can lead to greater adoption of productivity-enhancing technologies. Work on nutrition and value chain development can help to build demand for diverse agricultural products. IFPRI’s foresight research helps to identify future threats to food production and security and ensure that scarce budgetary resources are directed toward sustainable development investments that achieve the greatest impact.

IFPRI’s agriculture production research is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1, SDG 2, SDG 7, SDG 8, SDG 10, SDG 13, and SDG 15. It also aligns with the CGIAR Impact Areas on Climate Adaptation and Mitigation; Environmental Health and Biodiversity; Nutrition, Health, and Food Security; and Poverty Reduction, Livelihoods, and Jobs.

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topics

Publications

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Journal Article

Empowerment unveiled: Gender dynamics and the impact of nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions among ethnic minority groups in northern Vietnam

2026Nguyen Thi, Lan Thuy; van den Berg, Marrit; Stomph, TjeerdJan; Nabuuma, Deborah; Kramer, Berber
Details

Empowerment unveiled: Gender dynamics and the impact of nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions among ethnic minority groups in northern Vietnam

Gender equality and women’s empowerment are key global agendas, yet women often face marginalization compared to men. Nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions (NSAs) often aim to benefit women but their impacts on women’s empowerment remain unclear. This study focuses on: 1) assessing the empowerment levels of women and men from three ethnic minorities in rural northern Vietnam (Thai, H’Mong and Dao) with the Project-level women’s empowerment in agriculture index (Pro-WEAI); 2) examining the potential of NSA to improve women’s empowerment during COVID-19 pandemic; and 3) applying an intersectional lens by analyzing how empowerment and treatment effects vary by ethnic subgroups. We conducted a Randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving around 600 rural households from 36 clusters that were randomly assigned to one of the following three treatment arms: receiving agriculture and nutrition training; receiving seed provision on top of the training; and a control group. We found that both men and women experienced disempowerment, due to ethnicity and systemic ethnical marginalization. While no significant gender discrimination in resource access was found, women faced limited mobility, overburdened workload and diminished agencies. Empowerment experiences varied across ethnicities. The NSAs improved women’s mobility and group membership, yet carried different implications across ethnicities, potentially due to the interaction between the intervention, initial contextual conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, NSAs alone cannot achieve structural empowerment. Meaningful and lasting empowerment requires integrated approaches that address interconnected social, political, and cultural factors.

Year published

2026

Authors

Nguyen Thi, Lan Thuy; van den Berg, Marrit; Stomph, TjeerdJan; Nabuuma, Deborah; Kramer, Berber

Citation

Nguyen Thi, L.T.; van den Berg, M.; Stomph, T.; Nabuuma, D.; Kramer, B. (2025) Empowerment unveiled: Gender dynamics and the impact of nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions among ethnic minority groups in northern Vietnam. Journal of Rural Studies 122: 103948. ISSN: 0743-0167

Keywords

The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam; Asia; South-eastern Asia; Agriculture; Agricultura; Gender Equity; Equidad De Género; Igualdad Social; Families; Social Equality; Agencies; Relación Intrafamiliar

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103948 Source record

Project

Market Intelligence

Record type

Journal Article

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Brief

Outcome assessment of the digital agriculture ecosystem in Ethiopia

2026Yesigat, Habtamu; Abate, Gashaw T.; Spielman, David J.
Details

Outcome assessment of the digital agriculture ecosystem in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is making gradual but notable progress toward the digital transformation of its agricultural sector, driven by investments in connectivity, digital infrastructure, and cross-institutional coordination. Recent policy milestones have established an enabling foundation for scale, including the Digital Ethiopia 2025 and Digital Ethiopia 2030, personal data protection regulation and governance frameworks, and national roadmaps that will steer investment and implementation over the next decade—particularly the Digital Agriculture Extension and Advisory Services (DAEAS) roadmap and the Digital Agriculture Roadmap (DAR). However, persistent structural constraints such as limited rural internet coverage, low smartphone penetration, and unreliable electricity continue to shape the pace and equity of adoption. This paper synthesizes Ethiopia’s digital agriculture ecosystem with a focus on technology, data and analytical capacity, and policy environment. In the technology landscape, work is ongoing to develop decision-support applications alongside digital channels for delivering advisory services. Evidence from multiple pilot initiatives suggests these tools can expand outreach cost-effectively and improve the timeliness and relevance of agronomic guidance. The success of various pilot projects, along with valuable lessons from earlier efforts, strong government commitment, and supportive policies, has driven further investment in Ethiopia’s digital ecosystem. Nonetheless, substantial gaps remain in data availability and quality that limits the production of high-quality and context-specific advisory content. In addition, the reach and intensity of extension services needed to translate digital innovation into sustained productivity gains, income and livelihoods is not yet at the level desired. While Ethiopia’s digital agriculture agenda is well-positioned for accelerated scale, its impact will depend on resolving foundational constraints in last-mile connectivity, power reliability, and the institutions and pipelines required for trustworthy data and localized advisory at national scale.

Year published

2026

Authors

Yesigat, Habtamu; Abate, Gashaw T.; Spielman, David J.

Citation

Yesigat, Habtamu; Abate, Gashaw T.; and Spielman, David J. 2026. Outcome assessment of the digital agriculture ecosystem in Ethiopia. IFPRI Policy Note. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180318

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Assessment; Digital Agriculture; Data

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

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Brief

Synopsis: Economywide assessment of CSA interventions in building resilient agri-food systems in Rwanda

2026Aragie, Emerta A.; Thurlow, James; Warner, James; Niyonsingiza, Josue
Details

Synopsis: Economywide assessment of CSA interventions in building resilient agri-food systems in Rwanda

This research extends IFPRI’s RIAPA modeling to include both the full implementation of PSTA 5’s climate smart agriculture and a once-in-five-year weather shock, and the interactions of both on agricultural sectors, agricultural GDP, and on national GDP. Main findings include: Rwanda’s agri-food system is highly vulnerable to climate variability due to its structural characteristics. Results indicate that CSA practices during the PSTA-5 period (2024/25–2028/29) increase agricultural GDP growth by 0.9 percentage points annually, with the largest impacts on horticulture and roots and tubers. However, several CSA interventions relate to infrastructural improvements and therefore the benefits extend over a longer time horizon, ultimately having even greater impact beyond PSTA 5. The weather shock causes dramatic declines in agricultural GDP (-1.6 percent), with horticulture affected most negatively, suffering a 2.4 percent decline. The joint Climate + CSA scenario depicts how CSA helps mitigate, but not fully eliminate, the negative impacts of weather shocks during the PSTA 5 period.

Year published

2026

Authors

Aragie, Emerta A.; Thurlow, James; Warner, James; Niyonsingiza, Josue

Citation

Aragie, Emerta A.; Thurlow, James; Warner, James; and Niyonsingiza, Josue. 2025. Synopsis: Economywide assessment of CSA interventions in building resilient agri-food systems in Rwanda. Rwanda SSP Policy Note 26. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179844

Country/Region

Rwanda

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Climate-smart Agriculture; Modelling; Food Systems; Agricultural Policies

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

Blogs

Violent conflicts reshape input use and productivity in smallholder farming: Findings from Nigeria
Research Post
 | 
December 31, 2025

Violent conflicts reshape input use and productivity in smallholder farming: Findings from Nigeria

By Mulubrhan Amare, Kwaw Andam, Bedru Balana, Steven Were Omamo, and Opeyemi Olanrewaju

Complex impacts on agricultural production.

Reimagining Indian agriculture for a low-carbon future
Event Post
 | 
December 23, 2025

Reimagining Indian agriculture for a low-carbon future

By Vartika Singh and Arabinda Padhee

Guiding an ongoing transformation.

Will extreme weather lead to multiple breadbasket failures and threaten global food security?
Research Post
 | 
December 11, 2025

Will extreme weather lead to multiple breadbasket failures and threaten global food security?

By Will Martin, Reza Nia, and Rob Vos

Modeling a growing risk.

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Events

From Lab to Field: Designing and Testing Agricultural LLMs
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

February 12, 2026, 9:30 – 10:30 am

From Lab to Field: Designing and Testing Agricultural LLMs

As interest in large language models (LLMs) for agricultural advisory grows, developers face two critical questions: How should these tools be built to meet the specific needs of farmers? and How should they be tested?  This webinar brings together two teams building agricultural LLMs through different but complementary approaches—offering a behind-the-scenes look at how AI systems are co-designed, refined, and validated with domain experts, farmers and extensionists.  […]

From Foundations to Field: Lessons from Microsoft and Reply’s Work in Agriculture
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

January 29, 2026, 9:30 – 10:30 am

From Foundations to Field: Lessons from Microsoft and Reply’s Work in Agriculture

As large language models (LLMs) and generative AI systems evolve, understanding how these technologies work—and what they can realistically achieve—has become essential for researchers and practitioners alike. Over the past year, many of us have had the chance to experiment with these systems in a “sandbox” environment. Today, we move from experimentation to brass tack with a […]

18th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA)
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

January 14 to 17, 2026

18th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA)

IFPRI’s Johan Swinnen and Claudia Ringler are participating in the 18th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA). The GFFA is an international conference that addresses key issues for the future of global agriculture and food policy and is held annually in Berlin, Germany during the International Green Week (IGW). The GFFA is organized by […]

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News

November 28, 2024 | Press Release

New paper calls for harnessing agrifood value chains to help farmers be climate-smart

The global food system is uniquely vulnerable to climate impacts, making adaptation of paramount importance.

February 11, 2024 | In the News

Agricultural growth key to accelerated poverty reduction in Bangladesh (Financial Express)

Senior research fellow and country representative, Akhter Ahmed writes in an op-ed for the Financial Express (Bangladesh) that the country “has witnessed substantial economic growth over the past decade, with an average annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.6 per cent between 2016 and 2022. Notably, the country experienced a 3.4 per cent increase in GDP in 2020, making Bangladesh one […]

November 26, 2023 | In the News

Scientists are racing to protect grass from climate change. Your cheap burger is at stake (Wall Street Journal)

Wall Street Journal (Australia) quotes Keith Wiebe, IFPRI senior research fellow, in an article analyzing how heat waves and drought are threatening pasture on farms worldwide.  “If pasture becomes less productive, prices would be expected to rise, not just for meat, wool and dairy products but also for cereals and other food commodities that would […]

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Our experts

Claudia Ringler

Claudia Ringler

Director, Natural Resources and Resilience (NRR), Natural
Resources and Resilience

David Spielman

David Spielman

Director, Innovation Policy and Scaling (IPS), Innovation
Policy and Scaling

Xinshen Diao

Xinshen Diao

Senior Research Fellow, Foresight and Policy Modeling, Foresight
and Policy Modeling

Jan Duchoslav

Jan Duchoslav

Research Fellow, Development
Strategies and Governance

Edwin Siyame

Edwin Siyame

Research Analyst, Development
Strategies and Governance

Amit Burman

Amit Burman

Project Coordinator, Development
Strategies and Governance

Ian Masias

Ian Masias

Program Head, Development
Strategies and Governance

Patrick Ward

Patrick Ward

Nonresident Fellow, Development
Strategies and Governance

Cynthia Kazembe

Cynthia Kazembe

Communications Manager, Development
Strategies and Governance