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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

Kinya Kaibung’a

Kinya Kaibung’a is a Research Officer with the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, based in Nairobi, Kenya. She has a keen interest in leveraging machine learning, AI, and other cutting-edge technologies to boost climate resilience and food security in smart agriculture systems.

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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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TOPIC

Trade

In today’s global economy, international agricultural trade plays an increasingly important role in ensuring food security. But domestic and international policies as well as administrative restrictions can hinder trade flows between domestic and foreign markets and producers. Policies to achieve domestic objectives in one country can affect trade flows in ways that lead to indirect effects in other countries.

IFPRI’s research informs the design of domestic and international trade policies in developing countries, as well as regional and global negotiations to promote an inclusive and efficient international trade system. This includes work on the impact of tariffs, quotas, and nontariff barriers as well as market-distorting food safety and environmental regulations, export bans aimed at food security, and agricultural support payments.

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IFPRI partners with institutions to strengthen developing countries’ capacities to do their own research and independently develop long-term, sustainable trade policies that help to eradicate poverty and support food security. To support rapid responses to market disruptions, IFPRI maintains the Food Security Portal, which provides early warning on international price changes and restrictive trade policies.

IFPRI’s research on this topic is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG1, SDG2, SDG16, and SDG17, and contributes to the CGIAR Impact Areas on Nutrition, Health, and Food Security and Poverty Reduction, Livelihoods, and Jobs.

trade

topics

Publications

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Journal Article

Collecting Holistic Evidence on Agroecology Performance to Accelerate Sustainable Food System Transitions

2026
Jones, Sarah K.; Sánchez, Andrea Cecilia; Dickens, Chris; Geck, Matthias S.; Wickramaratne, Chaturangi; Alary, Veronique; Bolo, Peter; Choruma, Dennis Junior; Douangsavanh, Somphasith; Fall, Modou Gueye
…more Falconnier, Gatien; Gupta, Shweta; Kettle, Chris; Krishnan, Smitha; Nyawira, Sylvia; Orjuela-Ramirez, Guillermo; Orounladji, Boko Michel; Pareja, Piedad; Sibanda, Telma; Lamanna, Christine
Details

Collecting Holistic Evidence on Agroecology Performance to Accelerate Sustainable Food System Transitions

A growing body of research shows the potential of agroecology for enabling a shift to planet-friendly and socially just agrifood systems through context-specific transition pathways. We conduct a scoping review to identify and evaluate the potential of 42 existing agroecology adherence and/or agricultural performance assessment tools to generate credible, legitimate, salient and transferable evidence to inform these transitions. Results show that while multiple relevant tools exist, each of them can be strengthened in at least one area. While most tools are transferable (low time and resource requirements) and have legitimacy (open access with transparent methods), tools have variable saliency (holistic scope inclusive of local priorities) and credibility (use scientific design principles and quality assurance processes). For a subset of 11 tools collecting multidimensional performance data, analysis of 263 identified indicators showed there is a bias towards economic measures (notably income, yield, and resilience), while certain social (e.g. land tenure, traditional knowledge retention) and environmental (e.g. climate mitigation) aspects are regularly overlooked. Through a multidisciplinary process engaging experts across 8 countries, we develop a Holistic Localized Performance Assessment for agroecology (HOLPA) framework that integrates and builds on positive features of existing multidimensional agroecology performance assessments tools and overcomes key limitations. The HOLPA framework for analysis, agroecology indicators, key performance indicators, and low-cost localization process can be used to strengthen agroecology performance assessments, empowering landscape actors to identify evidence-based pathways towards agrifood systems where both people and nature can thrive.

Year published

2026

Authors

Jones, Sarah K.; Sánchez, Andrea Cecilia; Dickens, Chris; Geck, Matthias S.; Wickramaratne, Chaturangi; Alary, Veronique; Bolo, Peter; Choruma, Dennis Junior; Douangsavanh, Somphasith; Fall, Modou Gueye; Falconnier, Gatien; Gupta, Shweta; Kettle, Chris; Krishnan, Smitha; Nyawira, Sylvia; Orjuela-Ramirez, Guillermo; Orounladji, Boko Michel; Pareja, Piedad; Sibanda, Telma; Lamanna, Christine

Citation

Jones, Sarah K., Andrea Cecilia Sánchez, Chris Dickens, et al. 2026. “Collecting Holistic Evidence on Agroecology Performance to Accelerate Sustainable Food System Transitions.” Environmental and Sustainability Indicators 31: 101374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2026.101374.

Country/Region

Burkina Faso; India; Kenya; Peru; Senegal; Tunisia; Zimbabwe

Keywords

Laos; Agroecology; Agrifood Systems; Sustainability; Indicators; Frameworks; Trade-offs

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2026.101374 Source record

Project

Agroecology

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Food systems policy coherence: A ten-country assessment

2026Nordhagen, Stella; Tankari, Mahamadou; Morrison, Jamie; Collins, Julie; Parsons, Kelly; Resnick, Danielle; Valls Bedeau, José
Details

Food systems policy coherence: A ten-country assessment

Policy coherence is widely recognised as essential for achieving food systems transformation, but attempts to assess food systems policy coherence have been limited to date in terms of their scope of topics and geographies and lack of comparable methods. This paper introduces the Food Systems Policy Coherence (FSPC) Diagnostic Tool and uses it to analyse food systems policy coherence across 10 low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia through key informant interviews (n = 189) and review of policy documents (n = 808). The FSPC Diagnostic Tool considers two aspects of policy coherence: (1) the structures and mechanisms that may contribute to achieving stronger policy process coherence and (2) coherence between policies from six sectors and ten common food systems goals. Regarding the former, all countries analysed had strong framework documents for cross-sectoral food policy, backed by high-level political commitment, but they tended to be much weaker when it came to capacity for implementation and especially monitoring and accountability. Policy coherence across sectors was generally strong for the goals of climate change adaptation and social protection but weaker for goals of healthy diets for all, adequate wages for food system workers, and climate change mitigation through food systems. Trade policy was the policy area with the greatest incoherence with a diverse range of food systems goals. The results offer the most comprehensive analysis of food systems policy coherence to date. The tool makes a useful contribution to measuring policy coherence and can serve as both a foundation for future research and enhance accountability for achieving coherent policy outcomes.

Year published

2026

Authors

Nordhagen, Stella; Tankari, Mahamadou; Morrison, Jamie; Collins, Julie; Parsons, Kelly; Resnick, Danielle; Valls Bedeau, José

Citation

Nordhagen, Stella; Tankari, Mahamadou; Morrison, Jamie; Collins, Julie; Parsons, Kelly; et al. 2026. Food systems policy coherence: A ten-country assessment. Food Policy 142(August 2026): 103113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2026.103113

Keywords

Africa; Asia; Food Systems; Policies; Food Policies; Frameworks; Climate Change Adaptation; Trade

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2026.103113 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Book Chapter

Regional integration, resilience, and innovation

2026Sall, Leysa Maty; Girma, Mahlet; Havsteen Branner, Victoria
Details

Regional integration, resilience, and innovation

Regional integration has become a strategic objective for Africa in an era marked by global tensions, climate vulnerability, and persistent structural transformation challenges. Despite decades of regional trade agreements, intra-African trade remains limited and concentrated in a narrow range of products, reflecting shallow productive integration and high trade costs. These constraints are particularly present in agriculture, which employs nearly 60% of Africa’s labor force and plays a central role in food security, income generation, and poverty reduction (Mamboundou et al. 2026). The launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents a structural shift toward continent-wide deep integration, with the potential to expand intra-African trade, strengthen regional value chains, and enhance economic resilience. At the same time, digital innovation and climate imperatives are reshaping the policy landscape, creating both opportunities and adjustment pressures. This chapter examines the interconnections between regional integration, resilience, and innovation in Africa, assessing the evolution and performance of regional trade integration, evaluating the projected impacts of AfCFTA implementation, and analyzing the roles of digitalization and climate-smart trade pathways in supporting inclusive and sustainable transformation. In the context of the post-MC14, the chapter contributes to ongoing debates on how regional integration can complement multilateral reform, particularly in agriculture, digital trade governance, and climate-related trade measures.

Year published

2026

Authors

Sall, Leysa Maty; Girma, Mahlet; Havsteen Branner, Victoria

Citation

Sall, Leysa Maty; Girma, Mahlet; and Havsteen Branner, Victoria. 2026. Regional integration, resilience, and innovation. In Agricultural Trade at a Crossroads with Latin American, Caribbean, and African Perspectives for Post-MC14, eds. Valeria Piñeiro, Simon Mevell, and Martin Piñeiro. Part Three: Africa: Regional Perspective, Chapter 3.3, Pp. 204-236. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/183497

Keywords

Africa; Climate-smart Agriculture; Multilateral Organizations; Trade Agreements; Regional Policies; Trade; Resilience; Innovation

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-SA-3.0-IGO

Source

Source record

Record type

Book Chapter

Blogs

Iran war: From fertilizer to food crisis?
Issue Post
 | 
July 02, 2026

Iran war: From fertilizer to food crisis?

By Rob Vos

The world’s ability to maintain stable food supplies is increasingly at risk.

The Iran war: Potential food security impacts
Issue Post
 | 
March 06, 2026

The Iran war: Potential food security impacts

By Joseph Glauber

Problems in the Strait of Hormuz reverberate globally.

Balancing external shocks and domestic reforms: Do U.S. tariffs erode India’s tax reform benefits?
Research Post
 | 
February 05, 2026

Balancing external shocks and domestic reforms: Do U.S. tariffs erode India’s tax reform benefits?

By Barun Deb Pal and Manmeet Ajmani

Modeling converging economic impacts.

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Events

Agricultural Trade at a Crossroads with Latin American, Caribbean, and African Perspectives for Post-MC14
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

June 30, 2026, 9:00 – 11:00 am

Agricultural Trade at a Crossroads with Latin American, Caribbean, and African Perspectives for Post-MC14

Agricultural trade is facing an increasingly complex environment shaped by geopolitical tensions, climate pressures, and growing trade disruptions. These developments are reshaping trade flows, affecting food security, and challenging the ability of existing institutions and policy frameworks to respond effectively. These pressures are also creating new opportunities for developing regions to strengthen their competitiveness, resilience, […]

IFPRI @ 29th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

June 17 to 19, 2026

IFPRI @ 29th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis

The 29th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis will promote the exchange of ideas among economists conducting quantitative analysis of global economic issues. The conference will feature specially organized and contributed paper breakout sessions. The organized sessions have been developed by members of the GTAP Network to highlight a specific area of research and/or policy […]

How does Trade Risk Influence Agricultural Policy?
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

April 28, 2026, 10:00 – 11:30 am

How does Trade Risk Influence Agricultural Policy?

International trade provides critical access to food, especially for countries that cannot cost-effectively produce enough domestically. If importing food is cheaper, why do so many countries keep protecting their own agricultural production, especially considering the core tenet of international trade that countries should specialize in producing goods in which they hold a comparative advantage? This […]

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News

July 03, 2026 | In the News

How a fertilizer shortage caused by the Iran war could affect U.S. food prices (NPR)

NPR interviewed IFPRI’s Rob Vos for a Morning Edition segment on how fertilizer shortages resulting from the Iran war could affect U.S. food prices.

June 23, 2026 | In the News

Strait of Hormuz reopens but fertilizer markets brace for longer-term supply squeeze (Forbes Middle East)

Forbes Middle East interviewed IFPRI’s Joseph Glauber about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and what is needed to restore normal fertilizer trade flows.

June 05, 2026 | In the News

West Asia crisis: Why India needs a fertiliser security strategy (The Economic Times)

The Economic Times (India) published an op-ed by Barun Deb Pal and Anjani Kumar, IFPRI South Asia Office, and Smita Sirohi, ICAR-National Professor, MS Swaminathan Chair.

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Projects

Economywide Risk Assessments

Economywide Risk Assessments

Developed using advanced machine learning, simulation, and data mining techniques, these country briefs provide detailed risk assessments of key economic indicators. Produced by IFPRI, the……

Strengthening Food Systems to Promote Increased Value Chain Employment Opportunities for Youth

Strengthening Food Systems to Promote Increased Value Chain Employment Opportunities for Youth

…

Impact of COVID-19 on Food Value Chains

Impact of COVID-19 on Food Value Chains

This project studied the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on eight food value chains in three countries: okra, tomatoes, and dairy in Burkina Faso; maize……

Regional Trade and Agricultural Transformation in the Bay of Bengal Countries

Regional Trade and Agricultural Transformation in the Bay of Bengal Countries

…

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Our experts

Devesh Roy

Devesh Roy

Senior Research Fellow, Development
Strategies and Governance

Kriti Sharma

Kriti Sharma

Research Analyst, Development
Strategies and Governance

Ian Masias

Ian Masias

Program Head, Development
Strategies and Governance

Antoine Bouet

Antoine Bouet

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Markets,
Trade, and Institutions

Nicholas Minot

Nicholas Minot

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Markets,
Trade, and Institutions

Charlotte Hebebrand

Charlotte Hebebrand

Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Communications
and Public Affairs (CPA)