Suresh chandra Babu

• PhD
• Head of Department at International Food Policy Research Institute

The study identified potential changes in the public extension system that could contribute to food system transformation during the pandemic. Document reviews, surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews were used to achieve the study objectives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most (96.0%) rural households had no extension contac...

Background: Based on a randomized experiment by treating one group of farmers with an extension package and the other group as usual in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, India, we examined the impact of the targeted extension package on farmers’ rice yield. Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate whether the chosen targeted extensi...

Recent economic relations including foreign assistance scenario in Africa show expansion of China and India as emerging bilateral partners, competing with traditional countries in Europe and North America. The results of this paper found that the relationship of China and India with Zimbabwe has resulted in several challenges including increasing r...

The growth in rice consumption has either slowed down or become negative in all the continents although additional per capita demand for rice exists in Africa. The future additional rice demand will mainly come from the population growth in Africa and Asia. The production growth during the past led by growth in yield has helped in meeting rice dema...

This paper documents the food and agricultural policy process in the context of agrarian reforms in Tajikistan. It uses the case study of Tajikistan and applies a recently developed conceptual framework for understanding the drivers of policy change. It undertakes a historical review of agrarian reforms and appraises current policy challenges withi...

Using case studies from the child nutrition literature, this chapter introduces the instrumental variable model. The analysis is shown in two steps. Estimation of the determinants of child-care practices is carried out in the first stage, while, in the second stage, the predicted value of child-care practices along with other control varieties is u...

Explaining the nutritional status of children in various societies of the world has been of interest to nutritionists, epidemiologists, and physical anthropologists. While the causes of child malnutrition are multiple and complex, understanding these causes and devising strategies that generate better child health outcomes is the theme of this chap...

Nutrition planners face several programmatic challenges in designing appropriate interventions. Frequently asked field questions include the following: Is it possible to design a diet with locally available food that meets the daily recommended allowances? How do we minimize the cost of achieving such diets? These questions could be answered throug...

Moving away from subsistence farming to market-oriented agriculture and shifting from cultivation of traditional food crops to cash crops through commercialization of agriculture are seen as a way to improve food security and nutritional status of the rural households. Using case studies on vegetable production for exports in Guatemala, tobacco cul...

This chapter introduces the analytical concepts and measurement issues related to food security. Using a broad conceptual framework, the basic determinants, causal factors, and indicators of food security are defined. Measuring food security through various approaches is described with examples of real-world data. We examine food security issues in...

Addressing problems of food security and malnutrition requires designing and implementing cost-effective intervention programs. However, much of the programs implemented to do so go beyond the pilot stage. Projects that are not evaluated before scaling up to a large intervention program can fail and waste resources. Evaluating food security and nut...

Analysis of the correlates of indicators and causal factors of nutrition is the subject of this chapter. Examining how various nutritional indicators are associated with each other and their determinants can be, among other things, useful for monitoring and evaluating food and nutrition interventions and their effect on a nutritionally vulnerable p...

Studying food consumption patterns is important as it contains useful information on household welfare and living standards and is an objective way to assess economic performance of countries. From a food security perspective, it is important to understand the changes in food consumption patterns as different income groups can react differently to...

This chapter introduces discriminant analysis as a tool to identify the most important determinant of food security and nutritional status that can predict best among a large pool of such independent variables. Such variables need to be identified for context- and community-specific food and nutrition interventions. We present a case study from the...

Governmental policies that help to liberalize food markets by abolishing state-owned stores are expected to encourage private traders to increase the market access to food. However, due to poor infrastructure and lack of market information, the entry of private traders in food markets remains less than expected. The impact of such policies on food...

The analysis of measurement and determinants of poverty and its relationship to food security and nutritional outcomes have become a major area of investigation by household welfare analysts. We present a detailed analysis of the poverty and welfare in the United States, Cambodia, Europe, and India. This chapter introduces various approaches to ide...

In this chapter, we review the recent literature on multidimensional poverty measurements and analysis. We review a recent body of literature that apply the multidimensional poverty measures to study the well-being of the population and demonstrate the construction of the Multidimensional Poverty Index. The index goes beyond the typical income meas...

Technological change in agriculture and food production is seen as an important tool for reducing hunger and malnutrition. Adoption of new crops, improved varieties of existing crops, and new technologies such as biotechnology could improve household food security. In this chapter, Student's “t” distribution is introduced for use in inference proce...

This chapter is concerned with the study of statistical relationships between the nutritional outcomes and their determinants. Simple linear regression method is introduced in this chapter to develop an understanding of the role of causal factors and their relative impact on child nutritional status. The reduced form equations of the determinants o...

This chapter extends the simple linear regression introduced in Chapter 9 to multiple variables. The main purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate how to predict the nutritional outcomes when two or more independent variables are at work. This chapter discusses various topics including the derivation of the least squares estimates, estimation of c...

In this chapter, the commercialization theme is extended to determine the implications of gender differences among adopting households. Since adoption of new technologies and commercialization depend on the control of resources within households, and such control has implications of the use of income from commercialization on food and nutrition out...

This chapter introduces cluster analysis with a goal to find an optimal grouping of observations on food security and nutritional status that are similar in a cluster but are dissimilar to observations in other clusters. We motivate the chapter by discussing the extent of underreporting of food hardships in the United States. It is shown how target...

This paper examines the preconditions for collective action in the context of Water User Associations (WUAs) in Tajikistan. The paper uses qualitative case studies of five WUAs from three cotton-producing districts of Khatlon region in Tajikistan. Findings suggest that the ability of WUAs to generate collective action for the benefit of the rural c...

To accomplish the goal of creating sustainable food systems that facilitate food and nutrition security, it is imperative to create and implement policies, effectively. The use of policy analysis tools can help in this regard. This chapter discusses different stages of the policy process beginning from agenda setting to evaluation stage and provide...

COVID-19 pandemic presents both a challenge and an opportunity to the Indian shrimp sector. With revitalizing the institutional arrangements and redirecting the focus, the Indian shrimp industry can flourish just by adapting to the needs of the local demand, even when the export prospects are uncertain. This paper takes a historical perspective of...

Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the influence of exogenous variables (research and extension (RE), marketing aspects (MA), and infrastructure development (ID)) on the endogenous variable chickpea production development (CPD) to restructure policy interventions in India. Results of the measurement model revealed that all t...

This study analyzed the impact of the adoption of artificial pollination on productivity, income, poverty, and food security among cocoa farmers in Ghana. Primary data was collected from 206 cocoa farmers, drawn through a multi-stage sampling technique and analyzed using Propensity Score Matching. The study revealed that households who adopted arti...

This paper analyzes the impact of a Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) on the Technical Efficiency (TE) of smallholder groundnut farmers in the context of climate change in India. We use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to study the TE of smallholder farmers, which range between 0.58 and 1, with a mean of 0.79. Using the Propensity Score Ma...

Providing appropriate post-settlement support to farmers is crucial for sustainable development of smallholder agriculture in South Africa. In unravelling this, the South Africa’s Recapitalization and Development Programme (RADP) was initiated. Hence, this study analysed the impact of RADP on performance of land reform beneficiary farmers in KwaZul...

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected several economic sectors in India, dragging many to the brink of survival. In particular, the already fragile horticulture industry is now facing a double burden of a weak value chain management system as well as perishability of produce (fresh fruits and vegetables), this pandemic season. Also, the strict enforce...

In a growing crisis, various internal and external factors threaten food and nutritional security in the developing world. These include ample processes of global climate change, urbanization, the rapid growth of population, unexpected shocks, natural disasters, economic, political crisis, etc. In this context, we are discussing various factors res...

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a CGIAR research center established in 1975, provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI's strategic research aims to foster a climate-resilient and sustainable food supply; promote healthy diets and nutrition for all; build i...

Since it formally began, extension institutions have been innovating in response to the changing environment. Past crises have induced organizational innovation in limited ways. The COVID-19 crisis appears to have brought about more radical change in extension organizations. In this manuscript, we apply organizational change theory-including insigh...

There is a significant soybean yield gap in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Sustainable intensification of the agricultural sector to reduce such a yield gap is important. Increasing soybean productivity can meet the growing demand for food and feed when complemented with higher soy meal demand by the local livestock industry. This study perfo...

Sustainable management of water resources is critical to address the challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, poverty and malnutrition. India’s green revolution enabled food security but at the cost of environmental degradation and unsustainable development. Water, a scarce resource, was used extensively during the green revolution...

Agriculture is the key player of the economy of North Eastern Region (NER), India, and mainstay of most of the people of NER, India. However, environmental factors and climate change influence the production, productivity and regional food security. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is the concept of sustainable augmentation of agricultural productio...

Complementing and extending the global landscaping and comparison of national extension systems in Part 1 of this book, Part 2 provides country cases where in-depth assessments of national extension system performance were undertaken. This chapter presents Brazil’s National Policy for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (PNATER) structure and...

Agricultural extension plays a number of important roles in the growth and transformation of the agricultural sector, including improving agricultural productivity and food security and reducing hunger and malnutrition. Extension programs and interventions that will achieve significant impacts in terms of behavior and practice changes, as well as a...

Food security is a common challenge among South Asian countries, and it leads to major effects on health outcomes. Two of the Sustainable Development Goals focus on eliminating hunger, promoting good health and enhancing well-being. Hunger and malnutrition are also linked to poverty, since low income limits access to nutritious food, basic health c...

Bonjour à tous, Ce sont des jours difficiles que nous traversons tous et par la grâce de Dieu, nous sommes toujours vivants! Bravo pour la solidarité! J'ai des nouvelles plus tristes sur les découvertes basées sur les données des apports en nutriments en RDC! Un pays ravagé par les conflits, Ebola principalement dans les zones rurales du Kivu et d...

Climate change is happening and cocoa producers are aware of its causes as well as its effects on their farms. However empirical evidence has revealed that a small number of farmers adopt climate change adaptation technologies to build resilience to the shocks meted out to them by climate change. In this paper, using data from Ghana, we employ prop...

The aim of Nigeria’s extension reform and transformation agenda through its new national extension policy (NEP) is to put in place a legislated, pluralistic, farmer-responsive, and market-oriented extension system. The reformed extension system aims at an assured and regular source of funding and a well-trained and motivated staff, effectively cate...

This study assessed the livelihood strategies adopted by husbands and wives within the same households for coping with climate-induced food insecurity in Southeast Nigeria. Collective and bargaining approaches were used in collecting individual and intra-household-level data of 120 pairs of spouses in Southeast Nigeria; husbands and wives were inte...

Abstract This study analysed the financing gaps relative to production frontier of rice farmers in Southwestern Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to collect cross-sectional data from 360 rice farmers selected from three states in the region. A Cobb–Douglas stochastic frontier and an adapted form of Harrod–Domar (HD) growth model was...

This book offers an essential, comprehensive, yet accessible reference of contemporary food security discourse and guides readers through the steps required for food security analysis. Food insecurity is a major obstacle to the development and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. It is a complex issue that cuts across traditional sect...

This report aims to address the status and challenges of agriculture research, extension and their linkages in Nepal. Agriculture plays the vital role in Nepal’s economy, employment, and livelihoods, contributing nearly 28% to GDP, 66% to employment, and 50% to export. In spite of GON’s priority and policy supports for more than two decades, the gr...

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), established in 1975, provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI's strategic research aims to foster a climate-resilient and sustainable food supply; promote healthy diets and nutrition for all; build inclusive and efficient m...

Bonjour à tous, Ce sont des jours difficiles que nous traversons tous et par la grâce de Dieu, nous sommes toujours vivants! Bravo pour la solidarité! J'ai des nouvelles plus tristes sur les découvertes basées sur les données des apports en nutriments en RDC! Un pays ravagé par les conflits, Ebola principalement dans les zones rurales du Kivu et d...

The frequency of natural disasters, especially storms and floods, has been increasing globally over the last several decades. Developing countries are especially vulnerable to such disasters but are often the least capable of coping with the associated impacts because of their limited adaptive capacity. Despite the increased interest in strengtheni...

Extension agencies globally face the twin challenges of limited finances and manpower. However, some extension agencies manage these challenges and achieve larger impacts by converging their efforts with others. Based on their experiences with convergence of activities at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Khordha under ICAR-Central Institute for Fr...

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), established in 1975, provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI's strategic research aims to foster a climate-resilient and sustainable food supply; promote healthy diets and nutrition for all; build inclusive and efficient m...

This book highlights the important links between agriculture and nutrition, both direct and indirect, both theoretical and practical. It explores these relationships through various frameworks, such as value chains, programmes and policies, as well as through diverse perspectives, such as gender. It assesses the impacts of various agricultural inte...

Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK), the farm science centers, have been claimed as one of the major institutional innovations of the NARS (National Agricultural Research System) in India. KVKs act as knowledge and resource centers which are fully funded by the central government and mandated to work on technology assessment and refinement. Apart from thes...

Using a disaggregated dashboard approach with agriculture, food consumption, and demographic and health survey data, this study examines the progress of Indian states towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 on hunger and nutrition across different years. There is evidence of both disconnects and linkages among food security indicators alon...

While growing sugar cane as a commercial crop could be one of the effective tools for doubling farmer income, bold policy alternatives are needed to make it a reality. In this context, this article sheds some light on the consequences of the removal of restriction on direct sugar use as feedstock for ethanol production for overall domestic sugar de...

What drives policy reform after long periods of policy inertia? What factors shape the effectiveness of policy implementation following reform decisions? These questions increasingly concern the international donor and research communities, given the importance of policy environments in shaping development outcomes and the growing need to achieve d...

Scaling up and mainstreaming proven technologies remains a major challenge for extension and rural advisory systems throughout developing countries. As a result, most of the relevant technologies, even when they are proven through farmer field trials, go “back to the scientists’ shelves,” partly due to a lack of appropriate institutional mechanisms...

Policy processes that design, develop, and implement sectoral policies often leave environmental considerations to a central environmental authority. As a result, the environmental implications and consequences of policies and programs, even when they are explicitly recognized as a part of their mandate, are often ignored at the time of implementat...

Agribusiness has a major role to play in transforming the agriculture sector in Africa. Increasing demand for high-value food products around the world, the production and export of these goods represents an opportunity to increase both income and employment. To capture the benefits of this trend and capitalize on this opportunity, agribusiness in...

Extension systems can play an important role in increasing productivity and the income of rice farmers. Although this has long been known, the rice extension system in India could do better in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. There has been very little research on extension systems for rice farmers. Thus, there is scarce evidence on what inte...

Governance of food distribution systems as part of social safety net programs continues to be a major concern for policy makers in developing countries. In this paper we assess how successful recent initiatives in governance of public food distribution (PDS) in the Indian state of Odisha have been in dealing with inefficiencies that have long plagu...

Food security policy making in India is at crossroads. India has emerged as a leading rice exporter. The Government of India has introduced the National Food Security Act which requires 33.6 million tons of rice per year for its public food distribution system. In this study, we modeled India's rice market and analyzed policy implications of the lo...

This is a review of the selected papers on the CEntral Asia and the Caucasus region on food security and natural resource sustainability. Should be useful as a good summary of the regional issues and solutions.

List of authors in right order; Lilian Nkengla-Asi Suresh Chandra Babu Holger Kirscht Scarlett Apfelbacher Hanna Rachid Amare Tegbaru

Agribusiness has a major role to play in the transformation of the agricultural sector in Africa. With the demand for high-value food products increasing across the world, there is an opportunity for an increase in income/employment through the production and export of these goods. To capture the benefits of this trend and capitalize on this opport...

Food security and nutrition policy interventions generally rely on selective measures. Yet recent literature emphasizes the importance of identifying different pathways from agriculture to nutrition for better nutritional outcomes. Using a disaggregated dashboard approach with agriculture, food consumption, and demographic and health survey data, t...