The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a global leader in food security and agricultural policy research, has reaffirmed its commitment to evidence-based policymaking in Bangladesh as it celebrates 50 years of advancing agricultural development and food security worldwide.
For nearly four decades, IFPRI has played a pivotal role in shaping Bangladesh’s agricultural policies, improving nutrition and enhancing resilience.
Through rigorous research and policy engagement, IFPRI provides data-driven solutions to sustainably boost agricultural productivity, ensure food security and address emerging challenges in the global food system.
Speaking at a press conference, IFPRI officials underscored the institute’s impact in Bangladesh.
Dr Daniel Gilligan, Director of IFPRI’s Poverty, Gender and Inclusion (PGI) Unit, emphasized its role in shaping policies through multidisciplinary research.
“Our trusted partnerships with the government and development organizations have been crucial in aligning research with national priorities.”
He said these at the press conference on Thursday, organized by IFPRI at a hotel in the capital.
“Poverty, gender inequality, and the exclusion of marginalized groups remain major challenges limiting economic potential in low and middle-income countries,” said Dr Daniel Gilligan during his visit to Dhaka.
Impact in Bangladesh
Dr Akhter Ahmed, IFPRI’s Country Representative for Bangladesh, emphasized the institute’s impact on national policymaking.
“IFPRI’s trusted partnerships with the government and development organizations have been crucial in aligning research with national priorities. Our findings have directly shaped agricultural development, food security, and nutrition policies, ensuring that recommendations are both evidence-driven and actionable.”
During this time, he spoke about the role of the TMRI project and said one landmark initiative was the Transfer Modality Research Initiative (TMRI), designed by IFPRI and implemented by the UN World Food Program (WFP).
This randomized controlled trial demonstrated that combining cash transfers with intensive nutrition behavior-change communication reduced child stunting at three times the national average rate of decline.
The findings influenced the Bangladeshi government’s shift toward nutrition-sensitive social protection programs, integrating cash transfers with behavioral education.
He added that IFPRI designed and WFP implemented TMRI (2012–14) to determine the most effective social safety net transfer—cash or food—for the ultra-poor in rural Bangladesh, particularly when combined with nutrition behavior change communication.
The results led to sustained improvements in food security and child nutrition.
Inspired by TMRI, the government is developing a national Mother and Child Benefit program, with IFPRI evaluating the effectiveness of top-up cash transfers or food baskets combined with nutrition education.
He also provided information that more recently, IFPRI conducted a comprehensive food security assessment, providing district- and division-level analysis along with evidence-based strategies to optimize resource allocation.
The findings were cited in the White Paper on the State of the Bangladesh Economy prepared for the Interim Government, shaping recommendations for structural reforms and economic stabilization.
This underscores IFPRI’s continued relevance in informing policy discussions during Bangladesh’s period of political and economic transition.
A gold standard for data-driven research and policy
IFPRI said the Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS) is the most comprehensive, nationally representative rural household survey in Bangladesh.
The first round took place in 2011/12, followed by the second in 2015 and the third in 2018/19.
BIHS collects unique data on plot-level agricultural production, dietary intake, anthropometric measurements and women's empowerment through the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI).
The dataset has been widely used, with over 7,80,000 downloads globally and citations in more than 130 publications, making it a critical resource for shaping policies and programs.
Strengthening agricultural markets, value chains and nutrition-sensitive policies
IFPRI’s comprehensive food security assessment provided evidence-based strategies that informed national economic reforms and policy discussions.
The Agriculture, Nutrition and Gender Linkages (Angel) project (2015–18) identified the most effective training interventions for farm households, leading to its approval for national scale-up.
IFPRI also assessed boro rice farmers' ability to sell paddy to the government at support prices, improving direct paddy procurement policies.
Dr Daniel Gilligan emphasized IFPRI’s approach to impact evaluation, saying: “We work with partners—often governments, NGOs, and UN agencies—to test different strategies of delivery. Our impact evaluations help identify the most effective ways to reach women and improve child nutrition, addressing malnutrition not just as a resource issue but also as an information and awareness challenge.”
IFPRI has also conducted several studies on agricultural and fish value chains, helping measure the impact of economic disruptions such as Covid-19 on farmers and businesses.
They said that as Bangladesh faces new challenges—including climate change, food system vulnerabilities, and evolving rural-urban dynamics—continuing to collect household-level data is more critical than ever.
Sustaining and expanding the BIHS will ensure policymakers have the tools to address the country’s most pressing development issues with reliable, up-to-date data.
In response to a question, Moogdho Mahzab, associate research fellow in the Poverty, Gender and Inclusion (PGI) Unit at IFPRI, noted the Interim Government’s keen interest in learning from IFPRI’s research.
“There is strong willingness from the government to adopt evidence-based policies on food security, nutrition, and agriculture. Without political motivations, they are focused on policies that directly benefit people,” he said.
“Close collaboration is ongoing, and we are optimistic about continued engagement.”