Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · 17h

Wow, this issue wasn't on my radar. Thanks for sharing.

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · 21d

Authors: Ben Bolton, Leo Baldiga, Scott Justice, bart minten, Sudha Narayanan & Thomas Reardon
Paper Link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Blog: www.ifpri.org/blog/the-glo...

Can the global drone revolution make agriculture more sustainable?

Rapid growth in drone use is upending expectations but also inducing trade-offs

www.science.org

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · 21d

Drones are now pervasive in💥warfare &🎆lightshows, but what about🌾agriculture? In just the last 5 years, millions of farmers—mostly in Asia—have started using drones for farming.

New Science commentary discusses the rapid early rise and possible implications of drone farming: (links below)

Figure from Belton, B., Baldiga, L., Justice, S., Minten, B., Narayanan, S., & Reardon, T. (2025). Can the global drone revolution make agriculture more sustainable?. Science, 389(6764), 972-976.

1

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · 28d

🖼️ Wall Art at International Food Policy Research Institute (@ifpri.org) (c. 2013) 🎨

😙🤌

1

Reposted by James Allen IV

International Food Policy Research Institute @ifpri.org · 29d

📢TMRW @ 10:00 AM EDT

📌 The Economy-wide Impacts of School Meal Programs: Generating evidence on return on investment

💬 Speakers include IFPRI’s Aulo Gelli and Harold Alderman and GCNF’s Arlene Mitchell

🎫 Register to attend 👉 bit.ly/SchoolMeals-

@gcnf.org @cgiar.org

2 5

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · 29d

"What is the most important metric to judge whether a cash transfer program is successful?" 🆕 paper asks high-level policymakers to rank 7 outcomes and their answer: food security!

And... 87% (accurately) believe that CTs increase #foodsecurity.

Paper: lnkd.in/emVXx72i

1

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Sep 9

🩸🎗️ New long-lasting #HIV prevention (#PrEP) is coming to #Mozambique! Yay! But what will be the barriers to adherence?

😬My 2023 JDE article w/ @deanyang.bsky.social & others identifies two for HIV testing: #misinformation and #stigma: doi.org/10.1016/j.jd...

www.atnews.co.za/mozambique-t...

Mozambique to Introduce HIV Prevention Injection Lenacapavir in 2026 - African Times

Mozambique is preparing to introduce Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable medication for the prevention of HIV infection, starting in January 2026. Health

www.atnews.co.za

2

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Sep 4

Today's @ifpri.org Applied Micro & Development speaker is Douglas Gollin (Tufts University)!

w/ @jwolfersberger.bsky.social studies impact of new roads on #deforestation in #Brazil via spatial GE model. Falling transport costs since 1995 --> 7% of total forest loss

Great seminar!

1

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Sep 3

Does #inequality affect what poor households consider "necessities"? Yes, a 🆕 study finds, with implications for understanding the decline in caloric consumption over time in #India.

Very insightful!
Paper: doi.org/10.1093/jeea...
Authors: @clement-s-bellet.bsky.social @eve-colsonsihra.bsky.social

Does Inequality Affect the Needs of the Poor?

Abstract. We investigate how inequality affects what is considered most necessary to purchase. Combining detailed consumption surveys in India with an inst

doi.org

1 1

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Sep 2

Sad news that @poverty-action.bsky.social is closing its #Mali office after 15 years but admirable that they remained long after others left.

As a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, I say to the IPA Mali staff: I ni baara! Ala ka baara numan soro i fe!

poverty-action.org/mali-office-...

IPA Mali Office: A Legacy of Innovation and Impact

While closing our Mali country office, IPA carries forward innovations and lessons from more than 15 years of influential research in agriculture and other sectors.

poverty-action.org

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Aug 29

Colombian pink dolphins 🐬 and Malawian hippos 🦛 are other likely casualties of USAID's dismantling. That, and locals' trust that ecotourism might drive economic growth better than poaching, deforestation or conflict.

Good article in @cntraveler.com.web.brid.gy: www.cntraveler.com/story/withou...

Without USAID, Conservation and Tourism Projects Have Ground to a Halt

From the Colombian Amazon to Malawi's Kusango National Park, grants from the US government have been ended leaving local development projects in the lurch.

www.cntraveler.com

Reposted by James Allen IV

International Food Policy Research Institute @ifpri.org · Aug 28

IFPRI’s @jo-swinnen.bsky.social and @pmenon1.bsky.social
were featured this new episode of VoxDevTalks, where they discuss the landmark 2025 Global Food Policy Report, which reviews 50 years of progress and setbacks in global food systems.

🎧 voxdev.org/topic/health...

@voxdev.bsky.social

Food policy: Lessons and priorities for a changing world

What can 50 years of policy research tell us about the future of food (in)security?

voxdev.org

1 3 5

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Aug 27

⭕ "Development economics is economics that takes place developing countries."

First definition that I was taught and, IMO, the de facto definition in economics.

I love it for its inclusivity within the field but hate it for how it excludes from other fields.

Others agree?

Oliver Hanney @olihanney.bsky.social · Aug 21

What is development economics?

I find it more and more difficult to define what development economics actually is.

So, for this @voxdev.bsky.social blog, I asked development economists how they define development economics: voxdev.org/topic/what-d...

What is development economics?

I asked development economists for their definitions of development economics.

voxdev.org

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Aug 25

🎶 To go with the first day of fall classes, what song(s) got (or are getting) you through grad school?

Mine was "Keep Moving" by Jungle: open.spotify.com/track/4rf0IV....

Just keep moving. And if you keep moving long enough, you get your PhD, and then get to keep moving some more. 🫠

Keep Moving

open.spotify.com

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Aug 21

🆕 paper gives hopeful evidence that rebuilding agricultural infrastructure can restore farming in post-conflict settings, evaluating large-scale #irrigation rehabilitation in #Afghanistan 2010-2016.

Paper in EDCC: doi.org/10.1086/733269

Striking parallels to #Gaza...

1

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Aug 19

📣 Attn PhD students: 🆓 virtual PhD-level non-credit course on #socialprotection!

I did the 2022 course & found it very beneficial. Instructors are experts & many are editors at top economic journals. So their perspective is informative & helpful for generating research ideas.

Highly recommend!

International Growth Centre @theigc.bsky.social · Aug 14

A chance to learn from some of the world’s leading development economists? Yes please! 🎓

Join Rema Nadeem, Benjamin Olken, and other top JPAL researchers for the free BREAD-IGC virtual PhD course on social protection.

Apply now: www.theigc.org/events/bread...

2

Reposted by James Allen IV

International Food Policy Research Institute @ifpri.org · Aug 8

🚨New on our blog:

#Gaza's catastrophe will have long-lasting impacts on lives and livelihoods.

@cgiar.org

www.ifpri.org/blog/gazas-c...

Gaza's catastrophe will have long-lasting impacts on lives and livelihoods

A looming famine and ruined livelihoods.

www.ifpri.org

1 2

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Aug 7

How do get the world (e.g., my children) to eat more fruits 🍎 and vegetables 🥦 (F&V)?

A 🆕 scoping review of 223 studies published between 2012-2022: doi.org/10.1177/0379...

My takeaway: More evidence is needed on #socialprotection impact on F&V consumption in LMICs!

1 1

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Jul 31

Writing grant proposals all month like...

a man is covering his mouth in front of a screen that says big money no whammys

ALT: a man is covering his mouth in front of a screen that says big money no whammys

media.tenor.com

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Jul 29

Source: www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-webs...

IPC ALERT: Worst-case scenario of Famine unfolding in the Gaza Strip

The worst-case scenario of Famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip. Conflict and displacement have intensified, and access to food and other essential items and services has plummeted to unp...

www.ipcinfo.org

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Jul 29

"Famine" is classified when an area has:
🥣 20% of households facing an extreme food shortage
🥣 30% of children acutely malnourished
🥣 2 adult or 4 child hunger-related deaths for every 10,000 people each day

Then it's up to governments & organizations to take action.

1

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Jul 29

Today, the The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) issued an "Alert" for famine risk in #Gaza. This "does not constitute a Famine classification" but says "a new IPC analysis is to be conducted without delay."

So what would classify it as a #famine? See 👇

1 1

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Jul 24

How can we meet this increasing demand while considering its impacts on #poverty, #nutrition, #gender, the #environment, #climate, #agrobiodiversity, #land, #water, #energy, #trade and #urbanization?

Chapter link: hdl.handle.net/10568/175534
Book link: hdl.handle.net/10568/175019

James Allen IV @jealleniv.bsky.social · Jul 24

“Global demand for food commodities is expected to grow faster than population between 2020 & 2050, with a more rapid increase in LMICs compared to HICs."

From Ch. 36 on 🆕 @IFPRI book on “Future of Food Systems”. Motivation for #UNFFS2025 & #FoodSystems research.

Links 👇

1

Reposted by James Allen IV

International Food Policy Research Institute @ifpri.org · Jul 23

🍽️ 🌍🌐This new book, edited by Keith Wiebe and Elisabetta Gotor, presents a collection of short chapters on the current state of knowledge about different aspects of the future of food systems:

📘 www.ifpri.org/ifpri-book/w...

📹 www.ifpri.org/event/what-d...

@cgiar.org @bioversityciat.bsky.social

1 6 4