Dr. Saweda Liverpool-Tasie, a researcher in the APRA Nigeria Country Team and Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics (AFRE) at Michigan State University (MSU), has been appointed to the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD). BIFAD advises the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on agriculture and higher education issues pertinent to food insecurity. Along with other BIFAD board members, Dr. Liverpool-Tasie will play a key role in shaping the USA’s perspectives on international food and agriculture.
“It is a privilege to be appointed to serve in this capacity,” enthuses Liverpool-Tasie. “I am looking forward to the opportunity and particularly with such a distinguished group of professionals.”
John Thompson, CEO of the APRA Programme of the Future Agricultures Consortium, observes, “President Biden’s Board for International Food and Agricultural Development will benefit greatly from Saweda Liverpool Tasie’s tremendous knowledge and expertise on emergent issues related to smallholder productivity and welfare in dynamic food systems in sub-Saharan Africa. She is a core member of our Nigeria Country Team, which has been documenting the pace at which farm size distributions are changing and assessing the growth of medium-scale farming. She is also an expert in developing international capacity for food and agricultural policy and has much to offer this important initiative.”
USAID Executive Director of BIFAD, Clara Cohen, says, “I am delighted to congratulate and welcome Dr. Liverpool-Tasie and other newly appointed members of BIFAD. USAID greatly values the partnership with BIFAD in supporting our engagement in global food security. The diversity and depth of expertise among the new members will bring thought leadership and broaden the dialogue to reduce hunger, respond to climate change, and lead more inclusive development around the world.”
“In Saweda Liverpool-Tasie, BIFAD has gained a board member with deep understanding of evolving agri-food supply chains and firm commitment to institution-building in the Global South,” said AFRE Chairperson Scott Swinton. “As a university colleague and as a U.S. citizen, I am excited to see her helping to shape our international food and agricultural development policy.”
The Co-Directors of MSU’s Food Security Group, David Tschirley and Eric Crawford note, “Dr. Liverpool-Tasie has stood out from the very beginning of her career for her commitment to doing high quality academic research on development challenges in a way that builds local capacity, promotes local ownership, and has real effects on policy and program design. This is a great combination to bring to BIFAD, and we could not be more pleased with her nomination.”
See below some of the APRA Nigeria research Dr. Liverpool-Tasie has contributed to:
- APRA Working Paper 26: Changing Farm Structure and Agricultural Commercialisation in Nigeria
- APRA Working Paper 38: Spillover Effects of Medium-Scale Farms on Smallholder Behaviour and Welfare: Evidence from Nigeria
- Working Paper 45: Role of resilience factors in mitigating the negative effects of conflict on land expansion
- Working Paper 47: How Conflicts Affect Land Expansion by Smallholder Farmers: Evidence from Nigeria
- APRA Brief 21: Changing Farm Structure and Agricultural Commercialisation in Nigeria
- Journal Article: A Revisit of Farm Size and Productivity: Empirical Evidence from a Wide Range of Farm Sizes in Nigeria
Learn more about Dr. Liverpool Tasie’s appointment, here: