College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Bio-Info

Former MSU Research Specialist James Tefft, is an Economist in the Agricultural Development Economics Division (ESA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.  He has recently been seconded to the World Bank as Senior Economist and Liaison Officer, where he is working, among other things, on urban agriculture.

He was formely based in the FAO Regional Office for Africa in Accra, Ghana.  He worked previously in the FAO Rome, and the FAO’s Regional Office for Africa in Accra, Ghana. ESA is the focal point for FAO’s economic research and policy analysis for food security and sustainable development. Mr. Tefft works primarily on issues related to early warning systems and economic and food security analysis in sub-Saharan Africa.

Prior to joining FAO, he worked for 13 years on Michigan State University’s Food Security Project, principally in the Sahel.  His professional interests were on food security research methods, market information systems, food system development, and linkages between agricultural productivity growth and child malnutrition.

Pubs Online

• Linkedin
• MSU Library
• AgEconSearch
• USAID Developing Experience Clearing House
• EconBizSearch

Notable Docs/Pres

• Thinking about urban food systems. 2016 By James Tefft, FAO
• Street Food Vending in Urban Ghana: Moving From an Informal to a Formal Sector. 2013. By Mohamed Ag Bendech, James Tefft, Richemont Seki and  Giorgia Fiorella Nicolo.  Food and Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations / Regional Office for Africa
• Stabilizing Price Incentives for Staple Grain Producers in the Context of Broader Agricultural Policies: Debates and Country Experiences. 2012. by Mulat Demeke, David Dawe, James Tefft, Tadele Ferede and Winnie Bell. FAO/ESA Working paper No. 12-05
• Ghana Reduces Hunger by 87%. 2012. News release by James Tefft, Senior  - Senior Policy Officer of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, 18th African Rural and Agricultural and Credit Association (AFRACA) General Assembly in Accra, Ghana
• Planning for the Future: An Assessment of Food Security Early Warning Systems in sub-Saharan Africa. 2006. by James Tefft, Mark McGuire and Nick Maunder.
• Mali’s White Revolution: Smallholder Cotton from 1960 to 2003. 2004. by James Tefft. Paper presented at the NEPAD/IGAD regional conference “Agricultural Successes in the Greater Horn of Africa” Nairobi, 2004
• Policy Brief - Mali’s White Revolution: Smallholder Cotton from 1960 to 2003. 2004. by James Tefft. IFPRI 2020:FOCUS 12/Brief 5
• Mali Agricultural Growth-Nutrition Linkages Project 2002. Michigan State University
• Linkages Between Agricultural Growth and Improved Child Nutrition in Mali. 2000. By Tefft, James F., Penders, Christopher L.,Kelly, Valerie A., Staatz, John M., Yade, Mbaye, and Wise, Victoria. MSU International Development Paper No. 79.
• Le diagnostic rapide appliqué à l’étude de la transformation et de la valorisation des céréales secondaires au Mali. 1998.  by John S. Holtzman, John A. Lichte and James F. Tefft. In Prix, Produits et Acteurs, edited by G. Scott et D. Griffon, CIRAD - CIP - Karthala, 1998.
• A Review of the Michgan State University Support Project to the Systeme d’Information du Marche and Suggestions for Future Activities. 1994. By James F. Tefft.
• Research Methods in the MSU Food Security in Africa Project: Conceptualizing and Implementing Policy Relevant Studies. 1990. By James F. Tefft, Weber, Michael T., and Staatz, John M.  MSU International Development Working Paper 38.