Seife is a development economist with over 25 years’ experience in research, teaching and development practice. His work focuses on agricultural commercialisation and mechanisation, enterprise development and youth employment, political economy analysis, value chains and industrial policy. He is the principal investigator of the project Renewable Energy Development in Ethiopia which explores obstacles in energy procurement from independent power producers. He is currently a fellow in the Business, Markets and the State cluster at the Institute of Development Studies.
Prior to joining IDS, he directed programmes in Ethiopia providing access to and adoption of improved agricultural technologies by smallholder farmers. He has also held a Research Scientist position at the International Livestock Research Institute, in Nairobi, and a Research Fellow position at the Open University, UK. He has led and conducted significant research in Africa and Asia and has extensively published in the areas of agricultural innovations and technology adoption, biotech crops regulation and enterprise development. His external roles have included membership of steering committees for international research and contribution to policy consultation processes. He is a member/associate member of networks and professional societies.
PhD supervision
Seife’s two Postgraduate Researchers he supervises are:
Kyumi Ahn, thesis title ‘Farmers’ social relations and market engagement in the Andean region of Colombia’, and
