IFPRI's institutional strategy rests on three pillars: research, capacity strengthening, and policy communication. Through these three activities IFPRI provides international public goods and maintains a dialogue with key stakeholders on sustainable solutions to the pressing problems of hunger and poverty. And with its communications work IFPRI enhances the impact of its research and capacity strengthening activities, using multiple, customized forms of outreach.

The Communications Division carries out the work of communicating directly with IFPRI's audiences or facilitating such processes in close cooperation with the research and outreach divisions and the 2020 Vision Initiative. The Division serves the entire institute by communicating research results to those who need them. It does this by disseminating IFPRI's research findings through publications, the media, the web and other electronic/digital means, conferences and other meetings, and by monitoring key development-related events and listening to the needs of the Institute's various stakeholders. The Communications Division promotes and safeguards IFPRI`s brand and it also works with IFPRI's Publications Review Committee to ensure the academic quality of IFPRI's publications.

The Communications Division is composed of five programs: Editorial Services; Publication Services; Seminars and Conferences; Media Relations and Internal Communications; and Library and Knowledge Management.