Properly functioning markets play a key role in improving the economic well-being of poor populations. But a recent IFPRI event highlighted how markets can do even more, reaching beyond economics to have an important impact on health outcomes.

The following story was originally published on the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) website.

A comprehensive book series by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has investigated the impact of climate change on African agriculture and food security. The final chapter on East Africa will be exclusively released at an upcoming session at the Global Landscapes Forum.

IFPRI and others have extensively evaluated social safety net programs in developing countries that provide recipients with cash, food, or vouchers, but there have been almost no evaluations of how those transfers stack up when compared against each other. A new study by IFPRI and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) assesses the impact of these intervention types—and also the most cost-effective ways of delivering those transfers. The findings were presented at a recent seminar at IFPRI’s main office in Washington, DC.

The following post by Kate Langford is an excerpted version of a story originally published on the World Agroforestry Centre’s News and Events site.

In the scientific world where publications are of paramount importance, CGIAR scientists are proposing a shift where data methods and ideas – the real currency of good research and scientific knowledge –are recognized for their ability to accelerate impact, not just high impact publications.

Public resources are limited and determining how to best allocate finite funds to achieve the greatest impact on poverty reduction and economic development requires credible public expenditure data. However, due to a lack of systematic collection and tabling as well as an absence of guidelines to link different types of expenditures, this type of data has been scarce and inconsistent.

Aflatoxins, naturally occurring toxins produced by fungi in grains and other crops, may be linked to childhood stunting and can lead to liver cancer and even death with chronic exposure. More than a public health risk, aflatoxins also pose a significant barrier to international trade, harming poor populations’ economic as well as physical wellbeing.

IFPRI’s new strategy features Strengthening Institutions and Governance as one of six key research areas and emphasizes the cross-divisional nature of this important topic. In order to enhance awareness of ongoing work in this area, a Strengthening Institutions and Governance (SIG) seminar series will be formally launched this Tuesday, November 5, 2013 at 12:30pm EST.

Women’s empowerment is increasingly a priority in international development, for reasons of social justice, and also because it is considered an important way by which to achieve development goals, such as those related to health, nutrition, and education. Research has shown that men and women often have different preferences for how they allocate food and other resources within the household and distribute these resources differently based on their bargaining power.

The following is an excerpted version of a story originally published on the IFPRI South Asia website.

OneWorld Foundation, India (OWFI) has launched a new website for the OneWorld-POSHAN Media Fellowship that features news articles, published by fellows, related to undernutrition in India.

Aflatoxins—naturally occurring fungal toxins that contaminate grains and other crops— pose one of the world’s most significant food safety risks, particularly in developing countries. On November 5, IFPRI will launch a series of 19 policy briefs on managing aflatoxins as part of IFPRI’s 2020 Vision Initiative and under the auspices of the IFPRI-led CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH).