Communications and Public Affairs (CPA)

Innovative, rigorous, policy-relevant research is the foundation of effective, evidence-based policies. However, research cannot have an impact if it is confined to the bookshelf. It must be communicated to those who can learn from it, use it, share it, build upon it, and adapt it. Communication is the driving force behind the flow of ideas and the ultimate adoption of any innovation. It is a process of engagement and dialogue.

IFPRI’s Communications and Public Affairs (CPA) division helps generate and disseminate a broad range of institutional research products, contributing to the changes in policies, programs, and investments that can improve food and nutrition security, poverty reduction efforts, and sustainable natural-resource management.

IFPRI directly engages with the research, policy, and international development communities, as well as the wider public. These target audiences are not only recipients of IFPRI’s research but also contributors to it.

The CPA division works to achieve the following goals:

Support knowledge creation at IFPRI by collecting and connecting with the knowledge of others via open data and publications repositories. CPA also provides training opportunities for researchers in the tools and techniques relevant to the scholarly communication of their work.

Promote dialogue and interaction with diverse groups of stakeholders and partners to help generate relevant knowledge. This interaction can take place through face-to-face and virtual policy seminars, conferences, and workshops, as well as local, regional, and international gatherings and meetings.

Present IFPRI’s research in accessible formats so that it is understandable to diverse audiences. These formats include technical books, papers, reports, briefs, brochures, a magazine, social media, and datasets for public use. All of these materials are generally available in print and electronic form.

Share IFPRI’s knowledge via multiple channels so that a variety of audiences can access it and use it to create new knowledge. Channels include IFPRI’s main website (www.ifpri.org) and its community platform (http://ifpri.info); institutional, program, and project blogs; social and academic networks; media activities; podcasts and videos; e-bookstores; libraries around the world; and translation into multiple languages.