Obama Launches Africa Food Security Alliance
Multi-billion Dollar Effort Focuses on Agriculture, Incorporates Private Sector
President Barack Obama announced today at a major food security event in Washington, DC the launch of multi-billion dollar initiative in Africa that he said is designed to “reduce hunger and lift tens of millions of people from poverty.” The G8 countries will sign this agreement at their summit in Camp David this weekend.
Biofuels and a Green Economy
The role of bioenergy in a green economy, a subject of heated debate and concern among members of the international community, will be a topic of discussion at the Rio+20 negotiations. As IFPRI’s Global Food Policy Report reveals, biofuels were once viewed as a means to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, whose carbon emissions contribute to climate change. Now, however, it appears that some biofuels have a damaging effect on the environment—and large impacts on agricultural markets.
Improving Pastoralist Livelihoods in the Horn of Africa
The 2010-2011 drought in the Horn of Africa affected over 13 million people, most of whom were pastoralists. Pastoralists are people who earn a living by raising livestock, producing firewood and charcoal, and a variety of other non-salaried forms of work. The size of this population in the Horn of Africa is estimated to be between 12 and 22 million people. The most recent crisis was especially impactful because this drought prone region is also facing issues of population growth and loss of grazing areas.
New IFPRI Book Provides Insight into Food Aid Debate
Foreign aid to developing countries is the subject of debate among economists and development specialists. While some argue that aid promotes prosperity and reduces poverty, others assert that it hurts the economy and fosters poverty. Still others argue that aid has little impact one way or another. There is also disagreement about whether or not a nation’s quality of governance affects foreign aid’s impact. Do democratic governments, for example, use aid to promote economic growth more effectively than other forms of government?
New Seminar Series Looks at Impact Evaluation
With more and more money being spent on international development programs, there is growing demand from donors and policymakers for evidence that such programs actually make a difference in the lives of the world’s poor. The field of impact evaluation looks to answer the questions of whether research has led to desired policy changes and whether those policy changes in turn have led to improvements in desired economic, social, and environmental outcomes.
HarvestChoice Launches New Website
Features Interactive Tools, Data
HarvestChoice has just made accessing data about agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa easier. Launched this week, the newly-revamped HarvestChoice website gives easy access to interactive tools based on live databases and model simulation results.
The cutting-edge MAPPR, for example, enables users to pick and choose among hundreds of “layers” of map-based information about all aspects of smallholder agriculture in Africa—from poverty to rainfall—and make customized maps and summary tables.
Greening Agriculture in South Asia
South Asia is a paradox. The region enjoys high economic growth but suffers from extreme poverty, undernourishment, and the deterioration of its natural resources. It houses more than 42 percent of the world’s poor earning less than US$ 1.25 per day. Undernourishment is widespread, especially among women and children. Nearly 21 percent of the population is undernourished. Astonishingly, more than 41 percent of children are underweight and 8 percent die before reaching the age of 5.
Dissertation Research Fellowships on Gender and Agriculture
Call for Applications
IFPRI and its partners are pleased to announce a call for applications for Ph.D. dissertation research fellowships on the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). The first of its kind to directly capture women’s empowerment and inclusion levels in the agricultural sector, the purpose of the Index is to understand why women in developing countries face persistent obstacles and economic constraints to inclusion in the agriculture sector though they play a critical role in agricultural growth.
Indigenous Adaptation Strategies for Improving Land Degradation in Ethiopia
In spite of Ethiopia’s widespread poverty and weak capacity for resilience against climate change, one region has used indigenous adaptation strategies to combat land degradation. People in the Tigray highland region of the country have mobilized collective action to manage land degradation exacerbated by the area’s poverty, high population, and recurrent droughts.
Copenhagen Consensus Paper Suggests Investments for Improving Food Security
If you had $75 billion for worthwhile causes, where should you start? That is the question the Copenhagen Consensus project posed to researchers worldwide.
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