“The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has called upon countries to rethink food crisis responses and build a resilient system that can withstand frequent volatility and shocks,” Dhaka Tribune writes in a piece about the South Asia launch of the 2023 Global Food Policy Report.
IFPRI has identified trade and safety net programs as major instruments to attain food security during the crises in South Asia, with the Bangladesh's response to the 1998 floods and the recent Covid-19 pandemic response as examples.
At the launch, IFPRI Director General Johan Swinnen said the report focuses on "rethinking food crisis responses" in a world where crises, shocks, and volatility "may become the new normal."
While presenting the South Asia perspective, Shahidur Rashid, Director of the South Asia Region-IFPRI, said, climate extremes have become the norm across South Asia with over 800 million people in this region living in climate hotspots. “In 2022, South Asia saw the highest temperature recorded in 122 years. Floods alone could cost South Asia $215 billion every year, and by 2050, climate migrants can reach 40 million.
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