Press Statement
by Shenggen Fan, Director General, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
June 23, 2011 — Paris, France

Just three years after the 2007-2008 food crisis, the food security of poor and vulnerable people is once again being threatened as the prices of agricultural commodities soar and become more volatile. Urgent action is needed now to address the problem and its underlying causes.

St. Louis, MO—Global demand for major grains, such as maize, rice, and wheat, is projected to increase by nearly 48 percent from 2000-2025 and by 70 percent between 2000 and 2050, according to research presented by Mark Rosegrant, who delivered the Ag Economic Forum Keynote during the 2011 Ag Innovation Showcase held in St. Louis from May 23-24. Rosegrant is director of Environment and Production Technology at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

Dakar—High-level policymakers, directors of international and regional organizations, private sector representatives, and leading academics and researchers from across West Africa and around the world are gathering here today for a colloquium on “Rising Global Food Prices: Causes, Impacts, and Response Strategies.” The policy roundtable is the focal point of an inaugural event to launch the International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI) newly expanded West and Central Africa office.

Washington, D.C.—Investment in agricultural research and development (R&D) in Sub-Saharan Africa increased by more than 20 percent from 2001-2008, but most of this growth occurred in only a handful of countries.1 Nigeria alone accounts for one-third of the increase. Spending in most of the region has stagnated or fallen, according to a new report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).