In 1975, IFPRI was established with a mission to provide research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

To celebrate the Institute’s 40th anniversary, on November 18, 2015, we hosted a special event in Washington, DC, “IFPRI at 40: Looking Back, Looking Forward.” During the event, attended by 400 people, we heard from a fascinating group of policymakers, partners, donors, and other friends of IFPRI from around the world who discussed how food policy has evolved over the decades and how it is likely to look in the future.

The range of topics explored included policies for facilitating sustainable food supplies; making agricultural markets and trade work for the poor; and linking agriculture and nutrition.

On this occasion we also celebrated the launch of Compact2025, a bold initiative to end hunger and undernutrition by 2025.

Among the more than 50 speakers were Rob Bertram, USAID; Saulos Chilima, Vice President, Republic of Malawi; Matia Chowdhury, Minister of Agriculture, People’s Republic of Bangladesh; Newai Gebre-ab, chief economic adviser to the prime minister of Ethiopia; German Gonzalez, Secretary, Secretaría de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional (SESAN), Guatemala; Justin Yifi Lin, Peking University; Gerardine Mukeshimana, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Republic of Rwanda; and Roberto Ridolfi, European Commission. Several distinguished speakers provided video messages including Melinda Gates and M. S. Swaminathan.

We have also published 12 stories that reflect on the Institute’s work on key issues, such as social protection, gender, nutrition, and partnerships with key countries, including Bangladesh and Ethiopia. All of the “Making a Difference through Food Policy Research” stories are available as a PDF download. A brief on “The Bang for Its Buck” reviews the impacts of 40 years of IFPRI’s policy research. In addition, we produced the video, “What’s for dinner?” which describes IFPRI’s start and how the Institute has influenced food policy over the last 40 years.

Throughout the year, a number of IFPRI researchers and alumni have been blogging about their work and experiences on our 40th anniversary blog series. Their perspectives are wide-ranging, from climate change and the enigma of South Asian malnutrition to open data and the importance of food policy.

 

 

IFPRI 40th Anniversary