|
The Iran war: Potential food security impacts
The attack on Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces and Iranian retaliation against U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf have roiled energy markets by disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz—the Gulf’s only sea passage to the open ocean. About 27% of the world’s oil exports, 20% of global liquified natural gas exports, and 20%-30% of global fertilizer exports, including urea, ammonia, phosphates, and sulfur, pass through the Strait. Drone and rocket strikes on tankers pose ongoing danger and have made maritime insurance costs prohibitive in the region, resulting in a more than 70% decline in shipping through the Strait since the conflict began.
In this analysis published today, Joseph Glauber discusses how the problems in the Strait of Hormuz reverberate globally.
|
|
|
We are excited to announce that IFPRI has opened its Papua New Guinea country office under the PNG Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Policy Support Program, marking a new phase of in-country collaboration for evidence-based policy. With support from the Australian Government and strong partnerships with PNG institutions, the program will strengthen data, capacity, and policy dialogue to support the country’s long-term development priorities.
As Sergie Bang, Secretary of the PNG’s Department of Agriculture and Livestock, noted during the opening ceremony, the office creates a platform “where research meets policy and where evidence guides practical solutions.”
Read more
|
|
|
|
March 8 is International Women’s Day. In 2026, we are once again honored to join the CGIAR-wide campaign under the theme “Science for Rights, Justice, and Action: Empowered Women Transforming Agrifood Systems.”
IFPRI is also joining the celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF 2026), which highlights the essential—but often underrecognized—roles women play across agrifood systems, from production to trade. Women farmers are central to food security, nutrition, and economic resilience worldwide.
IFPRI’s research on gender equality and inclusion closely aligns with the goals of IYWF. Our work generates evidence on policies and interventions that expand women’s access to resources, technologies, and markets while strengthening their decision-making power and economic opportunities—helping advance more equitable and resilient agrifood systems.
Explore our new webpage on the International Year of the Woman Farmer, and follow our social media channels throughout March as we highlight key research on gender and women’s empowerment in agriculture.
|
|
Global assessment of childhood growth monitoring: Coss-sectional survey of national policies and practices: Monitoring children’s growth is crucial for early identification of health issues, yet approaches vary widely across countries. Purnima Menon and colleagues conducted a global cross-sectional survey of national policies and practices, targeting ministries responsible for growth monitoring and national pediatric societies. The study finds that while growth monitoring is widely adopted, its implementation varies considerably across countries. (Read article in the Journal of Global Health)
Learning effects of an experiential groundwater resource Game in northeastern Ghana: Hagar ElDidi, Wei Zhang, Claudia Ringler, Ruth Meinzen-Dick, and colleagues examine the learning effects of an experiential groundwater resource game in Ghana’s Upper East Region. The study found that group interaction and communication during the game improved cooperation and led to more sustainable behaviors, and that these positive learning effects persisted 12 months after the intervention. (Read article in the Journal of Rural Studies)
Associations between Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) and obesity in women of reproductive age in Northern Tanzania: A cross-sectional study: Obesity is a global public health concern and affects 45 percent of women of reproductive age in Tanzania. Lilia Bliznashka, Deanna Olney, Marie Ruel, and colleagues assessed whether obesity was associated with diet quality, measured by the Global Diet Quality Score. The study finds that better diet quality was associated with a lower risk of obesity among women ages 30–49. (Read article in The Journal of Nutrition)
Climate stressors and rural incomes: Multi-country evidence on wealth, gender, and age disparities: Carlo Azzarri and colleagues combine household survey data from 24 countries with georeferenced climate data to examine how extreme weather and long-term temperature changes affect rural incomes. The study finds that a 1°C increase in long-run average temperatures pushes poor rural households to rely more heavily on agricultural income sources than non-poor households. (Read article in World Development)
|
|
|
For more frequent updates on the latest peer-reviewed publications from IFPRI researchers, read and sign up for our weekly newsletter on LinkedIn, Weekly Reads from IFPRI.
|
|
|
|
 March 12, 2026, 9:00 – 10:00 am (US/Eastern)
Large Language Models for Policy Makers: Exploring RIAPA-AI and PEPA-AI
Co-organized by IFPRI and CGIAR Program/accelerator Digital Transformation | Webinar Series – AI for Food Systems Research
March 18, 2026, 9:30 – 11:00 am (US/Eastern)
Rooted in Biodiversity: Transforming Landscapes through Nature-Positive Agriculture
Co-organized by IFPRI and the Alliance Bioversity & CIAT, under the CGIAR Science Program on Multifunctional Landscapes, and the World Bank
March 26, 2026, 9:30 – 10:30 am (US/Eastern)
Farmer-Centric AI for Livestock Systems: Design, Explainability, and Responsible Innovation
Co-organized by IFPRI and CGIAR Program/accelerator Digital Transformation | Webinar Series – AI for Food Systems Research
April 9, 2026, 9:30 – 10:30 am (US/Eastern)
Breaking the Silence: Deploying Automatic Speech Recognition for Agricultural Advisory
Co-organized by IFPRI and CGIAR Program/accelerator Digital Transformation | Webinar Series – AI for Food Systems Research
|
|
Sudan: How warring factions gained influence in the country’s food system—and what it means for the current conflict (The Conversation Africa): Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces have built powerful agrifood business empires—shaping key sectors like livestock, wheat, gum arabic, and horticulture—and their competition for control over these resources has intensified and fueled the country’s current conflict. Danielle Resnick, Hala Abushama, Khalid Siddig, and Oliver Kirui explore the situation.
Commitment to a Sustainable Evidence Infrastructure for impact evaluations: International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), Center for Effective Global Action, Center for Open Science, IDinsight, IFPRI, and Policy Innovation Research Center are joining forces to launch the Sustainable Evidence Infrastructure Commitment to strengthen how evidence is produced, reported, shared, and synthesized.
IFPRI and Farm Radio International collaborate to give a voice to the most vulnerable farmers by advancing AI tools for African languages: Introducing Longa, an AI-powered speech recognition tool designed to strengthen agricultural communication and inclusivity across sub-Saharan Africa.
AgriTalk: This daily national conversation about the latest issues impacting agriculture and rural America interviewed Joe Glauber on the current evolving situation concerning tariffs in the United States.
Can digital cash transfers serve those in active conflict zones? (VoxDev): Kibrom Abay, Lina Abdelfattah, Hala Abushama, Oliver Kirui, Halefom Nigus, and Khalid Siddig highlight how digital cash transfers—deliverable even amid active conflict in Sudan—can play a critical role in protecting vulnerable households, especially in the most insecure areas.
New IFPRI study introduces breakthrough framework to assess economic risks in developing countries: The Foresight and Policy Modeling team presents a novel approach to understanding how developing economies are affected by multiple simultaneous shocks.
|
|
|
IFPRI and CIMMYT have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deepen collaboration on strategic research and policy initiatives aimed at tackling today’s complex food security challenges. This stronger partnership underscores both organizations’ commitment to delivering innovative, science-based solutions that can help transform food systems and improve lives around the world.
Joint research priorities include how to most effectively scale innovations in agronomy, mechanization, crop breeding, and nutrition, and pursue methodological improvements in impact evaluation, market analysis, and policy analysis.
Learn more here.
|
|
|
Have feedback on IFPRI Insights?
Let us know!
|
|
|
|
STAY CONNECTED WITH IFPRI:
|
|
|
|
|
