On July 26th, the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) recognized the IFPRI Book, Millions Fed: Proven Successes in Agricultural Development, with the 2010 AAEA Quality of Communication award. Rajul Pandya-Lorch accepted the award on behalf of herself and co-editor, David J. Spielman, at the AAEA’s annual meeting in Denver.

In 2009, IFPRI, with support from The Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation, published Millions Fed to identify interventions in agricultural development that have substantially reduced hunger and food insecurity. The book documents evidence about where, when, and why these interventions succeeded and shares lessons to help inform future agricultural policy and investment decisions.

By identifying successes in agriculture that show a real and measurable impact on the lives of the world’s poorest people, Millions Fed demonstrated that improved agricultural development policy and investment decisions can substantially reduce hunger and poverty. This message was especially timely, coming in the wake of a global food price crisis and in the midst of a global recession where agriculture, hunger, and poverty have reemerged high on the global agenda.