Press Briefing: New Report on Repurposing Agricultural Support to Transform Food Systems
Media Briefing: Video
Media Briefing: Audio
The massive support provided to agriculture by governments — $639 billion per year during 2016–18 — has not incentivized sustainable patterns of food production and consumption, leading to calls to “repurpose” this support. A new IFPRI-World Bank study shows that the present system of support, if left in place, would do nothing to staunch the rapid increase in global emissions from agriculture. Unfortunately, many seemingly appealing options for repurposing are either ineffective or involve harsh side effects such as rising food costs, poverty, and agricultural land use. So how can policymakers, farmers, and the public tackle this challenging yet essential issue?
In a new joint report from the World Bank and IFPRI, researchers use sophisticated modeling to examine several approaches to repurposing agricultural support for better outcomes. The results indicate that investing in innovations that both reduce emissions and boost agricultural productivity could deliver multiple benefits for people, the planet, and the economy.
The report’s authors gave an exclusive briefing with journalists to provide highlights of the research findings and their implications for public policy, as well as answering questions. Recordings of the discussion are available on audio and video, and comments are on the record and open for attribution.
WHEN: 09:00-10:00 am, EST on Tuesday, February 1st, 2022
WHERE: The briefing was conducted via Zoom. Watch the video here and listen to the audio here.
AUTHOR PANEL:
Madhur Guatam, Lead Economist, the Agriculture and Food Global Practice, World Bank
Will Martin, Senior Research Fellow, Markets Trade and Institutions Division, IFPRI
Rob Vos, Director of Markets Trade and Institutions Division, IFPRI
Please direct any questions about participation to:
Drew Sample, +1 (202) 549-5920; d.sample@cgiar.org
Clare Murphy-McGreevey, +1 (202) 817-1185 cmurphymcgreevey@worldbank.org
Flore de Preneuf, +1 (202) 250-9728; fdepreneuf@worldbank.org
Website: www.worldbank.org/agriculture // www.ifpri.org
Twitter: @WBG_Agriculture // @IFPRI