Search IFPRI web

Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) published an op-ed by Jeevika Weerahewa and Senior Research Fellow Devesh Roy on the complexity of what the impact on Sri Lanka’s economy might be during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.  The authors suggest a number of ways to prepare and alleviate some of the hardships. “Imports might be constrained for some time; Sri Lanka should use the crisis-driven […]

Rappler (Philippines) in an opinion piece stated that the right to food and a nation’s capacity to produce domestic food should not be decided by market forces. IFPRI’s research was quoted in the article (see the blog post, Poverty and food insecurity could grow dramatically as COVID-19 spreads by Senior Fellows David Laborde and Will Martin, and Division Director [MTID] Rob Vos), poor communities will […]

Niconico (Japan) published an article (Japan) on healthcare for infants and children. PHND Division Director Marie Ruel stated the importance for parents to have an accurate idea of ​​nutrition in resolving malnutrition among infants in food-deficient developing countries. Ruel states, “If you make mistakes in early childhood, you can create damage that can’t compensate for your subsequent growth, especially the development of […]

Die Zeit (Germany) published a news article on food supplies during the pandemic and wrote about IFPRI’s COVID-19 Food Trade Policy Tracker.

Ethiopia Observer published an opinion article referring to IFPRI’s 2013 review that indicates that nearly all available peer-reviewed publications on Bt cotton in South Africa (mainly focusing on smallholder farmers) report yield increase with the use of Bt cotton compared to conventional varieties.  

China Daily reported on the goals of China leadership for resolute policy action to minimize the shock from the pandemic and win the battle against absolute poverty. Senior Research Fellow Kevin Chen (Chen Zhigang) stated that President XI has overseen a poverty reduction campaign that is guided by a very mature concept and vision, and the immediate challenges from the […]

China Science Daily published an article on the topic of COVID-19 and a possible food crisis. The article looked at the findings and recommendations from the Global Food Crisis Report 2020. Director General Johan Swinnen states that “The global economic recession caused by the embargo and other anti-epidemic measures that restrict business activities will lead to a reduction in food consumption […]

Sohu.com published an article on the impact COVID-19 could have on food systems and the food supply. Director General Johan Swinnen predicts that the global economic recession caused by the blockade and other anti-epidemic measures that restrict business activities will lead to reduced food consumption and reduced nutritional status. People’s real income will decrease, and the expenditure on food will […]

TRT (Turkey) published a news report on the impact of COVID19 on food security. The article referred to Director General Johan Swinnen’s interview with the New York Times, where he stated, “logistical problems in planting, harvesting and transporting food will leave poor countries exposed in the coming months, especially those reliant on imports.” 

Caixin (China) published a news report on COVID19’s impact on food safety. The article quoted Senior Research Fellow, David Laborde, who said policies, such as export restrictions, are based on panic purchases and will cause shortages. He said that the current situation is controllable if policymakers in various countries “take action based on evidence rather than fear.” Laborde recommends that policymakers in various […]

CNBC-Africa interviewed Research Fellow Dawit Mekonnen about his coauthored study, Capturing the productive use dividend valuing the synergies between rural electrification and smallholder agriculture in Ethiopia. Mekonnen discussed the synergies between rural electrification and agricultural productivity, processing, and businesses in Ethiopia. 

VRT News (Belgium) interviewed Director General Johan Swinnen on the COVID19 impacts on food security. In the interview, Swinnen said, “There is currently no problem with food production, but it is not getting to consumers. These problems are much greater in poorer countries.” Republished in Vilt (Belgium)

Reuters published an article on the various trade issues arising from COVID-19. While there is an urgent need to ensure poor consumers can still access food, governments also need to ensure that policies on trade and markets enable the food system to cope with future shocks and volatility. The article referred to IFPRI’s new tracker, food export policy tracker that is tracking food export […]

Reuters published an article on migrants in the Middle East who have been hit hard with the COVID-19 spread. IFPRI states that Egypt is bracing for a triple whammy: a collapse in tourism and falling foreign remittances – which make up nearly 9% of GDP – and Suez Canal revenues. Senior Research Fellow Clemens Breisinger commented, “Even in an optimistic […]

IFPRI’s 2020 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR) was officially launched on April 07 and highlights the critical role that inclusive food systems can play, looking specifically at the obstacles and opportunities as well as the tools and technologies for building inclusive food systems. COVID-19 is having an immense impact on our health and food systems […]

With global food insecurity on the rise, some ways to break the recurring feedback loop between conflict and hunger—from IFPRI's 2020 Global Food Policy Report.

Governments ramping up pandemic assistance programs must take care to see they don't widen inequalities. 

Act now to head off a looming nutrition disaster for the world's poor.

20 minutes.fr published an article on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The food crisis, which had already worsened in 2019, could worsen due to the coronavirus epidemic. According to IFPRI (see blog post, How much will global poverty increase because of COVID-19?) each point of global recession plunges 14 million people into poverty, including 9 million people […]