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Daily Hunt (India) published an article on the plight of the poor in developing countries amid the spread of coronavirus. Director General Johan Swinnen states, “There is no shortage of food globally, or mass starvation from the pandemic — yet. But logistical problems in planting, harvesting and transporting food will leave poor countries exposed in the coming months, especially those reliant […]

CGTN (China) reported on the impact of COVID-19 on food security in Southeast Asia. The report quoted Senior Research Fellow, David Laborde Debucquet, who states, “One of the challenges for the next few months will be to make sure that farmers and workers in farms and plantations can access the fields in order to prepare the next harvest.”  

CGTN (China) reported on the food supply in China. IFPRI’s Emeritus Fellow and former Director General, Shenggen Fan, was interviewed at length. He said, “For rice and wheat, [China] has probably one year of stock… My advice is ‘do not stockpile your food, and if you do that, you will do more harm to society […]

Dhaka Tribune reported on recommendations to strengthen food systems in the wake of COVID-19. The CGIAR centers made the following statement: “As seen in the response to the social distancing challenges currently affecting boro harvest, scale-appropriate farm mechanization options will also become increasingly important to assure timely operations.” The statement was jointly signed by representatives including IFPRI-Bangladesh Country Representative Akhter Ahmed. Republished […]

Tekk.TV (Germany) published an article on the 2020 Global Food Policy Report that states to build more resilient, climate-friendly, and healthier food systems that help people weather these types of shocks, policymakers must make sure that these systems are inclusive. Director General Johan Swinnen said, ”Food systems offer opportunities to improve food and nutrition security, generate income, and drive inclusive economic growth, but […]

Scidev.net published an article on findings and recommendations of the 2020 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR). The article quoted Director General Johan Swinnen and Rajul Pandya-Lorch. Swinnen states, “As the world struggles to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, economies and livelihoods are disrupted, with the poor [and] vulnerable ones likely to suffer the most. For instance, smallholder farmers, market vendors, women and youth directly relying […]

The Conversation published an op-ed by Research fellow Yanyan Liu and coauthors about the importance of accurate precipitation measurements that are essential to farmers to monitor crop yields. Farmers also rely on rain-fed agriculture. The researchers used commercial microwave links – wireless connections between mobile phone towers – from different locations in the world, as an effective low-cost way to […]

The Conversation (Africa) published an op-ed by Senior Research Fellow Stuart Gillespie. He wrote that the epidemic and malnutrition, together, will generate long-wave impacts, for years to come. They are also likely to interact with each other – badly. “This will be particularly true in countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Many of these countries’ governments, health and […]

Researcher James Thurlow discusses whether Africa can meet employment demand from its working-age population.
 

Reuters published an article that described how Kenyan farming families welcome help on the land from young people as schools close. In the 2020 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR), IFPRI highlights the key role of rural farming in tackling hunger, over 60% of people in low-income countries are employed in agriculture and more than 70% of farm units […]

Financial Times published a news report on the impact of the pandemic on global food security. In its report, it referred to IFPRI’s Food Export Restrictions Tracker that provides updated information on export bans imposed by the countries in wake of the pandemic and referred to IFPRI’s Senior Research Fellows, Will Martin and Joseph Glauber finding that imposing export restriction on food risks pushing up prices […]

The Economist published an article on food security during the COVID-19 crisis. In the article, Senior Research Fellow David Laborde states, ”Fortunately world food systems today are ‘in a very different situation’ from the crisis of 2007-08,” and further adds, “World food stocks are high. Prices for rice are up, but not to crisis levels.” 

Reuters reported on the predicted devastation of COVID-19 in Africa. Senior Research Fellows James Thurlow and David Laborde Debucquet were quoted in the report. Thurlow states, “About 80% of urban Africans get their food through informal food markets. So even if it’s coming off the farm and coming out of the factories, if you cannot buy it, it’s as good as not […]

China Daily News published an op-ed written by Director General Johan Swinnen. The op-ed discusses the potential for a food crisis. The coronavirus outbreak is likely to cause another major food crisis for the poor. And to avoid a food crisis, governments will need to implement policies and programs that target those most impacted and help address the negative impacts. Republished in […]

Reuters published an op-ed by Director General Johan Swinnen. As the world battles the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social and economic disruption it is generating, concern about the impact it will have on food systems is growing. Swinnen discussed findings and recommendations from the 2020 Global Food Policy Report. The Report states that inclusive food systems play a critical role in […]

The New York Times reported on the global food crisis, a result of the COVID-19 health crisis. Director General Johan Swinnen, stated that there is no shortage of food globally, or mass starvation from the pandemic — yet. But logistical problems in planting, harvesting and transporting food will leave poor countries exposed in the coming months, especially those reliant […]

IFPRI's retiring Africa director reflects on 30 years of development work.

Prospects for the continent's "youth bulge" depend on agricultural innovation.

Conflict and climate and economic shocks contribute to rising global hunger numbers.

A recap of the latest IFPRI events with links to blogs, podcast, and more. February 15 – April 15, 2020