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Last week’s launch of the Australian International Food Security Center heralds a new level of collaboration between Australian and African policymakers—and research from CGIAR and IFPRI is playing a role in the dialogue. Two IFPRI researchers presented at the new center’s November 30 launch event in Sydney, a forum titled “Food Security in Africa: Bridging Research and Practice.” A sampling of the policymakers […]

What better place to talk about food than Italy? And that’s just what happened this week in Milan: a global discussion about how food is grown and distributed; who has plenty, who doesn’t – and why; and what the future holds for our ability to supply and fairly distribute adequate, nutritious food. Organized by the Barilla Center […]

During the past 10 years governments, agricultural firms, and investors have been quietly buying or leasing land in other countries for agricultural use. The amount of land is not insignificant: since 2000, purchases and leases have added up to an area larger than France, mostly in Africa and Asia, where land is cheaper and regulations […]

November 27, 2012, Islamabad, Pakistan—The agricultural sector in Pakistan plays a vital role in the nation’s food security and it employs half the country’s labor force. Population in Pakistan is expected to nearly double by 2050. In order to feed the growing population and address other pressing challenges, such as adaptation to climate change and […]

Congratulations to PK Joshi, IFPRI’s Director for South Asia, who was honored with two awards at the recent annual conference of the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics. Joshi received the fourth biennial Professor R C Agrawal Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to the field of agricultural economics. Joshi was also named a Fellow of the Indian Society of Agricultural […]

With a global financial crisis stripping investor confidence and budget cuts looming for traditional donor countries struggling under mountains of debt, it’s reasonable to be concerned about potential decreases in foreign aid. Even Bono, the famous frontman for the rock band U2, is campaigning on the issue, appealing to US policymakers this month “to spare U.S. development assistance programs from […]

It all comes down to power. That’s one major point from a new IFPRI issue brief that contends that collective action—when a group decides to act together to form a voluntary institution—and property rights have a strong and beneficial impact on a range of conditions faced by the world’s poor. Underlying power relations are often at the […]

The production of cocoa—the basis of chocolate—has been a pillar of Ghana’s well-documented economic success. In fact, Ghana is currently the second largest cocoa producer in the world. However, recent challenges are making Ghanaians nervous. The world wants chocolate more than ever, and global demand for cocoa is up, but dryer weather is causing Ghana’s […]

In the aftermath of the “Arab Spring”—a series of demonstrations, protests, and wars that swept through the Arab world during 2010-2011 and toppled several governments in the region—many researchers identified rising food prices and the resulting food insecurity as underlying causes. Yet even after leadership changes in many countries, food price volatility, food insecurity, and […]

If Bangladesh is to find a way out of poverty and poor nutrition, it needs timely and accurate information about the way its farmers are growing food, using water, accessing markets, and developing agricultural resources. Until now, such data was hard to come by. But this past weekend, IFPRI’s program in Bangladesh took a big step […]

The resort of Punta del Este in Uruguay, South America is famous for beautiful beaches and elegant casinos. This week, however, it became known for another reason: the world’s top researchers, thought leaders, and stakeholders are gathering there for the second Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD), to find ways together to best address […]

As temperatures rose and crops withered throughout the US in July and August, the country’s corn ethanol subsidies came under fire. And the US is not alone. The use of food crops, such as maize, soybeans, and sugar beets, as fuel continues to generate heated debate throughout both the developed and the developing world. Proponents […]

Washington D.C.—Global challenges, including the recent food and financial crises and climate change, highlight the need for continued and scaled-up investments in agricultural research and development (R&D). The report ASTI Global Assessment of Agricultural R&D Spending, published by the International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI) Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators initiative (ASTI) and the Global Forum on Agricultural […]

Everything is new in the Republic of South Sudan, which by merit of having achieved independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011, now ranks as the newest country in the world. So when Minister of Agriculture H.E. Dr. Betty Achan Ogwaro visited IFPRI earlier today to present a “new path forward” for agriculture and food security in […]

IFPRI is committed to ensuring that the knowledge it generates is easily accessible. And what better time to spell out this commitment than Open Access Week , which runs from October 22-26, 2012? Check out IFPRI’s statement on Open Access, which outlines how making knowledge discoverable and available is critical for furthering IFPRI’s mission of finding sustainable solutions to reducing […]

During the past year, IFPRI has been drafting a new institutional strategy. IFPRI’s draft strategy for 2013-2018 is intended to respond to changes in the food and agricultural policy landscape, as well as reinforce the Institute’s position as an evidence-based research organization that partners for impact. Among the strategy’s innovative elements are six research priorities that address the […]

Undernutrition is the underlying cause of death for 2.6 million pre-school children every year—one-third of all child deaths in that age group. For those who survive, poor nutrition undermines school performance and later earning capacity. And still, with human and economic costs so high, the world has made little progress in slowing the rate of undernutrition. […]

Farmers, especially smallholders, are better off working collectively. That’s the idea behind agricultural cooperatives, a concept that has been around almost as long as farming itself. Today, especially in the developing world, these collectives can be so beneficial—on an economic, social, and even political level—that they can help to lift the poor out of poverty. When […]

Tajik farmer Tomnissoi Davlat is worried about energy. “This year, I only harvested 500 kilograms of wheat per hectare. I’ve sowed my seeds too late because the fuel prices rose sharply at the beginning of spring. (…) Until I had enough money, food, and the plowing services, it was too late.” Indian farmer Fulmani Mandi is worried […]

Washington, D.C.—Unsustainable use of land, water, and energy is threatening the food security of the poorest and most vulnerable around the world, according to the 2012 Global Hunger Index, released for the seventh year by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Welthungerhilfe, and Concern Worldwide. According to the 2012 Index, The Challenge of Hunger: Ensuring Sustainable […]