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NBC News published a story on the congressionally authorized $19 billion bailout for farms suffering losses because of the coronavirus pandemic, and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said its $16 billion in direct payments would be a “lifeline” for farmers of “all sizes and all…production.” The preliminary data suggests it has favored large, industrialized farms over smaller, diversified […]

The Hindu published an article on children and nutrition. The government must resume provision of hot-cooked meals and ensure implementation of Anganwadi services such as growth monitoring and community management of acutely malnourished children. According to the POSHAN COVID-19 Monitoring report for India compiled in June 2020, 10 of the 14 most populous States did not conduct community management of acutely […]

Relief Web published the preface to the IFPRI book, COVID-19 and Global Food Security. started a blog series on COVID-19 in February, first looking at the implications of the pandemic and responses in China. In March, as the enormous reach and potential impact of the pandemic became clearer, IFPRI researchers and guest authors began to look at its global […]

Financial Times published an article on how desert countries with little arable land and water are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on food supply. Saudi Arabia is looking again to increase its wheat production with a target of doubling its output, equivalent to 45 percent of the kingdom’s needs, next year. Senior Research Fellow Joseph Glauber states, […]

Outlook POSHAN published an op-ed by Senior Communications Specialist Pratima Mathews. She writes that a diverse group of nutrition stakeholders have joined hands to ensure that COVID-19 does not derail the government’s malnutrition program. A global call for action to protect children’s right to nutrition in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic has come from the UN and others. This call […]

Reliefweb published the preface to the IFPRI book COVID-19 and global food security by Director General Johan Swinnen and the Agriculture for Nutrition and Health Director John McDermott. The book is a compendium of earlier published blog pieces that provide key insights and analysis on how the global pandemic is affecting global poverty and food security and nutrition, food trade and […]

SW Iowa News published an article about U.S. subsidies to farmers. The article writes that with the amount of spending, stimulus, and relief, why should you worry about a relatively puny congressional request to raise the annual spending authority of the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) from $30 billion a year to $68 billion? Because in both principle […]

Ecoticias (Spain) published an article on the Science Magazine article, COVID-19 risks to global food security by IFPRI researchers David Laborde, Will Martin, Johan Swinnen, and Rob Vos. The journal articles warns consequences of the coronavirus crisis on food worldwide: rising prices of fruits and vegetables, queues of people in food banks. The solutions are to ensure the production and distribution of food, guaranteeing […]

Qianzhan published a brief announcement about the new Science magazine article COVID-19 risks to global food security by IFPRI researchers David Laborde, Will Martin, Johan Swinnen, and Rob Vos. This summary quotes Director General Johan Swinnen who said, “The most important impact of the epidemic on food security is that the decline in income it causes puts food supplies at risk. This is especially true for extremely […]

The Counter (USA) published an article on farm subsidies in the US stating that when the coronavirus pandemic shuttered schools, restaurants, and many distributors in March, the disruption dealt a huge blow to farmers, who lost contracts overnight and were forced to let produce rot in the field. Congress allocated funding for agriculture through the Coronavirus Food Assistance […]