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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.  

The Star Tribune (Minneapolis, USA) published an article on the COVID-19 pandemic and the domino effect of a health crisis — a collapsing economy, rising unemployment, and disruptions to the food supply are all upending the developed world. MTID Director Rob Vos states while the world has had this many hungry people before, the speed and pace of the pandemic-triggered collapse […]

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 […]

Food Tank Live presented a podcast interview with Senior Research Fellow and former Director General of CIAT, Ruben Echeverria. He discusses the global south and developing countries where farmers faced a slew of challenges before COVID-19 and now even more. Echeverria says, “Every crisis is an opportunity to rethink things. The new generation thinks that food comes from somewhere; they’ve lost the connection […]

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 […]

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 […]

World Trade Online reported on the new study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and IFPRI (Senior Research Fellows David Laborde and Joseph Glauber) that states that the World Trade Organization negotiators should address agricultural domestic support by imposing new limits that are tied to output, capping product-specific support, providing some flexibility for developing countries and allowing countries to exempt […]

Michigan Farmer reported on possible food supply shortages US. The blog post, The COVID-19 nutrition crisis: What to expect and how to protect, by Senior Research Fellow Derek Headey and Division Director Marie Ruel was quoted in the article stating the COVID-19 pandemic “has all the makings of a perfect storm for global malnutrition,” with vulnerable groups in developing countries facing “a dangerous decline […]

Invest Advocate (Nigeria) published an article on trade restrictions and how Nigeria depends heavily on imports and as such, movements in exchange rates have a direct impact on consumption patterns. The article quoted from IFPRI research and the blog post, COVID-19: Trade restrictions are worst possible response to safeguard food security, writing “at least 37 countries have enacted various forms of […]