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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 […]

Press Release Point published an article on how the COVID-19 pandemic is far more than a health crisis: it is affecting societies and economies. IFPRI estimates (blog post, Poverty and food insecurity could grow dramatically as COVID-19 spreads), for example, that 140 million additional people could fall into poverty this year as a result of the virus. 

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.

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 […]

Medical News reported on IFPRI’s 2020 Global Food Policy Report and its findings and recommendations. Johan Swinnen, the report’s lead author and IFPRI’s director general, says that “control measures such as limited interactions that countries have been implementing since the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic last month (11 March) are interfering with economic activities worldwide.” He adds, “vulnerable groups can contribute […]

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.”  

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 […]

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 […]