Food systems are the sum of actors and interactions along the food value chain—from input supply and production of crops, livestock, fish, and other agricultural commodities to transportation, processing, retailing, wholesaling, and preparation of foods to consumption and disposal. Food systems also include the enabling policy environments and cultural norms around food. Ideal food systems would be nutrition-, health-, and safety-driven, productive and efficient (and thus able to deliver affordable food), environmentally sustainable and climate-smart, and inclusive. To realize this vision, continued investments must be made in agricultural research and development and technological innovations, paving the way for programs and policies that are based on sound evidence.
IFPRI conducts research and offers policy support on a range of food system issues from farm-level productivity to development of inclusive food value chains to nutrition education—providing evidence for design of food systems that provide people with equitable access to nutritious, sustainable diets and contribute to more broadly to development and well-being.
IFPRI’s research on this topic is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1, SDG 2, SDG 12, SDG 14, and SDG 15.
Addressing gender inequalities and strengthening women’s agency to create more climate-resilient and sustainable food systems
WEAGov Nigeria pilot study: Findings and policy implications
Fruits and vegetables for healthy diets: Priorities for food system research and action
Solving global nutrition and dietary challenges: More than proteins
A conceptual framework of living labs for people for sustainable food systems
Women’s Empowerment in Agrifood Governance (WEAGov) assessment framework: A pilot study in Nigeria
Papua New Guinea Household Survey on Food Systems, 2018
Pakistan Rural Household Panel Survey (PRHPS) 2014, Round 3
Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS) 2015
Pakistan Rural Household Panel Survey (PRHPS) 2013, Round 2
Pakistan rural household panel survey (PRHPS) 2012, round 1.5
Pakistan Rural Household Panel Survey (PRHPS), 2012
Issue Post Who’s afraid of high fertilizer prices?
Research Post AKADEMIYA2063: A successful case of localization
- IFPRI Policy SeminarMay, 29 2024
2024 Global Food Policy Report: Improving Diets and Nutrition through Food Systems: What Will it Take?
- IFPRI Policy SeminarMay, 2 2024
Sudan at a Crossroads: Food Systems, Hunger, and Humanitarian Aid During Civil Conflict
- IFPRI Policy SeminarApr, 17 2024
Deepening Social Protection Systems: Enhancing livelihoods and health in Ethiopia
- IFPRI at External EventApr, 9 - 12 2024
5th Global Food Security Conference
- Series/Special EventMar, 27 2024
Post COP28 Priorities for Advancing Food Systems Transformation
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Myanmar’s hidden hunger (The New Humanitarian)
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Pre-summit AGRF 2021 (Paepard)
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A vicious cycle (Millennium Post)
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What we are reading on food systems (IFAD)
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A One Health approach to plant health (GD News)
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Global Commons Stewardship (NHK World)
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Global hunger grows (Dhaka Tribune)
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Foresight4Food Podcast
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Pandemic of hunger (Nature)
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COVID-19 and Global Food Security (ReliefWeb)
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COVID-19 and Global Food Security (Reliefweb)
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Pandemic threatens food supply (Tagesspiegel)
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Biggest ever blow to livelihood (Daily Sun)
- Press Announcement
CGIAR Announces COVID-19 Hub
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Food budget to be 16pc bigger (Daily Star)
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Urgent food help to Africa strained (MoneyWeb)
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COVID-19 and food protectionism (VoxEu)
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Are we heading for a hunger pandemic? (VRT News)
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Poorly distributed (Die Zeit)
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No need to panic over stock (News24.com)
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Ensuring food for all (Beijing Review)
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Poverty, food security, open data and COVID-19
- In the News
Message from China: Don’t Waste Time
- In the News
COVID-19 and Global Food Security (WFP-USA)
- In the News
COVID-19 and Global Food Security (WFP-USA)
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Alternative meat can sustain food systems
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Food systems hurting the planet (Bangkok Post)
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Healthy diet matters (The Hindu BusinessLine)
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Fixing Asia's Food System (The Economist)
Channing Arndt
Senior Director, Transformation Strategies, CGIAR and IFPRIMarie Ruel
Senior Research FellowRob Vos
Director, Markets, Trade and Institutions (MTI)Claudia Ringler
Director, Natural Resources and Resilience (NRR)Suresh Babu
Senior Research Fellow / Head of Capacity StrengtheningEugenio Diaz-Bonilla
IICA Visiting Fellow at IFPRI
Projects
Project Food Systems for Healthier Diets
Project Stories of Change in Nutrition
Project Stories of Change in Nutrition