Stories tagged: International Food Policy Research Institute

Jess Fanzo: Can Changing Our Diets Change Our Climate?

In this guest post, Dr. Jessica Fanzo, Bloomberg Distinguished Associate Professor of Ethics and Global Food & Agriculture at Johns Hopkins University examines the relationship between our changing diets, and our changing climate.

In early December, world leaders will meet in Paris to make significant decisions on the future of our climate at the Convention of Parties (COP21) meeting. There has never been a more urgent time to take action on the changes we are witnessing with the Earth’s climate – a warmer world, rising sea levels, and more extreme, unpredictable weather events. The result of doing nothing could be disastrous for both the planet and the human race. The Lancet recently recognized the intricate link that humans have with the planet and the impact we have made: “A growing body of evidence shows that the health of humanity is intrinsically linked to the health of the environment, but by its actions humanity now threatens to destabilise the Earth’s key life-support systems.”  Continue reading →

IFPRI: Resilience of Smallholders Should Be Key Theme in Sendai

As part of our ongoing series that explores the state of the negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals, we asked Rajul Pandya-Lorch, Sivan Yosef, and Laura Zseleczky of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to explain why smallholder farmers should be a key consideration at the UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, which is taking place in Sendai, Japan, this week.

As delegates gather today for the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, we hope that building up the resilience of smallholder farmers remains a key theme of their vital discussions. Incorporating the experience of farmers engaged in all aspects of agriculture into the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction can go a long way in building up the resilience of the majority of the world’s poor and vulnerable people, and creating a global food system that is sustainable, healthy, and resilient to disasters and other shocks. Continue reading →

Video: How to Build a Resilient Food System

Shenggen Fan, the Director General of International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) tells Farming First why we urgently need to boost the resilience of our food systems, which he believes have become very vulnerable and volatile.

“Resilience is more than just a buzzword” he commented  “it has real implications for development and policy making.” Continue reading →

Highlights from IFPRI’s 2013 Global Food Policy Report

This week, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) launched its 2013 Global Food Policy Report, reviewing major trends and developments from the past year, and setting an agenda for action for 2014 and beyond.

Whilst post-2015 development discussions are focusing on eliminating extreme poverty by 2030, the report argues that ending hunger and undernutrition by 2025 should be a top priority.

In his opening remarks, Shenggen Fan, Director-General of IFPRI commented: “In 2013, global food prices have been calm and stable. But there is no room for complacency”. He added that the prices of food and vegetables in emerging countries such as India and China are rising, compromising the nutrition levels of these populations. “The SDGs are gaining traction, but there is lack of consensus on agriculture, food and nutrition. We need to be precise. We need to be ambitious,” he asserted.

The full report discusses what can be done to achieve the ambitious goal of ending hunger and malnutrition by 2025. Action points outlined by IFPRI include:

  1. Promoting country-driven, context-specific, and evidence-based strategies: national investment priorities must support national strategies, policies, and accountability mechanisms aimed at eradicating hunger and undernutrition.
  2. Learning from evidence and past experiences from successful countries such as Brazil, China, Thailand, and Vietnam.
  3. Sharing data and information: more knowledge sharing can provide lessons learned and create a “snowball effect” for positive changes and innovations.
  4. Expanding the role of the private sector, which will be crucial to finding sustainable solutions for ending hunger and undernutrition.

Read the full 2013 Global Food Policy Report from IFPRI here.

FEB122014
IFPRI Agricultural Technology Summit: Food Security in a World of Changing Climate and Natural Resource Scarcity: The Role of Agricultural Technologies

IFPRI Agricultural Technology Summit:

Food Security in a World of Changing Climate and Natural Resource Scarcity: The Role of Agricultural Technologies 

Newseum Conference Center 8th Floor
555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 February 12, 2014
08:00 – 13:00 hrs

On February 12th, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) will launch their newest report, Food Security in a World of Growing Natural Resource Scarcity: Role of Agricultural Technologies, during a global agricultural summit hosted at the Newseum in Washington, DC. The first-of-its-kind report shows how innovations can affect maize, wheat and rice yields in 2050 and their impact on farm productivity, commodity prices, hunger, malnutrition and trade flows.

The global summit will feature academics, policymakers and experts analyzing the study results and the policies needed to advance its conclusions. IFPRI will also unveil an innovative new online tool that enables policymakers to easily visualize the impacts of agricultural technologies at the micro-level.

To sign up or access the webcast, visit the event page here or RSVP on EventBrite.

Event Programme:

8 am – Registration

9 am – Opening remarks from Shenggen Fan, Director General, IFPRI

9.15 – Keynote and Panel: Food Security in a World of Changing Climate and Natural Resource Scarcity: The Role of Agricultural Technologies

  • Mark Rosegrant, Director, Environment and Production Technology Division, IFPRI – Lead Author
  • Guillaume Gruere, Senior Policy Analyst Trade and Agriculture, Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development
  • Robert Carlson, President, World Farmers Organization 

10.45 am – Coffee Break

11 am – Getting Technologies to Farmers

  • Johannes Linn, Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development Program, Brookings Institution Scaling up Agricultural Technologies.
  • Tom Campbell, Senior Advisor, CNFA
  • Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI. Adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices
  • Judy Chambers, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI and Director, Program for Biosafety Systems. Fixing Regulatory Systems for Agricultural Technologies 

12 pm – Networking lunch