IFPRI Annual Reports
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Item Food-security risks must be comprehensively addressed: IFPRI 2008-2009 Annual Report Essay(Working Paper, 2009) von Braun, Joachimecent food-price and economic shocks have further jeopardized the food security of developing countries and poor people, pushing the estimated number of undernourished people over one billion. Known and unknown food-security risks appear to be on the rise. Increasing uncertainties raise critical questions about how to quickly, viably, and sustainably manage familiar risks and emerging new ones. The poor, particularly those who depend on food purchases, both in rural and urban areas, are highly vulnerable to market risks such as high and volatile agricultural prices, which peaked in 2007–08 (Figure 1). In many low-income countries, the food crisis is far from over as prices remain stubbornly high and income and employment opportunities are reduced. In response to the high food prices, which are not matched by equivalent increases in income, poor households are forced to consume less food and to shift to even less-balanced diets. Households also spend less on other goods and services, such as clean water, sanitation, education, and healthcare, which are essential for their short- and long-run welfare. Within households, women tend to be disproportionately hurt.1Item IFPRI Annual Report 2008-2009(Report, 2009) International Food Policy Research InstituteIn 2008, a year in which the global population—particularly the world’s poor—was confronted by both the financial and food-price crises, agricultural systems faced changes that led to market disruptions, reduced growth, mass protests, and a string of political efforts to reshape the design and governance of food systems.Item Food policy and market reform in Viet Nam and Bangladesh: essay in Annual Report(Report, 1998) Ahmed, Raisuddin; Goletti, FrancescoItem Financing science for global food security: essay in Annual Report(Report, 1998) Pardey, Philip G.; Alston, Julian M.; Smith, Vincent H.Item 1997 IFPRI Annual Report(Report, 1997) International Food Policy Research InstituteItem Food policy research for developing countries: emerging issues and unfinished business: essay in Annual Report(Report, 1999) Pinstrup-Andersen, PerItem 1998 IFPRI Annual Report(Report, 1998) International Food Policy Research InstituteItem Globalization, trade reform, and the developing countries: essay in IFPRI Annual Report(Report, 1999) Díaz-Bonilla, Eugenio; Robinson, ShermanThis essay focuses on trends reflecting the globalization of the international economy and on changes in agricultural markets. In this context it assesses how these factors are affecting developing countries and how, in turn, those countries could affect the Millenium Round of agricultural trade agreements,Item Policy implications of high food prices for Africa: IFPRI 2007-2008 Annual Report Essay(Working Paper, 2008) Ngongi, NamangaAfrican agriculture is at a crossroads. The current high food prices and the instability they have provoked in several countries have added impetus for African countries to review their agricultural policies and programs. New agricultural policies will have to be more focused on staple food crops and on their main producers-smallholders, most of whom are women. The new policies must remove constraints that impede access by smallholder farmers to the knowledge, technology, and financial services they need to increase farm productivity in a profitable and environmentally sustainable manner. Institutional mechanisms that lower the risks of lending to the agriculture sector and to smallholders in particular should be established and programs developed to leverage financial resources from the commercial banking sector. Governments and the private sector have an opportunity to work together to support the procurement, blending, and packaging of fertilizers. Together they can also support the breeding and multiplication of improved seeds. Government policies should support agro-dealers to ensure that improved seeds and other inputs are available to farmers. The many issues that African countries must address will be beyond the capacity of most countries, even after financial resources in private banks are leveraged. External assistance will be very much needed, especially to develop essential road infrastructure, irrigation, and rural energy. Other issues, including land policy, will also need attention. The road ahead for African agricultural development, especially the attainment of food security, will not be easy. African governments will need to formulate and implement bold pro-poor, pro-smallholder farmer policies that will increase farm productivity, trigger a sustainable green revolution, and end the cycle of food crises in Africa.Item Responding to the world food crisis-- Getting on the Right Track: IFPRI 2007-2008 Annual Report Essay(Working Paper, 2008) von Braun, JoachimPart of the difficulty in responding to the food crisis is the lack of credible and up-todate data on the impacts of food prices on poor people and on the effects of policy responses. Such information would allow international and national decision makers to use feedback to adjust their responses and achieve maximum effectiveness. Much more investment and sound coordination is needed in this area. So far, national and international responses to the food crisis are mixed in terms of their likely effectiveness. Important steps have been taken with regard to emergency humanitarian assistance and, in some countries, social protection, but more is needed. Some countries and institutions are launching substantial investments in agricultural production, but, again, meeting global demand for food will require even greater investments. And, in the areas of trade and biofuel policies, many of the actions taken are counterproductive and actually put more upward pressure on food prices. It is promising that the issue of global food security is now on the agenda of the Group of Eight countries, but disappointing that at their July 2008 meeting they did not do more to promote social protection, revise biofuel policies, make specific commitments for funds to overcome the food crisis, or delineate the actors and mechanisms that would play roles in strengthening the global governance architecture for food and agriculture. It is crucial that the funds already committed by the G8 countries be released in a timely manner. What will it take to get food crisis responses on the right track? First of all, leadership is needed to coordinate implementation of appropriate responses. This effort could be led by the UN, as a follow up to the Group of Eight + Five countries' activities, and by major groups of developing-country players. At the moment, high and unstable food prices look like they are here to stay for some time-perhaps years. But because no one actually knows what the future holds, it is important that responses to this crisis help build the kind of food and agriculture system that can cope with a variety of possible outcomes, ranging from even higher food and energy prices to a possible short-term glut of low-priced food emerging from the current high-price environment and a world in which demand collapses due to recession. Millions of poor people would benefit from a system that would allow policymakers and others to respond calmly and rationally to eventualities like these instead of lurching from crisis to crisis. Building such a system will require collective action on an international scale. Given the strong links that tie so many countries to each other and to the world market, each country's actions inevitably have implications for others, so areas of common interest must be identified and trade-offs made. Moreover, these changes need to be made now, for the benefit of all people today and in the future.Item High global food prices-- The challenges and opportunities: IFPRI 2007-2008 Annual Report Essay(Working Paper, 2008) Sheeran, JosetteHigh food prices are not only causing a humanitarian crisis, but also putting at risk the development potential of millions of people. Global agriculture markets are undergoing structural changes, and the next three to four years will pose great challenges for achieving an affordable and accessible food supply for the world's most vulnerable. Soaring food and fuel prices are creating a "perfect storm" for the world's most vulnerable. The consequence is that the bottom billion could become the bottom 2 billion overnight, as those living on US$1 a day see their purchasing power cut in half.Item 1985 IFPRI Annual Report(Report, 1985) International Food Policy Research InstituteItem 1984 IFPRI Annual Report(Report, 1984) International Food Policy Research InstituteItem 1982 IFPRI Annual Report(Report, 1982) International Food Policy Research InstituteItem 1983 IFPRI Annual Report(Report, 1983) International Food Policy Research InstituteItem 1980 IFPRI Annual Report(Report, 1980) International Food Policy Research InstituteItem 1981 IFPRI Annual Report(Report, 1981) International Food Policy Research InstituteItem 1978 IFPRI Annual Report(Report, 1978) International Food Policy Research InstituteItem 1979 IFPRI Annual Report(Report, 1979) International Food Policy Research InstituteItem IFPRI Annual Report 2007-2008(Report, 2008) International Food Policy Research InstituteThe report includes three essays about Responding to the World Food Crisis: Getting on the Right Track by Joachim von Braun, High Global Food Prices: The Challenges and Opportunities by Josette Sheeran, and Policy Implications of High Food Prices for Africa by Namanga Ngongi.