Search

Non-PR, IFPRI1; GRP33; Theme 4; Subtheme 4.1;Food systems: disaster prevention, relief, and rebuilding after crises; Health, Diet and Nutrition; RENEWAL, FCND, In a report written by international experts in agricultural economics, health, anthropology, and nutrition...the authors examine the impacts of HIV and AIDS on labor markets and wages, household income and consumption dynamics, and on the agricultural sector as a whole; analyze the ways in which households respond to prime-age illness, death, and food insecurity; and study the implications of such local responses for the roles of national and international actors in addressing the AIDS-hunger nexus." -- From Text

Non-PR, IFPRI1; SAI; Governance; CAPRi, EPTD; MTID, Irrigation is critical to food security and economic growth in contemporary India. The performance of irrigation systems is of serious concern to farmers who rely on them for their crops and livelihoods and to governments that have invested heavily in their development. The most severe problems facing Indian irrigation systems are the increasing costs of new schemes, the huge backlog of incomplete schemes, and the increasing neglect of existing systems. Large-scale canal irrigation systems, in particular, are in poor condition: they are not properly maintained, operations are inadequate, water supplies do not reach the end of systems, and the timing of water supply is unreliable. The wide gap between actual and desirable performance threatens the sustainability of irrigated agriculture. How did this state of affairs come to pass?....[The authors conclude that] more than just structural changes are necessary to achieve adequate reform and improve the performance and long-term sustainability of irrigation systems. Changes in attitudes are also required in how government agencies view farmers and how farmers depend on the government." -- From Text

Non-PR, IFPRI1, FCND, The authors address questions such as: (1) how do parents allocate land and education between sons and daughters? (2) how do changing returns to land and human capital affect parents' investments in children? (3) what do gender differences in land and schooling mean for the welfare of men and women? (4) is gender equity compatible with efficiency and growth? The book is based on intensive household surveys in Ghana, Indonesia, and the Philippines." -- From Text

Non-PR, IFPRI1, In 1999 global population surpassed 6 billion people, and this number rises by about 70-80 million people each year. "Six Billion and Counting" examines the consequences of continuing population growth for the world's resource systems and for national and global food security. Leisinger, Schmitt, and Pandya-Lorch offer here a sober analysis of a complex and alarming situation. They assess the progress the world has made in controlling population growth and point to the areas where future difficulties will lie. They describe the effects of rapid population growth on social and economic conditions and on natural resources, and they consider what population growth will mean for the food security of poor people and poor countries. In addition, the authors make clear how the roles of women and children in traditional societies affect birth rates. "Six Billion and Counting" shows that neither the population pessimists, who predict a catastrophic exhaustion of natural resources, nor the population optimists, who foresee technological solutions for all of the problems raised by population growth, offer the most useful approach to this problem. Instead, Leisinger and his coauthors argue that new technologies mitigating the harmful effects of rapid population growth can give the world valuable time to take the complex and multifaceted steps needed to reduce population growth rates to sustainable levels.

Non-PR, IFPRI1, Since the early 1980s, almost all African governments have embarked on economic reform programs to reduce state intervention in the economy and to allow markets to play a larger role. In the agricultural sector these programs were designed to eliminate price controls on agricultural commodities, disband or privatize state farms and state-owned enterprises, reduce the heavy taxation of agricultural exports, phase out subsidies on fertilizer and other inputs, and allow greater competition in agricultural markets. These measures have been highly controversial. Proponents argue that the reforms have improved market efficiency, reduced budget deficits, stimulated export production, and increased the share of the final price received by farmers. Opponents argue that the reforms have destabilized agricultural prices, widened the income distribution gap, and reduced access to low-cost inputs. Reforming Agricultural Markets in Africa by Mylène Kherallah, Christopher Delgado, Eleni Gabre-Madhin, Nicholas Minot, and Michael Johnson, published by The Johns Hopkins University Press for IFPRI, reviews the experience of the last 20 years. It evaluates the degree to which the reforms have actually been implemented, their impact on agricultural production and prices, and the net effect on the well-being of African households." --Author's Introduction.

Non-PR, IFPRI1, The initial success of microfinance programs in the 1970s led pioneers to think that many essential problems of the poor might be resolved by access to credit alone -- the ability to acquire assets, to start businesses, to finance emergency needs and to insure against illness and disaster. Part of that vision has certainly been realized. But much remains to be done. Most microfinance institutions (MFIs) are still small and vulnerable to constraints on their resources and to the risks inherent in single-issue portfolios. Most depend upon donors and governments to remain in operation. There is much waste and duplication, and some mature programs have declining loan recovery rates, even as competition for borrowers rises from conventional banks and finance companies. Analyzing the failures of credit programs aimed at small farmers and the successes of other programs showed the need for new understanding of the ways that poor households make spending, borrowing, and saving decisions. This area was previously neglected in policymaking on food security issues. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) supported household surveys in nine Asian and African countries during the 1990s that analyzed formal and informal financial transactions, and it also evaluated the success of innovative approaches at some MFIs. The overall goal was to clarify the conditions under which state investment in microfinance programs might improve life for poor people more than state investment of the same funds in education, health, nutrition, or infrastructure development. The research led to the concept of the "critical triangle of microfinance" -- the need for any MFI to manage simultaneously the problems of outreach (reaching the poor both in terms of numbers and depth of poverty), financial sustainability (meeting operating and financial costs over the long term), and impact (having discernible effect upon clients' quality of life). This book elaborates on these objectives and

Non-PR, IFPRI1, EPTD, International agricultural research is expanding beyond the development of annual crop technologies for individual farms to the development of longer-tern natural resource management techniques for entire landscapes. But technologies of practices with a long lag time between investment and returns are unlikely to be adopted by farmers unless they have secure rights to the underlying resources (property rights). Similarly, technologies that span multiple farms are unlikely to be adopted unless neighbors and groups work together (collective action). But little is know about the way property rights and collective action in developing countries mediate the adoption of technologies by farmers and groups. This statement offers suggestions for promoting sustainable natural resource management.

Non-PR, IFPRI1, In this original study Robert Paarlberg examines local policy responses to GM crop technologies in four important developing countries: Brazil, India, Kenya, and China.

Non-PR, IFPRI1, Technological advances developed through R&D have supplied the world with not only more food, but better food. This report looks at issues raised by this changing environment for agricultural productivity, agricultural R&D, and natural resource management.

Non-PR, IFPRI1, The devastating environmental effects of deforestation and the exploitation of other natural resources in the developing world have been well documented, yet their impact on local communities has received far less attention. This report looks at how land degradation and deforestation are being addressed at the local level, where households have experienced the reduction of farm size and the decline of natural resources. Through a comparison of Asia and Africa, the evolution of land tenure institutions within diverse cultural, natural, and policy environments is examined. Specific topics include the evolution of customary land tenure, the impacts of land tenure policies, and common property management. The editors conclude that the best strategy for managing land and forest resources lies in promoting the establishment of property rights and investment in the improvement of the natural resource base.

Non-PR, IFPRI1, The authors assess the role various strategies can play in augmenting global food supplies and combating hunger.They attempt to defuse the contentious debate surrounding the development and spread of genetically modified (GM) foods,which, they argue, can help meet the needs of the poor.They recommend a cautious approach that would encourage innovation but respect sound scientific procedures that guard against risks to humans and the environment.

Non-PR, IFPRI1, This report assembles and assesses new evidence regarding investments in agricultural R&D, tracking global trends over the past several decades, and highlighting the critical importance that the accumulated stock of scientific knowledge has for today’s productivity and for future innovations and economic growth.

Non-PR, IFPRI1, Over the past two decades, Bangladesh has transformed its food markets and food policies to free the country from the constant threat of famine. The authors, in this report, describe this remarkable transformation.

Non-PR, IFPRI1; GRP38; 2020, DGO; EPTD, This report discusses six issues that could influence the world food situation in the twenty-first century: the relationship between policy related variables and the nutritional status of children, the relationship between current market trends for wheat, maize and rice and their potential impact on producer income, food production, and food stocks; the role of developing countries in the next round of World Trade Organization negotiations; and three topics related to increasing productivity on small-scale farms: the potential of agroecological approaches, the role of biotechnology, and the relevance of new information technology and precision farming.

Non-PR, IFPRI1, While acute famines may appear to be similar across continents, their causes, their victims, and the policies needed to respond effectively to famines differ immensely. The authors seek to fill in empirical and conceptual gaps that continue to hinder analysis of famines in Africa. They present analyses from detailed studies of country policies as they affect markets, communities, and households in the context of famine.

Non-PR, IFPRI1; Poverty Reduction, The authors examine the lessons that rural financial institutions such as banks and cooperatives can learn from the informal lending sector. They also considers the roles government should play in the provision of financial services. The report’s findings are gleaned from a series of detailed household surveys conducted in nine countries of Asia and Africa: Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Egypt, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Nepal, and Pakistan. Most of the poor in these countries could benefit from credit, savings, and insurance services, but what is available varies greatly from country to country.

Non-PR, IFPRI1, The authors examine the many complex factors that influence decisions made by households about how they spend time, money, and other resources. It shows that a more complete understanding of intrahousehold behavior can increase the likelihood that policies will reach the people they are intended to affect—leading to better policies in areas such as food production, consumption, nutrition, and natural resource management.

Non-PR, IFPRI1; Poverty Reduction, Much more must be learned about the links among agricultural growth, poverty alleviation, and the sustainable use of natural resources, and the factors that condition these links. This report examines the complex issues associated with this critical triangle.

Non-PR, IFPRI1; 2020, DGO, This report comes out of ongoing IFPRI research and activities conducted as part of the 2020 Vision for Food, Agriculture, and the Environment initiative, which aims to generate information to eradicate hunger, prevent poverty, and protect the environment.

Non-PR, IFPRI1, Throughout the twentieth century improvements in agricultural productivity have been closely linked to investments in agricultural research and development (R&D), but since the 1970s many countries have made major changes in the way they fund and organize public agricultural R&D and in the incentives affecting private R&D. The authors examine these changes in the developed world (highlighting developments in Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States) as a step toward evaluating whether the new approaches are raising or lowering the efficiency and effectiveness of R&D.