IFPRI Podcast

International Food Policy Research Institute
IFPRI Podcast

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Established in 1975, IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 50 countries. It is a research center of CGIAR, a worldwide partnership engaged in agricultural research for development.

  1. How Can We Improve Food Security Monitoring in Conflict-Affected Regions?

    MAR 24

    How Can We Improve Food Security Monitoring in Conflict-Affected Regions?

    IFPRI Webinar How Can We Improve Food Security Monitoring in Conflict-Affected Regions? Machine Learning for Spatially Granular Food Security Mapping Co-organized by IFPRI and the CGIAR Initiative on Foresight March 25, 2025 Machine learning is transforming agricultural and food security research, enabling more accurate and timely insights. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is advancing data-driven approaches in various domains, including crop-type mapping, maize yield estimation, and boat detection. These innovations demonstrate the potential of machine learning in addressing complex challenges and informing policy decisions. A key challenge in this space is food security monitoring in fragile and conflict-affected settings, where timely, granular data is often lacking but essential for policymakers, humanitarians, and researchers. Traditional methods, such as in-person household surveys, are often expensive, infrequent, and spatially coarse, limiting their ability to provide timely insights at local scales. To address these challenges, IFPRI has developed a machine learning-based approach to estimate Food Consumption Scores—which is the most commonly used food security indicator by WFP and partners— at a granular village-tract level in Myanmar. This model leverages multiple data sources—including phone survey data, earth observation, crowd-sourced data, and GIS (Geographic Information System) datasets—to generate spatially explicit and near real-time food security assessments. During this seminar, we will discuss the development and application of this approach, the key data and modeling techniques used, and how this method can be scaled for other conflict-affected regions. We will highlight challenges such as data representativeness, feature selection, and model validation, and share insights into improving food security predictions. Finally, we will outline the broader implications of integrating machine learning with earth observation and survey data to support humanitarian efforts and policy decisions. Moderator and Opening Remarks Jawoo Koo, Senior Research Fellow, Natural Resource and Resilience Unit, IFPRI Presentations Joanna van Asselt, Associate Research Fellow, Development Strategies and Governance Unit, IFPRI Zhe Guo, Senior GIS Coordinator, Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit, IFPRI Links: More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/how-can-we-improve-food-security-monitoring-in-conflict-affected-regions-machine-learning-for-spatially-granular-food-security-mapping/ Subscribe IFPRI Insights newsletter and event announcements at www.ifpri.org/content/newsletter-subscription
    54 min
  2. No Time to Waste: Moving from Commitments to Action on Food Loss and Waste

    MAR 12

    No Time to Waste: Moving from Commitments to Action on Food Loss and Waste

    Significant levels of food loss and waste continue to have negative impacts on food security and the environment, and Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which aims to halve food loss and waste worldwide by 2030, remains out of reach. Join us on “12.3 Day” 2025 to take stock of efforts and opportunities to make progress toward this important goal. Organized by the Embassy of Denmark in Washington, DC, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the World Resources Institute (WRI), this event will examine commitments and best practices implemented around the world; and most importantly, explore how to go from big promises to real, tangible actions to reduce food loss and waste. We will discuss: National Commitments in Global Forums. 2025 is a significant year for multilateral global efforts to tackle climate change and bolster food systems. Countries are submitting new Nationally Determined Contributions prior to COP30 and Food Systems Transformation Action Plans prior to the UN Food Systems Summit +4, presenting a unique opportunity to embed food loss and waste in national plans while also laying the groundwork for implementation. Corporate Commitments. 13 large food retailers and their suppliers have committed to the 10x20x30 Food Loss and Waste Initiative, which aims to slash food waste across supply chains. Many are demonstrating real results, giving a look at how businesses can effectively team up to scale action. Evidence-Based Solutions One Third, established in 2015 by the Danish government as the first think tank solely dedicated to reducing food loss and waste, has gathered evidence on effective solutions and how to scale them. This virtual event is free and open to the public to attend. Please share this event with interested colleagues and networks. Welcome Remarks Brian Lipinski, Associate II, Food Program, World Resources Institute (WRI) Johan Swinnen, Director General, IFPRI; Member, Champions 12.3 Leadership Group Alan de Brauw, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI Presentations Jacob Jensen, The Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark (Video Remarks) Anne Bordier, Director of Food Initiatives, World Resources Institute (WRI) Panelists Lea Stoustrup Brandt, Special Advisor / Head of Secretariat, One\Third Carolyne Maina, Program Director, Technoserve Inc, NutriSave Program Moderator Brian Lipinski, Associate II, Food Program, World Resources Institute (WRI) Links: More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/no-time-to-waste-moving-from-commitments-to-action-on-food-loss-and-waste/ Subscribe IFPRI Insights newsletter and event announcements at www.ifpri.org/content/newsletter-subscription
    1h 28m
  3. Biofuels and the Global Vegetable Oil Market

    MAR 4

    Biofuels and the Global Vegetable Oil Market

    IFPRI-AMIS Seminar Series | IFPRI Policy Seminar Biofuels and the Global Vegetable Oil Market Co-organized by IFPRI and Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) March 4, 2025 Production of biodiesel fuel in Brazil, the European Union, Indonesia, and the United States has grown by nearly 40 percent over the past five years, driven largely by subsidies and government mandates. Government regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have also boosted demand for vegetable oils and created new markets for used cooking oils (UCO), altering commodity trading patterns and price dynamics. The seminar will present overviews of the global vegetable oil market and the market for used cooking oil for fuel, followed by a moderated expert panel discussion representing views from across the globe. A question and answer session will follow. Overview of the Global Vegetable Oil Market Di Yang, Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Overview of the Global Market of Used Cooking Oil Pierre Charlebois, Private Consultant, former Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Discussion Moderated by Monika Tothova, Senior Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) Secretary and Joseph Glauber, Research Fellow Emeritus, IFPRI -Brazil Soybean Market: Eduardo Vanin, Proprietário, Agrinvest Commodities -Indonesia Biodiesel Mandates: Jasmine Osinski, Agricultural Attaché, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)—Jakarta -US Biodiesel Market: Scott Gerlt, Chief Economist, American Soybean Association (ASA) -EU Biodiesel Market: Mohamed El-Fatih Abu-Samra, Market Officer, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission (EU) Moderator -Donald Boucher, Director General, Sector Development and Analysis Directorate, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC); Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) Chair Links: More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/biofuels-and-the-global-vegetable-oil-market/ Subscribe IFPRI Insights newsletter and event announcements at www.ifpri.org/content/newsletter-subscription
    1h 31m
  4. Official Launch of the Third School Meal Programs Around the World Report

    FEB 4

    Official Launch of the Third School Meal Programs Around the World Report

    Co-organized by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) & IFPRI Undernutrition during childhood and early adolescence has long-term consequences for development and health, and for girls it can affect the survival and wellbeing of their children. Diet-related risk School meal programs are an effective way to boost children’s nutrition and wellbeing, including physiological development and academic performance. These programs can also play an important role in food systems transformation by ensuring access to healthy diets, supporting equitable livelihoods, and contributing to environmental sustainability. However, data on large-scale school meal programs have historically been fragmented and inconsistent, despite the global prevalence of these programs and evidence of their positive impact. The Global Survey of School Meal Programs © https://gcnf.org/global-survey/ seeks to address this gap, collecting the most comprehensive data to date on national and large-scale school feeding programs, with information on 167 countries. It provides comprehensive global data on school meal coverage, financing, food baskets, laws and policies, home-grown school feeding, and more, thus serving as a foundation for monitoring global progress over time. The Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) https://gcnf.org/ and IFPRI invite you to the official launch of the third Global Survey report, School Meal Programs Around the World, 2024 edition, with results from the 2022 school year. The survey is implemented by GCNF, with funding from USDA and The Rockefeller Foundation and expert input from IFPRI and other lead researchers and organizations. The resulting data provide governments and other stakeholders with an up-to-date global database of standardized information on school meal programs to make informed decisions. GCNF and IFPRI will present results from the latest survey, which concluded in August 2024, and a distinguished panel of experts will discuss implications of the survey for policy, research, advocacy, implementation, and business. Highlights of the 2024 survey results are already available in English and six other languages on GCNF’s website here https://gcnf.org/global-reports/ . The full report, School Meal Programs Around the World, 2024 edition, and additional resources will be released on the day of the event. Introductory Remarks Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy; Acting Senior Director, Transformation Strategy, IFPRI Mary Muinde, Chief of Staff to the First Lady of Kenya Fabio Veras Soares, Researcher, International Policy Centre for Inclusive Development, Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPCid/IPEA), Government of Brazil Neo Sediti, Director, National School Nutrition Programme, Government of the Republic of South Africa Dana Thomas, Managing Director, Food is Medicine, The Rockefeller Foundation Overview of Survey Results Arlene Mitchell, Executive Director, Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) Liliane Bigayimpunzi, Survey Coordinator for Africa, GCNF Ayala Wineman, Research and Survey Specialist, GCNF Panel: Putting the Survey Results into Use- Policy, Research, Advocacy, Implementation and the Business Perspective Marie Tamagnan, Senior Operations Advisor, Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) Mduduzi Mbuya, Director, Knowledge Leadership, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Beatrice Wamey, President, Nascent Solutions Mia Blakstad, Social Protection Specialist, The World Bank Carmen Burbano, Director of School Meals and Social Protection, UN World Food Program (WFP) and Director of the School Meals Coalition Secretariat Closing Remarks Catherine Bertini, former Executive Director, UN World Food Program (WFP) Moderator Aulo Gelli, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI Links More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/official-launch-of-the-third-global-survey-of-school-meal-programs/
    1h 40m
  5. School meals in the 21st century – emerging evidence and future directions

    JAN 27

    School meals in the 21st century – emerging evidence and future directions

    This event is co-organized by IFPRI and The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition Undernutrition during childhood and early adolescence has long-term consequences for development and health, and for girls it can affect the survival and wellbeing of their children. Diet-related risk factors are estimated to cause 20% of global mortality, and changes in food systems have led to rapid shifts to unhealthy diets and reductions in physical activity, contributing to the increase in rates of overweight and obesity. Moreover, current dietary and population trends will exacerbate risks to humans and the planet. School feeding programs, or school meals, are a widely implemented safety net with documented impacts across social protection, education, health and nutrition dimensions, and substantial projected economic returns to investment. Globally, programs reach over 400 million children for a total investment of over $50 billion a year. By being most effective for the most disadvantaged children, school meal programs can “level the playing field” in education, health, and nutrition. Experiences in high- and middle-income countries have also linked school meals to food systems transformation, where food procurement for school meals is used as an outlet for commercial farmers. National governments in LIMCs have shown interest in explicitly linking food systems transformation with the school feeding market through “home-grown” school feeding (HGSF). In HGSF, the “structured demand” for school food and related services is channeled to smallholders and other supply chain actors with the intent of stimulating agricultural productivity, increasing incomes, improving diets, and reducing food insecurity. More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/school-meals-in-the-21st-century-emerging-evidence-and-future-directions/ Welcome and Introduction Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy; Acting Senior Director, Transformation Strategy, IFPRI Donald Bundy, Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) School Meals are Evolving: Has the Evidence Kept up? Harold Alderman, Research Fellow Emeritus, IFPRI New Evidence from Impact Evaluations Impact evaluation of the home-grown school meal model in Jordan: Simone Lombardini, Evaluation Officer, World Food Programme (WFP) Impact evaluation of the home-grown school meal model in The Gambia: Benedetta Lerva, Economist, Development Impact (DIME), Development Economics, The World Bank Impact evaluation of an added milk intervention to a micronutrient fortified school feeding program in crisis settings: Lilia Bliznashka, Research Fellow, IFPRI Panel Discussion: Moving from evidence to action Mangani Katundu, Secretary for Education, Government of Malawi Donald Bundy, Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) Lynnette Neufeld, Director, Food and Nutrition Division, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Kagwiria Koome, Manager, Food, The Rockefeller Foundation Mia Blakstad, Window Manager, Food and Nutrition, The World Bank Arlene Mitchell, Executive Director, Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) Moderator and Closing Remarks Aulo Gelli, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI Links: Subscribe IFPRI Insights newsletter and event announcements at www.ifpri.org/content/newsletter-subscription
    1h 43m
  6. Trade disruptions and their impacts on agricultural markets: Looking back and ahead

    JAN 12

    Trade disruptions and their impacts on agricultural markets: Looking back and ahead

    IFPRI-AMIS Seminar Series | IFPRI Policy Seminar Trade disruptions and their impacts on agricultural markets: Looking back and ahead Co-organized by IFPRI and Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) January 13, 2025 Global agricultural markets have been in a constant state of uproar over the past 5 years. Trade wars between major trading nations such as China, US and Australia, supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine, crisis in the Middle East and export restrictions have diverted supplies, altered trading patterns, increased price volatility which often makes markets less efficient and more costly. Despite these disruptions, the global grain and oilseed trade showed much resilience–importers found alternative suppliers, buyers adjusted by changing the timing of purchases, and inventory management practices went from “just-in-time” stocks to “just-in-case” levels, even if storage of food commodities can be costly. Perhaps remarkably, prices spikes and periods of high price volatility during the period have been relatively short-lived. But storm clouds are again on the horizon. Amid trade tensions between China and both Canada and the EU over electric vehicle imports, the possibility of new tariffs being imposed by the US president-elect on Canada, Mexico, China and other trading partners there is the possibility of counter measures impacting agrifood trade. The continued war in the Black Sea and conflict and instability in the Middle East mean that the threat of future trade disruptions on agri-food commodities will continue to roil global markets. This seminar examines the impacts of recent trade disruptions in agri-food commodities and explores how markets can build resilience to possible future disruptions. Introduction Monika Tothova, Senior Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) Secretary Panel Presentations Moderated by Monika Tothova, Senior Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) Secretary Impact of the US-China trade war on China grain and oilseed purchases: Nancy DeVore, CEO – Managing Director, DHF Team LLC Impacts of the China-Australia trade war on global barley trade: Pat O’Shannassy, CEO, DHF Team LLC (GTA) Impacts of the Russia invasion of Ukraine on Egyptian wheat purchases: Hisham Al Attal, President, Fortuna Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) Group Impacts of India export restrictions on Senegalese rice purchases: Abdou Karim Fofana, former Senegalese Minister of Commerce, Consumer Affairs, and Small and Medium Enterprises Discussion Joseph Glauber, Research Fellow Emeritus, IFPRI Moderators Joseph Glauber, Research Fellow Emeritus, IFPRI Monika Tothova, Senior Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) Secretary Links: More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/trade-disruptions-and-their-impacts-on-agricultural-markets-looking-back-and-ahead/ Subscribe IFPRI Insights newsletter and event announcements at www.ifpri.org/content/newsletter-subscription
    1h 32m
  7. Building More Inclusive and Natural Resource-Secure Food Futures

    12/12/2024

    Building More Inclusive and Natural Resource-Secure Food Futures

    Throughout her career, Ruth Meinzen-Dick has made pathbreaking contributions to natural resource management and gender equity, drawing from her deep engagement with communities to improve understanding and measurement in these areas. Dr. Meinzen-Dick’s research encompasses land and water policy, property rights, collective action, and games for experiential learning, with a longstanding focus on improving equity. This Policy Seminar highlights her research contributions and examines how the impact of research on natural resources and women’s empowerment can be strengthened through interventions in knowledge, motivation, and agency. Moderator and Welcome Remarks Claudia Ringler, Director, Natural Resources and Resilience (NRR), IFPRI From WEAI to WEMNS: ‘Engendering’ Food Policy Research How measurements changed minds: Agnes Quisumbing, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI Gendered land rights for rural poverty reduction: Cheryl Doss, Professor, Economics, Tufts University From Collective Action to Property Rights: Why Institutions Matter for Water and other Resources Why property rights are the cornerstone of water management: Mark Rosegrant, Research Fellow Emeritus, IFPRI Natural resource institutions for resilient livelihoods: Jagdeesh Rao, CEO, Living Landscapes and Convenor, Common Ground From Mentorship to Capacity Sharing Water Alternatives: The other journal on water: Francois Molle, Director of Research, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) and Peter Mollinga, Senior Fellow, Center for Development Research (ZEF) The International Association for the Study of the Commons: Marco Janssen, Professor, School of Sustainability, College of Global Futures, Arizona State University (ASU) Increasing the Impact of Research on Natural Resources and Women’s Agency Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI Policy Panel Moderated by: Steven Lawry, Senior Associate, The Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) Victoria Stanley, Senior Land Administration Specialist, The World Bank Vicki Wilde, Senior Program Officer, Agricultural Development and Women’s Economic Empowerment, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Aslihan Kes, Senior Gender Advisor, Resilience and Food Security, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Links: More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/building-more-inclusive-and-natural-resource-secure-food-futures/ Subscribe IFPRI Insights newsletter and event announcements at www.ifpri.org/content/newsletter-subscription
    1h 34m
  8. Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition: Africa Regional Launch of IFPRI’s 2024 GFPR

    11/14/2024

    Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition: Africa Regional Launch of IFPRI’s 2024 GFPR

    Global Food Policy Report Series/Special Event Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition: Africa Regional Launch of IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report In collaboration with University of Nairobi and part of the CGIAR Initiative on National Policies and Strategies (NPS) Seminar Series November 14, 2024 Despite significant progress in addressing hunger and undernutrition in the early 2000s, malnutrition, in all its forms, remains a major challenge in all regions of the world. Unhealthy diets remain the primary drivers of many forms of malnutrition, including undernutrition, overweight and obesity, micronutrient deficiencies, and diet-related noncommunicable diseases. Today, the number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet is as high as 3.1 billion people. The imperative for meaningful solutions to help achieve better nutrition for people and a better future for the planet have never been stronger; meaningful impact will require that we deploy high-impact, evidence-based solutions in context-specific and adaptable, dynamic, and equitable ways. IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report on Food Systems for Healthy Diets, presents evidence-based policy and governance solutions to strengthen diet quality and nutrition in low- and middle-income countries, and examines priorities for future research on food systems for better nutrition. Reflecting on a long history of research on diets, agriculture and food systems by IFPRI and the CGIAR, in partnership with many around the world, the report emphasizes the critical need to focus our attention on diets that promote health and well-being for both people and the planet. It examines how demand- and supply-side approaches can support healthy dietary choices, how critical it is to invest in efforts to improve affordability, and to strengthen food environments in ways that can improve diets. The report also highlights ways to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, explores the role of animal-sourced foods, and discusses the role of effective governance in achieving change. Last, but not least, the report highlights critical challenges for several regions around the world – where contextually-relevant actions must come together to deliver impact. Following opening remarks and presentations of the report’s key findings and recommendations by IFPRI’s researchers, a distinguished panel of partners and experts will discuss the report. Expert remarks will focus on challenges and opportunities to transform food systems so that everyone everywhere can reap the benefits of sustainable healthy diets. This will be followed by a question-and-answer session and closing reflection/vote of thanks. More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/food-systems-for-healthy-diets-and-nutrition-africa-regional-launch-of-ifpris-2024-global-food-policy-report/ Subscribe IFPRI Insights newsletter and event announcements at www.ifpri.org/content/newsletter-subscription
    2h 1m

About

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Established in 1975, IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 50 countries. It is a research center of CGIAR, a worldwide partnership engaged in agricultural research for development.

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