What's New

FEWS NET has released its April Food Price Watch, citing stable prices throughout much of Africa and Central America. The Sahel region saw relatively stable cereals prices due to food assistance interventions and successful transport from surplus areas. In East Africa, staple prices remained generally stable, though high; some areas in this region saw seasonal increases.

Read the full report.
Read the Annex.

The new report cites an important pattern of declining rainfall, particularly in the heavily populated areas of the Rift Valley. Extended drier weather could increase the number of Ethiopians at risk for food insecurity in the next two decades if agricultural development is not increased in other areas of the country.

Download the full report

For many poor rural farmers, getting their products to market is one of the most daunting obstacles they face. Markets in developing countries often have weak integration, characterized by a lack of communication and information-sharing; thus, while markets in one region may offer higher prices for a commodity, farmers in other regions have no way of learning about, and taking advantage of, these price differences.

FEWS NET has released its monthly price watch for February 2012. The report cites stable and declining grain prices in much of West and East Africa, although prices remain high in the Sahel region and Kenya. In particular, grain prices in South Sudan remain very high due to poor production and trade; similarly, maize prices in Malawi continue to increase rapidly. Afghanistan and Tajikistan continue to see high wheat and wheat flour prices.

Download the full report
Download the annex

Files:

full report
annex

A Policy Dialogue on Food Security Information Needs in Kenya, co-organized by IFPRI and KIPPRA, was held in Nairobi, Kenya in March of 2011. To revisit some of the more pressing issues to have emerged from this Policy Dialogue, IFPRI and KIPPRA call for the development of two papers. (For access to the Policy Dialogue proceedings report, please contact Jenna Ferguson at J.Ferguson@cgiar.org .)

PAPER TOPICS