What's New

Ownership and control of assets have become increasingly recognized for their role in reducing poverty and improving individuals’ and households’ long-term well-being. In addition, research has shown that women’s ownership and control of assets can have important development outcomes both for women themselves and for their families.

Global discussion surrounding agricultural investment and funding has increased in recent years, with farmers, development advocates, and policymakers alike calling for wider investments to fight hunger and poverty. The 2012 edition of the FAO's State of Food and Agriculture Report follows closely on this discussion, focusing on the importance of farmers as investors and the need for a stronger global enabling environment.

The world's population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050; how to feed this population is one of the challenges facing policymakers around the world. The combination of a growing global population, rising incomes in many countries, increased use of biofuels, and potential reductions in agricultural production due to climate change has created an urgent need for investments in sustainable agricultural productivity. Traditional agricultural technologies will not be enough to meet these challenges.

The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors met again on April 14-15 in Washington DC to discuss ongoing challenges to the global economic recovery. The meeting addressed the increasing pressure faced by global commodity prices, stressing the need for commodities markets to be subject to regulation and supervision.

Read the full communiqué.

With a growing global population putting increasing stress on agricultural productivity, there is a clear need for new policies and tools to meet this rising food demand. Promoting improvements in policies, institutions, and markets to generate agricultural growth will be crucial to stimulate productivity and improve the welfare of poor and disadvantaged populations worldwide.

IFPRI is at the forefront of efforts to increase agricultural productivity through research and capacity-building.