What's New

On February 18-19, a meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors was held in Paris to address ongoing global financial and economic challenges. This initial meeting acknowledged that although the global economy has seen a certain level of recovery, there are still challenges and pitfalls to overcome in order to achieve the G20 mandate of improved economic growth and development.

Biofuel production has increased drastically in recent years and is expected to continue doing so—by 2020, it is estimated that more than 110 million tons of oil equivalent will be generated by first generation biofuels. With this rapid growth, the role of biofuels in global energy and food markets has come under increasing scrutiny. In particular, the argument that the production of biofuels threatens world food supplies has heightened the sensitivity and controversy surrounding the subject.

The FAO Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS) has released several special alerts since the start of 2011. GIEWS alerts are the result of rapid evaluation missions and give information on countries' crop production, food supply situation at national and sub-national levels, and food aid needs. This regional and country-level information is essential for the international community to respond to crises in the developing world. Recent alerts have covered recent droughts in China and floods in South Africa.

The World Bank this week issued a statement saying that increasing food prices have driven an estimated 44 million people into poverty in low- and middle-income countries since June 2010. This staggering increase in global poverty levels has serious economic, social, and political implications. Many experts and media outlets worldwide have linked rising food prices to riots in Algeria, the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia, and the recent riots in Egypt which led to the historic resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.

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.