Author: Maximo Torero (Division director of the Markets, Trade and Institutions Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute )

On World Food Day, it’s time to remind ourselves that economic growth is only sustainable if all countries have food security. Without a country-owned and country-driven food security strategy, there will be obstacles and additional costs to global-, regional- and country-level economic growth.

Coffee rust, a fungus that attacks the leaves of coffee trees, can seriously impact both the quantity and the quality of coffee beans produced. In 2012, Central America was hit with the most severe coffee rust epidemic the region has ever seen. The outbreak has had devastating effects on regional coffee production, with harvest losses during the 2012-2013 season reaching 20%, or 2.8 million bags. These losses cost the region an estimated $500 million and 265,000 jobs.

Did you know that IFPRI has worked in Ethiopia for over 30 years? The partnership dates back to the 1980s, where IFPRI’s research originally focused on “famine and food insecurity.”

The August edition of the FAO Monthly News Report on Grains was released today. The report covers ongoing global and regional trends in grain prices and policies. This month's edition covers bumper grain crops in China, the impact of imported European feed wheat on Asian corn markets, and declining production in Ukraine.

The FAO Monthly News Report on Grains series provides a collection of news articles from international media and news sources on issues relating to the international grain economy. These reports also include statistics and upcoming events.

The March edition of the FAO Monthly News Report on Grains was released this week. The report covers ongoing global and regional trends in grain prices and policies. This month's report includes articles on the International Grain Council's prediction that the global grain harvest will fall next season, India's food storage limitations, Russia's slowing grain crop growth, and the threat of an export bottleneck due to the ongoing crisis in the Ukraine.

The February edition of the FAO Monthly News Report on Grains was released yesterday. The report covers ongoing global and regional trends in grain prices and policies. This month's report includes articles on the new US Farm Bill, the potential impact of the crisis in the Ukraine on grain harvests in the region, falling Indian wheat exports, and China's increasing imports of corn and soybeans.

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The October issue of the FAO Monthly News Report on Grains was released yesterday. The report covers ongoing global and regional trends in grain prices and policies. This month's report includes articles on record Indian wheat export levels, progress on WTO food stockholding negotiations, and an anticipated record corn harvest in the Philippines.

The May issue of the FAO Monthly News Report was released today. The report covers ongoing global and regional trends in grain prices and policies. This month's report includes articles on the new WTO Director General, Brazil and Argentina joining the US in the International Corn Alliance, rising wheat prices in the Black Sea region, and Iran's stoppage of wheat exports.

The September issue of the FAO Monthly News Report was released today. The report covers ongoing global and regional trends in grain prices and policies. This month's report includes articles on the US Farm Bill, EU biofuels policies, and the drop in US corn and soybean surpluses.

The FAO Monthly News Report on Grains series provides a collection of news articles from international media and news sources on issues relating to the international grain economy. These reports also include statistics and upcoming events.