International Food Policy Research Institute facts for kids

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International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Founded	1975; 50 years ago (1975)
Type	Non-profit
Focus	Ending hunger and poverty, Food security, Agriculture, Natural Resources, Nutrition, Policy analysis
Location	Washington, D.C., USA
Area served	Global
Method	Social science research
Key people	Johan Swinnen, Director General Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Emorn Udomkesmalee
Revenue	US$113,358,000 in 2020
Employees	600

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is a group that studies farming and food around the world. It was started in 1975. IFPRI helps us better understand how countries can make good choices about farming and food. They also help new farming ideas spread.

IFPRI's main goal is to find ways to end poverty, hunger, and poor nutrition for good. They do this by offering research-based ideas to leaders.

IFPRI does a lot of research on food policies. They share their findings through many books, reports, and meetings. IFPRI began as a non-profit group in Washington, D.C., in 1975. Their first research paper came out in 1976. IFPRI works in over 50 countries. They have offices in places like China, Ethiopia, and India. Most of their research happens in developing countries in Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia.

IFPRI is part of a group of research centers called CGIAR. This group gets money from governments, private companies, charities, and the World Bank.

What IFPRI Does
How IFPRI Makes a Difference
See also

What IFPRI Does

IFPRI has three main ways of working. These are:

Doing research
Helping people and groups get stronger skills
Sharing information about policies

Research Topics

IFPRI studies many important topics. These include:

Why some crops and animals don't produce much
How to protect the environment
Managing water wisely
Helping farmers in difficult areas
How climate change affects poor farmers
New ideas in biotechnology
Making sure everyone has enough food (food security)
Solving problems like not getting enough important nutrients (malnutrition)
Helping people get small loans (microfinance)
How food security works in cities
How families share resources
School meal programs in poorer countries

Girls, Women, and Development

One big area of IFPRI's research is about how gender affects development. For example, a study in Sub-Saharan Africa looked at farm plots managed by men versus women. They found that most resources went to men's plots. But if more resources went to women's plots, farming could produce up to 20% more!

Another study in Kenya showed something amazing. In Kenya, many women don't get much education. The study found that if women farmers had just one year of primary school, corn production could go up by 24%.

Studies in Egypt and Mozambique also showed that a mother's education is very important. If mothers finished primary school, the number of families living in poverty went down by a lot. Other studies in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and South Africa found that when women managed family money, children benefited more. The money was more likely to be spent on children's clothes, education, and overall well-being.

Climate Change Effects

IFPRI also studies how climate change affects developing countries.

In 2011, IFPRI published a study about Yemen. It looked at what might happen to the economy there because of climate change. The study predicted that the country's overall economy might shrink. But farming might actually grow. Flooding could make farmers lose some crops. However, farming in general could still benefit. The group expected to suffer most were people in rural areas who were not farmers. In the long run, climate change was predicted to harm food security. It could also cause household incomes to drop.

In December 2011, IFPRI sent a report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This report said that more research was needed on farming systems that climate change might affect. They listed 12 systems that should be a high priority for research.

Fighting Malnutrition

IFPRI has done a lot of research on malnutrition. This is when people don't get enough of the right foods. They have studied how malnutrition affects diseases like HIV and Malaria. They also looked at how not getting enough food as a child can affect health later in life. IFPRI has studied if new biotech crops could help children get better nutrition. They also looked at the effects of vitamin supplements.

One study in Ethiopia looked at the best way to treat malnourished children. It compared two methods for long-term care. In the first method, children stayed in special feeding centers. In the second, supplies were sent to local clinics. Children would visit these clinics weekly or every two weeks. They would take nutritional supplements home. Volunteers would check on the children at home. This local treatment program cut the cost of treating a malnourished child in half.

In Uganda, IFPRI studied the link between malnutrition and malaria. They looked at children who were malnourished and those who had HIV. The study showed that malnutrition might increase the risk of malaria. Both HIV-negative and HIV-positive children who were malnourished had higher rates of malaria.

Biotech Crops

IFPRI does not say if it supports or opposes genetically modified foods. However, they have published many papers on how these crops might help. There are many kinds of biotech crops. Some help plants make their own bug killers. Others change how nutritious the crops are. In 2009, IFPRI published a review of biotech crops from 1997 to 2007. They used the term "biotech" because it is less strong than "genetically modified" or "transgenic." This paper looked at many studies from different countries.

They found that many studies were not clear about the economic value of these crops. For example, studies showed that using Bt cotton meant farmers needed less bug spray. It also made crops grow better. But the studies did not clearly show if it made more money for small farms. They also found that what people heard about these crops was important. Negative messages were very good at stopping people from using them.

Overall, researchers found that some biotech crops looked promising for making money. This was especially true in countries like India and China. They said more studies were needed over the next ten years. This would help them fully understand the economic effects of biotech crops in developing countries. This paper did not look at environmental or health issues. It only focused on money and economic impact.

IFPRI also studies how farming markets change. They look at trade rules and how countries work together on farming. They also study how to make farms more diverse and what happens to food after it's harvested.

The institute helps measure progress towards global goals for development. They also help governments create plans to improve their countries.

They also research new ideas in farming and how to help people learn new skills in agriculture.

Reports and Publications

IFPRI shares its research and ideas with many different groups. These include leaders in developing countries, non-profit groups, and people who influence public opinion. They also share with donors, advisors, and the media.

IFPRI publishes books, research reports, newsletters, and fact sheets. All of these are available in IFPRI's online library. They also collect new information and organize existing data.

The Global Food Policy Report is one of IFPRI's most important publications. This report comes out every year. It helps leaders and researchers understand what is happening with food policies. It shows what has helped or hurt the fight against hunger and poor nutrition. The report looks at why things happened. It shares new information and highlights new issues. The 2017 report looked at how cities growing quickly are changing food systems. It also looked at how this affects food security for people in both cities and rural areas. It focused on ways to improve connections between rural and urban areas.

In 1993, IFPRI started the 2020 Vision Initiative. This project aimed to bring together governments, non-profit groups, businesses, and others. The goal was to work together to make sure everyone had enough food by the year 2020.

Since 2006, IFPRI has produced the Global Hunger Index (GHI) every year. This index measures how well countries are doing in fighting hunger. The GHI is a team effort between IFPRI, Welthungerhilfe, and Concern Worldwide.

IFPRI has also created similar hunger indexes. These include the Hunger Index for the States of India (ISHI) (2008) and the Sub-National Hunger Index for Ethiopia (2009).

How IFPRI is Organized

IFPRI has a main office led by the Director General. It also has regional offices in Eastern and Southern Africa, South Asia, and West & Central Africa. There are divisions for communications, finance, and partnerships.

IFPRI has 5 main research divisions:

Development Strategy and Governance
Environment and Production Technology
Markets, Trade, and Institutions
Poverty, Health, and Nutrition
Communications & Knowledge Management
Finance and Administration
Partnership, Impact and Capacity Strengthening

Leaders of IFPRI

Here are the people who have led IFPRI:

Johan (Jo) Swinnen (2020–Present)
Shenggen Fan (2009–2020)
Joachim von Braun (2002–2009)
Per Pinstrup-Andersen (1992–2002)
Just Faaland (interim DG, 1990–1992)
John Williams Mellor (1977–1990)
Dale E. Hathaway (1975–1977, founding director general)

IFPRI also leads two major research programs for CGIAR. These are 'Policies, Institutions, and Markets' (PIM) and 'Agriculture for Nutrition and Health' (A4NH).

Research Networks

IFPRI also hosts several research networks. These are groups that work together on specific topics:

The Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI)
The CGIAR Systemwide Program on Collective Action and Property Rights (CAPRi)
Harvest Plus
HarvestChoice
AGRODEP
ReSAKSS

How IFPRI Makes a Difference

It can be hard to measure exactly how much research helps. It's tough to put a number on how ideas reduce poverty or increase income. It's also hard to say that one specific study caused a big change.

But studies show that IFPRI's research has had a big impact. It has helped with research in specific countries. It has also helped set the global agenda for important topics. For example, IFPRI influenced the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. It also played a role in trade talks like the Doha Development Round.

Another example of IFPRI's impact was during the 2007–2008 world food price crisis. IFPRI quickly gathered important research. Their ideas were included in the United Nations' plan to deal with food security.

IFPRI leads many partnerships with different groups. These partnerships aim to influence policies that affect poverty, hunger, and food for poor people. The newest of these is Compact2025. This partnership gives advice to politicians and leaders. Its goal is to end hunger and poor nutrition in the next 10 years.