IFPRI Podcast International Food Policy Research Institute

Despite significant progress in addressing hunger, malnutrition remains a major challenge in all regions of the world. Unhealthy diets are a major driver of all forms of malnutrition, including undernutrition, overweight and obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies, as well as diet-related noncommunicable diseases. Worldwide, as many as 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. The imperative to transform our food systems to ensure sustainable healthy diets for all has never been stronger; meaningful change will require that we deploy high-impact, evidence-based solutions in context-specific ways that are adaptable, dynamic, and equitable.

IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report on Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition presents policy and governance solutions to strengthen diet quality and nutrition in low- and middle-income countries, and examines priorities for future research on food systems for better nutrition. Drawing on a substantial body of research on diets, agriculture, and food systems from IFPRI and CGIAR, in partnership with colleagues around the world, the report emphasizes the critical need to focus on diets that benefit both people and the planet. It explores how demand-side approaches can support healthy dietary choices, the need to invest in improving affordability, and ways to strengthen food environments to support healthy diets. The report also highlights supply-side ways to improve diets, including increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables and assessing the role of animal-source foods, and discusses how effective governance can help achieve change. For each of the world’s major regions, the report identifies critical challenges and opportunities for contextually relevant actions to deliver healthy diets and nutrition for all.

Following a presentation of the report’s key findings and recommendations by IFPRI’s leading researchers in diets and nutrition, a distinguished panel of partners and experts will discuss the report. Remarks will focus on challenges and opportunities to transform food systems so that everyone everywhere can reap the benefits of sustainable healthy diets.

Opening and Report Launch
Johan Swinnen, Director General, IFPRI and Managing Director, Systems Transformation Science Group, CGIAR
Deanna Olney, Director, Nutrition, Diets, and Health (NDH), IFPRI

Selected findings from the 2024 GFPR

Opportunities and Challenges of Using a Food Systems Framework
Marie Ruel, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI

Demand-side Determinants and Solutions
Sunny Kim, Research Fellow, IFPRI

Food Environments for Better Nutrition
Gabriela Fretes, Associate Research Fellow, IFPRI

Enabling Environments
Danielle Resnick, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI

Panel Reflections
Moderated by Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy, CGIAR and IFPRI
Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), India
Namukolo Covic, Director General’s Representative to Ethiopia, CGIAR Ethiopia Country Convenor and CGIAR Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Ethiopia
Christopher Barrett, Stephen B. and Janice G. Ashley Professor of Applied Economics and Management and Co-Editor-in-Chief, Food Policy, Cornell University
Lynnette Neufeld, Director, Food and Nutrition Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), Italy
Shelly Sundberg, Interim Director, Agricultural Development, Nutrition, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

Closing Reflections
Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy, CGIAR and IFPRI

Moderator
Charlotte Hebebrand, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, IFPRI

More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/improving-diets-and-nutrition-through-food-systems-what-will-it-take
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HYBRID POLICY SEMINAR
Globalization of the Bioeconomy: Recent Trends and Drivers of Bioeconomy Programs and Policies
Co-organized by IFPRI, International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB) and CGIAR
MAY 7, 2024 - 9:00 TO 10:30AM EDT

The bioeconomy approach to sustainable development holds great promise in reducing dependence on fossil fuels, addressing climate change, and promoting resource-use efficiency, thereby stimulating economic growth, enabling innovation, and improving food security. The bioeconomy is the production, utilization, conservation, and regeneration of biological resources, including related knowledge, science, technology, and innovation, to provide sustainable solutions (information, products, processes, and services) within and across all economic sectors and enable a transformation to a sustainable economy.

Multilateral organizations have intensified their engagement in, and for, the bioeconomy. Under India’s lead in 2023, the G20 drew attention to the bioeconomy and, in 2024, Brazil put the bioeconomy prominently on the G20 agenda. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) included bioeconomy in its most recent science strategy. At the same time, national bioeconomy strategies are emerging to shape multisectoral approaches to climate neutrality, food and nutrition security, improved health, economic growth, and other objectives aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

In April 2024, the International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB) released a new policy review in preparation for the Global Bioeconomy Summit in October 2024. The new report analyzes bioeconomy policy trends and their determinants, and highlights the growing importance of the bioeconomy as a key enabler and solution provider to global sustainability challenges across various sectors and dimensions of society. Importantly, the report identifies international and multilateral cooperation as a key building block.

The report—and the growing body of research on the bioeconomy—emphasizes the opportunities to advance innovation and facilitate the rise of a bio-based industry and manufacturing, sustainable and regenerative agriculture, human health, and circular bio-based economies. This seminar will spotlight key findings from the IACBG report and explore the role of the bioeconomy in addressing food security, nutrition and diets, and poverty reduction in low- and middle-income countries. Please join us on May 7, 2024, at the International Food Policy Research Institute (in-person or online) for an exciting seminar on the globalization of the bioeconomy.

Welcome Remarks
Johan Swinnen, Managing Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR; Director General, IFPRI

Keynote Speaker
Joachim von Braun, Distinguished Professor for Economic and Technological Change, Center for Development Research (ZEF), Bonn University

Panel Discussion
Julius Ecuru, Principal Scientist and Manager, Research Innovation Coordination Units, BioInnovate Africa Programme, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology
Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director, CGIAR (Video Remarks)
Mary E. Maxon, Executive Director, BioFutures
Hugo Alexander Chavarría Miranda, Program Manager for Innovation and Bioeconomy, and Executive Secretary Latin American Bioeconomy Network, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) (Video Remarks)

Moderator
David Spielman, Director, Innovation Policy, and Scaling (IPS), IFPRI

More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/globalization-bioeconomy-recent-trends-and-drivers-bioeconomy-programs-and-policies
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HYBRID POLICY SEMINAR
Sudan at a Crossroads: Food Systems, Hunger, and Humanitarian Aid During Civil Conflict
MAY 2, 2024 - 10:00 TO 11:30AM EDT

In April 2023, Sudan descended into a violent civil war that has displaced more than 8 million people, destroyed critical infrastructure, and left half the country’s population in need of humanitarian assistance. More than one year later, the unresolved conflict threatens agricultural production, agroprocessing, and trade, exacerbating Sudan’s status as a failed state. Sudan’s trajectory is therefore relevant for the broader community of scholars and practitioners working to enhance food systems and food security in fragile states facing complex humanitarian emergencies.

This IFPRI policy seminar will reflect on urgent data, analytical, and policy needs to mitigate food insecurity and revitalize food systems in Sudan. Several interrelated issues will be addressed, including options for policy engagement in the absence of a legitimate government, the viability of balancing immediate humanitarian needs with longer-term investments in agricultural development, and possible post-conflict scenarios that might affect priority-setting for the food system. The event will bring together researchers from IFPRI’s Sudan country program, conflict analysts, humanitarian donors, and country experts in a hybrid format.

Welcome Remarks
Danielle Resnick, Senior Research Fellow, Development Strategies and Governance Unit (DSG), IFPRI

Overview Remarks from USAID
Tyler Beckelman, Deputy Assistant Administrator, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Africa Bureau

Sudan’s Conflict and Complex Emergencies
Alex de Waal, Professor and Executive Director, World Peace Foundation, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University

Food Security Before and During the War: Evidence from National Rural Household Survey
Khalid Siddig, Senior Research Fellow, Development Strategies and Governance (DSG) Unit and Sudan Country Strategy Support Program Leader, IFPRI

Shocks, Coping, and Livelihood Strategies due to the War
Oliver Kiptoo Kirui, Research Fellow, Development Strategies and Governance (DSG) Unit, Sudan Country Strategy Support Program, IFPRI

Economic Costs of the War and Recovery Options
Karl Pauw, Senior Research Fellow, Foresight, Policy, and Modeling (FPM) Unit, IFPRI

Local and External Competencies for Peacebuilding in Sudan
Ibrahim Elbadawi, Managing Director of the Economic Research Forum and former Sudan Minister of Finance

Closing Remarks
Johan Swinnen, Managing Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR; Director General, IFPRI

Moderator
Danielle Resnick, Senior Research Fellow, Development Strategies and Governance Unit (DSG), IFPRI

More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/sudan-crossroads-food-systems-hunger-and-humanitarian-aid-during-civil-conflict
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POLICY SEMINAR
Dairy and Nutrition in the Global South: Potential, Progress, and Obstacles Ahead
APR 24, 2024 - 9:30 TO 11:00AM EDT

Malnutrition in early childhood is a major risk factor for premature death and disease, and is associated with 45% of all deaths of children under the age of 5. But malnutrition has important economic consequences too, by delaying learning and slowing down economic growth. Solving malnutrition requires multi-sectoral efforts, including more nutrition-oriented food policies. But how exactly can food policies improve nutrition?

This policy seminar examines the potential of dairy development to improve nutrition outcomes, focusing on dairy’s sizable potential for reducing child stunting and other forms of malnutrition, and how dairy systems are being developed to help meet this potential. Speakers will present success stories that highlight diverse paths to progress, as well as major economic and environmental challenges to scaling up dairy production and consumption in the global South.

The seminar will draw on a recent special issue published in the journal Food Policy on “Dairy Development and Nutrition in the Developing World”, which summarizes the most recent evidence on dairy’s importance for improving child nutrition, as well as the economic challenges of accelerating dairy development in the global South.

Case studies of dairy sector development success stories from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia will be presented by dairy experts to examine how concerted efforts to improve the production, trade, and marketing of milk, were tackled through unique policy, programmatic and institutional approaches.

Introduction
Namukolo Covic, Director General’s Representative to Ethiopia, CGIAR Ethiopia Country Convenor and CGIAR Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

Dairy Development and Nutrition: A synthesis of recent evidence
Derek Headey, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI

Dairy Development in Eastern Africa
Mark Tsoxo, Tanzania Country Director, Heifer International

Uganda’s Emerging Dairy Success Story
Johan Swinnen, Managing Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR; Director General, IFPRI

Dairy Development Programs at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Donald Nkrumah, Senior Program Officer, Livestock, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

Dairy Development and Nutrition in India
Shri Meenesh Shah, Chairman & Managing Director, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), India

Moderator
Charlotte Hebebrand, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, IFPRI

More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/dairy-and-nutrition-global-south-potential-progress-and-obstacles-ahead
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POLICY SEMINAR
Deepening Social Protection Systems: Enhancing livelihoods and health in Ethiopia
APR 17, 2024 - 10:30AM TO 12:00PM EDT

Twenty years after the establishment of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), a major social protection system, the country’s government, donors, and other stakeholders are implementing multidimensional graduation model programs that are designed to complement the PSNP’s monthly food and cash transfers. Graduation models include multiple interventions such as large asset or lump-sum transfers, training, savings promotion, and other forms of nutrition, health, or psychosocial support. These models aim to move beyond cash or food transfers to ensure minimum consumption levels and address the multiple challenges that can trap poor households in poverty.

This event will present findings from a randomized controlled trial of Strengthening PSNP Institutions and Resilience (SPIR), a graduation model program embedded within the PSNP that is led by World Vision, in collaboration with CARE and ORDA, and with support from the Ethiopian government and USAID. Speakers will present evidence about the impact of this intervention across multiple domains, including health, nutrition, livelihoods, and women’s empowerment, and examine its implications for the design of graduation model interventions across low- and middle-income countries. This policy seminar builds on the SPIR II Learning Event (https://www.ifpri.org/event/spir-ii-learning-event) conducted in Addis Ababa in 2023.

Welcoming Remarks
Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse, Senior Research Fellow/Program Leader- Ethiopia, IFPRI

SPIR: Overview of the Randomized Trial Design
Daniel Gilligan, Director, Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit, IFPRI

Can a Light-Touch Graduation Model Enhance Livelihood Outcomes and Resilience?
Jessica Leight, Research Fellow, Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit, IFPRI

Including Scalable Nutrition Interventions in a Graduation Model Program
Harold Alderman, Senior Research Fellow, Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit, IFPRI

Effectiveness of a Men’s Engagement Intervention to Change Attitudes and Behaviors
Melissa Hidrobo, Senior Research Fellow, Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit, IFPRI

Treating Depression Among the Extreme Poor
Michael Mulford, Chief of Party, SPIR II, World Vision

Expert Panel
Dean Karlan, Professor of Economics and Finance, Frederic Esser Nemmers Chair; Co-Director, Global Poverty Research Lab, Northwestern University; Chief Economist, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Margaux Vinez, Senior Economist; Africa, Social Protection and Jobs, World Bank

Moderators
Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse, Senior Research Fellow/Program Leader- Ethiopia, IFPRI
Daniel Gilligan, Director, Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit, IFPRI

More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/deepening-social-protection-systems-enhancing-livelihoods-and-health-ethiopia
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CGIAR SEMINAR SERIES
Post COP28 Priorities for Advancing Food Systems Transformation
Co-organized by IFPRI, CGIAR, and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
MAR 27, 2024 - 9:30 TO 11:00AM EDT / 14:30 TO 16:00 CET

Held in 2023, the planet’s hottest year on record, COP28 has been heralded for its strong focus on food systems, which are simultaneously threatened by and contribute to climate change. The COP28 Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action, albeit non-binding, but endorsed by almost 160 countries, emphasizes the transformative potential of agriculture and food systems in responding to climate change and ensuring global food security.

Insufficient climate finance represents a significant barrier to achieving climate-resilient and low-emission food systems. Given that smallholders produce the majority of the global food supply, special attention to their finance needs is critical.

As the fifth policy seminar in the CGIAR series on Strengthening Food Systems Resilience, this virtual event will take stock of food systems–related outcomes from COP28 and outline priorities for advancing them at both the international and country level in a concrete and meaningful manner.

Please join a distinguished set of speakers from CGIAR, international organizations, and the policy community for this discussion on advancing both adaptation and mitigation of food systems, which will place a particular focus on climate finance and policy priorities.

Taking Stock of COP28 Outcomes
Felicitas Röhrig, Senior Policy Officer, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Aditi Mukerji, Director, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Impact Action Platform of the CGIAR
Kristofer Hamel, Head, Food Systems, COP28 Presidency; UAE Climate Change Special Envoy

Advancing on Climate Change Finance
Geeta Sethi, Advisor and Global Lead for Food Systems, World Bank
Johan Swinnen, Managing Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR; Director General, IFPRI

Country level Policy Priorities and Needs
Agnes Kalibata, President, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) - Represented by Boaz Keizire, Head of Policy & Advocacy, AGRA
Qingfeng Zhang, Senior Director, Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development Sector Office, Asian Development Bank

Preparing for COP29 and COP30
Nigar Arpadarai, UN Climate Change High Level Champion for COP29 Azerbaijan; Member of Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Eduardo Brito Bastos, Agronomic Engineer (ESALQ/USP)
Juan Lucas Restrepo, Global Director of Partnerships & Advocacy, CGIAR; Director General of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT

Moderator
Roula Majdalani, Climate Change Advisor, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)

More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/post-cop28-priorities-advancing-food-systems-transformation
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