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Multiple shocks – from COVID-19 to climate change, conflict, crop disease – are crippling food systems, leading to higher food prices and growing hunger.  Up to 783 million people faced hunger in 2022, and projections show that in 2030, over 600 million people will still struggle to feed their families. The way we produce food is also harmful for the planet, generating unsustainable levels of pollution and waste. What can we do to fight the global food crisis, especially in the most vulnerable regions? What are the World Bank and its partners doing to address this issue and what solutions have worked on the ground?
To answer these questions, on this episode of The Development Podcast we speak to: Gladys Wanja, a Kenyan mother and entrepreneur on the struggles she faces putting food on the table; Valerie Guarnieri, the World Food Programme’s Assistant Executive Director for Programme and Policy Development on how the Nobel-prize winning organization responds to dire emergencies; Dr. Catherine Nakalembe, NASA Harvest’s Africa Program Director and Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland on solutions in space technology, and Martien van Nieuwkoop, the World Bank’s Global Director for Agriculture and Food on what the Bank is doing to address the food crisis.
Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 
Featured VoicesMartien van Nieuwkoop, the World Bank’s Global Director for the Agriculture and Food Global PracticeValerie Guarnieri, the World Food Program’s Assistant Executive for Programme Director and Policy Development Dr. Catherine Nakalembe, NASA Harvest’s Africa Program Director and Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland Gladys Wanja, a Kenyan mother and small business owner 
Timestamps[00:00] Welcome and introduction of the topic
[01:46] What is food security and why the world is currently in a food crisis
[03:02] Voices from Kenya on food price volatility
[05:46] Voices from Central African Republic: boosting food production
[07:09] World Food Program: Providing emergency lifesaving food and cash assistance
[08:19] Impacts of famine and hunger beyond malnutrition
[09:30] Conflict is a driver of hunger
[10:38] Beyond emergency: Building resilience when it comes to food security
[14:13] Data for development: The role of satellites and NASA partnerships
[15:52] How food security issues are manifesting in East Africa
[17:28] The next frontier for using satellite data for food systems
[18:54] Voices from Egypt: Preparedness and resilience to future shocks
[20:00] What's needed to ensure longer term food security
[22:29] What the World Bank is doing to tackle food security
[25:19] Closure and thanks for tuning in!
ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT PODCASTThis international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)
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Meet the International Development Association (IDA), the arm of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries—75 to be exact. It’s the largest single source of donor funds for basic services in these countries and aims to eliminate extreme poverty. IDA’s most recent replenishment, IDA20, resulted in a historic $93 billion financing package for IDA countries for fiscal years 2022-2025.
On this episode of The Development Podcast, we explore how IDA works across the world on a range of key development issues and priorities, with the help of some key partners. Join us as we speak with Dirk Reinermann, the World Bank’s Director of Development Finance who oversees IDA, Gregory Chen, Managing Director for the Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative, within BRAC International, and Maaria Henry, a Fisheries Protection Officer from the Republic of Kiribati in Micronesia, which sits at the forefront of the climate challenge. 
Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 
Featured VoicesDirk Reinermann, Director, IDA Mobilization & IBRD Corporate Finance, World BankGregory Chen, Managing Director, Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative, BRAC InternationalMaaria Henry, Fisheries Protection Officer from Kiribati.
Timestamps[00:00] Welcome and introduction of the topic
[02:25] Story from the ground: Climate resilience and job prospects in Kiribati
[06:46] IDA: How it was created, how it works, where it gets its cash from?
[09:51] Partnerships: BRAC International, Bangladesh and IDA
[15:21] IDA's priorities and replenishments
[19:16] Partnerships: Maximizing financing for development
[22:15] IDA's greatest success stories
[24:17] Closure and thanks for tuning in!
ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT PODCASTThis international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)
Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 
ABOUT THE WORLD BANKThe World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

How do we address climate change, reduce poverty, and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet? Climate change is one of the defining issues of our time, and no country is immune.
On this episode of The Development Podcast, we hone in on voices across Africa about the experience of climate change and how it intersects with poverty, and we hear from Richard Damania, World Bank’s Chief Economist for Sustainable Development in Washington, DC. Tune in as we speak with Cathy Kamamu, a farmer from Kenya, Professor Denis Aheto, Director of the Centre for Coastal Management in the Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience, Roselyn Fosuah Adjei, Director of Climate Change for the Ghana Forestry Commission, and Richard Damania, Chief Economist for Sustainable Development at the World Bank. 
Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 
Featured VoicesRichard Damania, Chief Economist for Sustainable Development, World BankRoselyn Fosuah Adjei, Director of Climate Change for the Ghana Forestry CommissionProfessor Denis Aheto, Director, Centre for Coastal Management, Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal ResilienceCathy Kamanu, farmer from Kenya
Timestamps[00:00] Welcome and introduction of the topic
[01:56] Visions from Kenya: Everyday effects of climate change on a farmer
[05:45] Data overview on the relationship between climate change and poverty
[07:21] Visions from Ghana: The impact of climate change for coastal communities
[10:08] Ghana: World Bank's Country Climate and Development Report
[11:55] Deforestation in Ghana: How to protect the natural landscape of countries?
[15:19] Addressing both climate change and poverty
[19:01] Detox Development: Repurposing environmentally harmful subsidies
[20:37] Hope (and concerns) on the horizon
[22:33] Closure and thanks for tuning in!
ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT PODCASTThis international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)
Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 
ABOUT THE WORLD BANKThe World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

Migration is a development challenge. About 184 million people—2.3 percent of the world’s population—live outside of their country of nationality, and almost half of them are in low- and middle-income countries. In this episode of The Development Podcast, we explore the conversation around migration, from global economic imbalances, demographic changes, and conflict, to the opportunities it can bring to people and host communities.
To unpack this and more, we speak to Xavier Devictor, the World Bank’s co-Director for this year’s World Development Report and four individuals, including two migrants in Colombia and the Philippines, who share their stories of success and survival outside of their home countries.
Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 
Featured VoicesXavier Devictor, Co-Director, World Development Report 2023Paula Rossiasco, Senior Social Development Specialist, World BankAlejandra Botero, Former Director, Nation Planning Department ColombiaAlvin Ang, Professor in the Department of Economics, Ateneo de Manila UniversityDexibel Bravo, Venezuelan entrepreneurAngelito Castro, Philippine fish farmer
Timestamps[00:00] Welcome and introduction of the topic
[02:03] Colombia: Perspectives and stories from the ground
[09:58] Philippines: Perspectives and stories from the ground
[14:00] The state of migration around the world
[18:08] The role of governments and policy makers
[26:01] Closure and thanks for tuning in!
ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT PODCASTThis international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)
Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 
ABOUT THE WORLD BANKThe World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

The 2023 World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings took place from April 10-16, amidst a backdrop of challenges: from stress in the banking sector, persistent inflation, rising debt, climate change and of course Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Addressing this instability, and looking to a future free from poverty, was at the heart of the discussions which involved dozens of contributors from across the globe. In this latest episode of The Development Podcast, we draw on some of the highlights from that week, hearing from various speakers who attended our events and how they look to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

There is still a disproportionate amount of work women tend to in caring for others, which has far-reaching consequences beyond personal and societal fractures. What impact does unpaid carework, or labor, have on these women’s economic prospects, and how can we support them? To answer these questions, we speak with Laura Rawlings, Lead Economist for the World Bank’s Gender Group, Nguyen Thi Kieu Trang (KT), Marketing and Communications Manager with CARE International in Vietnam, and Jyoti Macwan, General Secretary at the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) and former tobacco worker to get their insights and own personal experiences with women’s plight and fight for gender equality.