SOFI 2019 begins to track a new indicator, FIES, that goes beyond hunger and includes those affected by “moderate” food insecurity. Given the broader scope, this indicator will help make the report more useful for policymakers in reducing food insecurity and malnutrition.
Category: food security
Policy Brief: Sustainable Prevention of Food Crises in Sub-Saharan Africa
Food crises and distress migration will continue to plague the African continent in the decades ahead, unless massive investments are made to make the region’s agriculture and food systems more resilient.
Policy Brief: Promoting Competition in the Fertilizer Industry in Africa
Not much has been said about the market structure or competitive behavior along the supply chain in the highly concentrated fertilizer industry, nor about how this affects fertilizer uptake in the region.
Initiative: Reducing Food Loss and Waste
Our lack of knowledge of the magnitude of food loss and waste is a major barrier to addressing the problem. Estimates of global figures vary from 27% (1 billion tonnes) to 32% (1.3 billion tonnes) of all food produced in the world.
Can Mobile Phones Help to Improve Food Security?
Through increased access to mobile phones, farmers can better plan how much to plant each season and how much and what type of investments could be profitable based on demand and supply.
Policy Brief: El Niño and Cereal Production Shortfalls
The situation calls for careful monitoring of production and prices, promotion of transparent international and domestic trade policies, and expanded coverage of safety nets and nutrition programs for the households most severely affected.
Why Food Security Is an Opportunity for Latin America
The one-to-one relationship between economic growth and chronic malnutrition shows that growth by itself won’t resolve the problem of chronic malnutrition.
Policy Brief: Urgent Action Needed to Prevent Recurring Food Crisis
The economies of China and India are now overheated and experiencing high overall inflation caused by factors such as excess liquidity. Rising oil prices in recent months, the expansion of biofuel production, particularly maize ethanol, and other factors mentioned above suggest the significant risk of even higher global food prices.
Grappling with Grain Prices
We propose three global collective actions to meet these goals: the creation of a small emergency physical food reserve; an international co-ordinated global food reserve; and a virtual reserve. These actions bring together developed and developing countries for a sustainable policy response to a global crisis.
Policy Brief: Physical and Virtual Global Food Reserves to Protect the Poor and Prevent Market Failure
The current food crisis has several causes—rising demand for food and feed, biofuels, high oil prices, climate change, stagnant agricultural productivity growth—but there is increasing evidence that the crisis is being made worse by the malfunctioning of world grain markets. Given the thinness of major markets for cereals, the restrictions on grain exports imposed by … Continue reading Policy Brief: Physical and Virtual Global Food Reserves to Protect the Poor and Prevent Market Failure
Policy Brief: High Food Prices and the What, Who and How of Proposed Policy Actions
The complex causes of the current food and agriculture crisis require a comprehensive response. In view of the urgency of assisting people and countries in need, policy actions—an emergency package—consist of steps that can yield immediate impact.
