News Overview

By the Bhubaneshwar consortium November 21, 2024 Public works programs have the potential to reduce poverty, provide resilience for workers to economic shocks, and improve infrastructure. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), India’s large national workfare program, has provided 3.07 billion person-days of work at a guaranteed minimum wage in the 2024 fiscal year alone, and received attention for both its

By Katrina Kosec and Lucia Carrillo November 20, 2024 As the humanitarian crisis deepens in the Gaza Strip, where conflict has devastated millions, the call for durable solutions to protect vulnerable communities has never been more urgent. This crisis, as well as escalating emergencies in Sudan, Yemen, Ethiopia, and Ukraine—among many others—underscores the critical need for effective strategies to protect, respond to,

By Faith Gikunda November 19, 2024 The Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) has consistently served as a pivotal platform for shaping agricultural policies and practices across the continent. By convening a wide array of stakeholders, the AFSF fosters discussions that promote inclusive and sustainable food systems and address key issues such as gender equality and nutrition. This year’s AFSF Summit, held September

By Taddese Zerfu November 15, 2024 Evidence-based policymaking is crucial for developing cost-effective strategies that address the root causes of food insecurity and malnutrition around the world. However, significant gaps exist between research and policy, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). More evidence does not always lead to better policies. Often, translating evidence into action is hindered by cognitive,

By Hiroyuki Takeshima, Zin Wai Aung, Ian Masias, and Bart Minten November 12, 2024 History shows that as agricultural technologies have gradually improved, food production has grown. Yet adverse economic, political, or disaster-related shocks can disrupt this pattern. Since 2021, the political crisis in Myanmar has led to a deterioration in positive technological change, with particularly worrisome effects on smallholder farmers, a new

By Joseph Glauber and Abdullah Mamun November 8, 2024 Over the past two months, India has removed several of its restrictions affecting rice exports, some in place since September 2022. This is welcome news for rice importing countries, which for the past year have had to seek alternative suppliers at significantly elevated prices. This post—following up on previous assessments of the situation

By Martina Mascarenhas, Anne G. Timu, and Liangzhi You November 7, 2024 Smallholder farmers across the globe produce over a third of the world’s food supply, yet they receive a disproportionately small share of global climate finance. A 2020 report released by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) shows that less than 2% of international climate

By Clara Ceravolo, Ilaria Sisto, Lauren Whitehead, Matthew Walsham, Morane Verhoeven, and Shalini Roy June 18, 2024 Air pollution, rising temperatures, crop failures, and water shortages are increasing pressures on health and agrifood systems. During these crises, households often reduce food consumption, sell assets, migrate or adjust labor allocation between men and women. Women and children are at greater risk