The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. IFPRI is one of 15 centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, an alliance of 64 governments, private foundations, and international and regional organizations.
Mission:
To Provide Policy Solutions That Reduce Poverty and End Hunger and Malnutrition
This mission flows from the CGIAR mission: "To achieve sustainable food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through scientific research and research-related activities in the fields of agriculture, livestock, forestry, fisheries, policy, and natural resources management."
Vision:
A World Free of Hunger and Malnutrition
This vision is based on the human right to adequate food and freedom from hunger, and the recognition of the dignity inherent in all human beings.
Objectives:
identifying and analyzing alternative international, national, and local policies in support of improved food security and nutrition, emphasizing low-income countries and poor people and the sound management of the natural resource base that supports agriculture;
contributing to capacity strengthening of people and institutions in developing countries that conduct research on food, agriculture, and nutrition policies;
actively engaging in policy communications, making research results available to all those in a position to apply or use them, and carrying out dialogues with those users to link research and policy action.
Activities/Main areas of work:
The cornerstones of IFPRI's work are research, policy communications, and capacity strengthening for policy and research.
The Research Themes. IFPRI groups nine research themes under three overarching focus areas:
Focus Area A. Efficient and Fair Functioning of Global and National Food and Agriculture Systems
Focus Area B. Effective Strategies and Governance at the Global, Regional, and National Levels
Focus Area C. Enhancing Pro-poor Food and Agriculture System Innovations
Policy Communications
Research results can only achieve impact for the malnourished and poor when they are relevant and when they are known by and available to those who can use them. This involves two-way communication with key stakeholder groups.
Capacity Strengthening for Policy and Research
To reduce poverty and end hunger, it is also vitally important, through the provision of research-based knowledge, to develop the capacity of researchers, policymakers, trainers, practitioners, administrators, extension workers, students, community leaders, and others.
Coverage:
Global
Beneficiaries:
IFPRI places priority on activities that benefit the greatest number of poor people in greatest need in the developing world.
Membership/Affiliations:
IFPRI hosts also the Secretariat of the Systemwide Program on Collective Action and Property Rights (CAPRi).
The overarching goal of CAPRi is to contribute to policies and practices that reduce rural poverty by analyzing and disseminating knowledge on the ways that collective action and property rights institutions influence the efficiency, equity, and sustainability of natural resource use.
In particular, CAPRi’s objectives are to:
− Increase knowledge on Collective Action and Property Rights institutions in natural resource management and their effectiveness under different conditions;
− Identify concrete policy instruments that facilitate and encourage the formation, improved functioning, resilience, and spontaneous evolution of organizations of users and property institutions that assure optimal resource use, and promote partnerships between local organizations, states, civil society, and private entities;
− Strengthen the capacity of national and CG research centers, non-governmental organizations, universities, and local organizations.
Priority Research Themes of CAPRi are:
− Accommodating multiple uses and users of a resource
− Changing market relationships
− Feminization of agriculture and demographic change
− Conservation of genetic resources
− Role of environmental risk
− Devolution of natural resource management
− Technology adoption
CAPRi is actively involved in ILC life. For more info, refer to www.capri.cgiar.org/
