2013 Global Food Policy Report Overview
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2013 INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE About IFPRI The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), established in 1975, provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. The Institute conducts research, communicates results, optimizes partnerships, and builds capacity to ensure sustainable food production, promote healthy food systems, improve markets and trade, transform agriculture, build resil- ience, and strengthen institutions and governance. Gender is considered in all of the Institute’s work. IFPRI collaborates with partners around the world, including development implementers, public institu- tions, the private sector, and farmers’ organizations. 2013 INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE A Peer-Reviewed Publication Copyright © 2014 International Food Policy Research Institute. All rights reserved. Contact the Communications and Knowledge Management Division at [email protected] for permission to reprint. The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on the maps do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). International Food Policy Research Institute 2033 K Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-1002, USA Telephone: +1-202-862-5600 www.ifpri.org ISBN 978-0-89629-562-9 DOI: 10.2499/9780896295629 Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress PHOTO CREDITS Cover image: Vietnam, © Reuters/N. H. Kham Chapter images: page 1, Rwanda, © HarvestPlus; page 15, Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, China, © Reuters; page 29, New Delhi, India, © Hindustan Times via Getty Images; page 43, © Dreamstime; page 53, Kisangani, D. R. C., © Panos/A. McConnell; page 63, Tanzania, © Panos/S. Torfinn; page 75, Tanzania, © Panos/B. Sokol; page 87, Dhaka, Bangledesh, © Associated Press/P. Rahman. Editors: Andrew Marble and Heidi Fritschel Cover design: Julia Vivalo Book design and layout: Lucy McCoy, David Popham, and Julia Vivalo Contents Preface ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� vii Acknowledgments �������������������������������������������������������������������������� ix Chapter 1 Food Policy in 2013: Nutrition Grabs the Spotlight as Hunger Persists ����������1 Shenggen Fan Chapter 2 An Ambitious Development Goal: Ending Hunger and Undernutrition by 2025 ����������������������������������������� 15 Shenggen Fan and Paul Polman Chapter 3 India’s Right to Food Act: A Novel Approach to Food Security ������������������ 29 Avinash Kishore, P. K. Joshi, and John Hoddinott Chapter 4 Sustainable Agricultural Intensification: The Promise of Innovative Farming Practices ���������������������������������������� 43 Claudia Ringler, Nicola Cenacchi, Jawoo Koo, Richard Robertson, Myles Fisher, Cindy Cox, Nicostrato Perez, Karen Garrett, and Mark Rosegrant Chapter 5 Agricultural R&D: Is Africa Investing Enough? ��������������������������������������� 53 Nienke Beintema and Gert-Jan Stads Chapter 6 Information and Communication Technologies: Farmers, Markets, and the Power of Connectivity ��������������������������������� 63 Maximo Torero Chapter 7 Nutrition Policy and Practice: Unpacking the Politics ������������������������������ 75 Stuart Gillespie Chapter 8 Regional Developments ������������������������������������������������������������������ 87 Africa ...................................................................................... 88 Ousmane Badiane, Tsitsi Makombe, and Julia Collins The Arab World .......................................................................... 92 Clemens Breisinger, Perrihan Al-Riffai, Olivier Ecker, and Maurice Saade Central Asia and Russia .................................................................. 95 Kamiljon Akramov and Noah Cohen-Cline South Asia ................................................................................. 97 P. K. Joshi and Avinash Kishore East Asia .................................................................................. 100 Kevin Chen and Peter Timmer Latin America and the Caribbean ..................................................... 103 Eugenio Díaz-Bonilla and Maximo Torero Food Policy Indicators: Tracking Change ��������������������������������������������� 105 Notes ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 123 Features Concerted Action against Hunger and Malnutrition beyond 2015 ����������������������������� 17 David Nabarro Addressing Hunger Has High Returns on Investment ��������������������������������������������� 20 Alexander J. Stein Measuring Hunger and Undernutrition Precisely and In Time ���������������������������������� 22 Tolulope Olofinbiyi and Sinafikeh Gemessa Ending Hunger and Malnutrition: Holding Those in Charge Accountable �������������������� 26 Lawrence Haddad Food Security for India’s Poorest of the Poor ������������������������������������������������������� 32 Sukhadeo Thorat and Nidhi S. Sabharwal Safety Nets with Impact: Cash, Food, or Vouchers? ����������������������������������������������� 34 John Hoddinott, Daniel Gilligan, Melissa Hidrobo, Amy Margolies, Shalini Roy, and Benjamin Schwab The Reform of US Food Aid ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 40 Nancy E. Lindborg Evaluating the “New Agronomy” ���������������������������������������������������������������������� 44 David J. Spielman The Limits of Organic Food Production ��������������������������������������������������������������� 49 Holger Kirchmann and Lars Bergström Private Investments on the Rise in Africa ������������������������������������������������������������ 54 Carl E. Pray and Latha Nagarajan A New Regional Push for Agricultural R&D in Africa ���������������������������������������������� 57 Yemi Akinbamijo The New Face of Agricultural Extension Services �������������������������������������������������� 58 Kristin Davis Mobile Business Applications Link Small Farmers and Markets ��������������������������������� 70 Carsten Friedland Nutrition: More Money and More Transparency Needed ���������������������������������������� 76 Mariella Di Ciommo Africa’s New Nutrition Initiatives ����������������������������������������������������������������������� 80 Francis Bruno Zotor A Window Half-Open: Nutrition Policy in Pakistan ������������������������������������������������ 83 Haris Gazdar Malawi Builds High-Level Commitment to Nutrition Policy �������������������������������������� 84 Edith Mkawa and Felix Pensulo Phiri Preface This2013 Global Food Policy Report is the third in an annual series that provides an in-depth look at major food policy developments and events. Initiated in response to resurgent interest in food and nutrition secu- rity, the series offers a yearly overview of the food policy developments that have contributed to or hin- dered progress in achieving food and nutrition security. It reviews what happened in food policy and why, examines key challenges and opportunities, shares new evidence and knowledge, and highlights emerg- ing issues. In 2013, staple food prices were relatively stable, lacking the spikes that often dominated headlines in previous years. But prices of important dietary components, such as vegetables and fruits and nutrient- intensive crops, increased and fluctuated in many countries, particularly China and India. Nutrition captured the international spotlight in an unprecedented way. For instance, the high-level Nutrition for Growth summit in June resulted in commitments of US$4.15 billion to tackle global undernutrition, the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition and the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement both gained momentum, and India passed major food security legislation. Yet the world continues to face serious hunger and undernutrition challenges: one in eight people around the world suffers from hunger, and more than double that number are victims of hidden hunger (deficiencies in essential micronutrients). With the Millennium Development Goals set to conclude in 2015, the global community is already working to define future efforts to eradicate hunger and undernutri- tion under a post-2015 agenda. The anchor of this new agenda is the formulation of sustainable development goals. Extending beyond traditional investments in increasing food production, this new agenda should embrace a comprehensive, long-term approach that promotes increased agricultural productivity for all farmers, links smallholder farmers’ production to markets, and ensures that their products are safe and nutritious. It is important that the post-2015 development agenda does not pursue environmental sustainability goals at the expense of the well-being of poor and hungry people. Based on the successful experiences of several developing coun- tries, we see the clear potential for ending hunger and undernutrition by 2025 if the necessary policies and investments are adopted. Among other things, reaching this goal will require a more inclusive global part- nership, one that includes regional and country levels and spans government, civil society, and the private sector. Eliminating hunger and undernutrition sustainably by 2025 will be challenging, but it is doable. The topics covered in the2013 Global Food Policy Report were selected following a number of consulta- tions designed to capture the depth, relevance, and breadth of food policy issues in 2013. For inclusion in the report, a topic had to represent a new development