1 March 2010: The International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI) new project, Global Futures for Agriculture, will evaluate promising technologies, investments and policy reforms to improve agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability in developing countries.

The project will fund enhancement of IFPRI’s International Model for Policy Analysis of Agricultural Commodities and Trade (IMPACT), which can assess effects of climate change and water availability on future agricultural production, consumption and trade. The research will focus on vulnerable regions of the world, with special attention to rural poor and smallholder farmers. It will assess how changes in global trading regimes, mandates for biofuels and energy prices, land degradation, and climate change affect human well-being.
IFPRI researchers will collaborate with scientists from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to improve the capacity of CGIAR centers to prioritize research investments. The effort is supported with funding through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. [IFPRI Press Release]