IFPRI’s work in providing cutting-edge research on food and nutrition security has long depended on strategic partnerships with donors, universities, research organizations, and others around the world. One of the Institute’s key collaborators is the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), which has served as a strategic and collaborative donor and partner to IFPRI for more than 30 years.
DFID’s support of IFPRI has led to substantial research impacts on the ground:
- Enabled HarvestPlus to reach 20 million people with micronutrient-rich, biofortified crops, helping to improve their nutritional status and health.
- Generated evidence that Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program was indeed helping at least 7 million people, allowing development partners including DFID to provide additional support.
- Supported the launch of Ethiopia’s first commodity exchange, providing farmers with critical market information.
- Made possible the analysis of national agriculture and food security investment plans from 30 African countries, enabling them to secure more than half a billion US dollars to boost agricultural productivity and improve food and nutrition security among their populations.
- Through support to the IFPRI-led CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM), identified promising market-based approaches, such as the provision of index insurance to enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers.
The partnership between IFPRI and DFID has enabled research on a wide range of development priorities, from the links between agriculture, nutrition, and health; to social protection; to agriculture’s role in spurring economic growth and poverty reduction; and to public spending. It has helped stakeholders improve the design and evaluation of pro-poor programs and interventions. And it has helped governments better implement national and regional strategies for rural development, poverty reduction, and food security.
These are just a few highlights of a longstanding and fruitful collaboration. As both organizations look to the future, their priorities continue to align in critical areas, including sustainable agriculture, nutrition and food security, and resilience to climate change in developing countries. IFPRI’s Director General notes, “If past achievements are any indication, this valued partnership will continue to provide research and evidence that helps reduce poverty and improve food security and nutrition for the world’s poor for many years to come.”
These innovative food policy research results and impacts have been made possible by DFID’s generous support provided through: CGIAR Fund’s Window 1; CGIAR Fund’s Window 2 contributions to two IFPRI-led CGIAR Research Programs Agriculture for Nutrition and Health, and Policies, Institutions, and Markets; and bi-lateral grants.
For more information on DFID and IFPRI’s decades-long partnership, please visit IFPRI and DFID Partnership: Highlights.
