Jeddah, KSA, 02.01.2013 – A delegation of senior experts from the International Food Research Policy Institute (IFPRI) headed by Dr. Shenggen Fan, Director General, IFPRI, met with Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, President, IDB Group, reviewed current global food security status and discussed possible areas of relevant collaboration between the two institutions. The team also discussed IFPRI’s 2012 report on Global food Policy. Also featuring on the agenda were elaborations on a recent decision of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to create an OIC Food Security Institution and the possibility of cooperation between IDB and IFPRI on the Qatar-led Global Dry-land Alliance Initiative to boost food security in the arid regions using high-tech methods of farming.
Later on, the IFPRI delegation reviewed policy developments with senior economic and agricultural experts from the IDB Group and explored grounds for cooperation to enhance food security in IDB member countries. On the occasion, Dr. Shenggen Fan, Director General, IFPRI stated that an integrated approach is required to go beyond agriculture and support social safety nets as well and generate employment and income opportunities for the poor and thus eradicate hunger.
IFPRI seeks a mandate of achieving sustainable food security and reducing poverty in developing countries through scientific research and research-related activities in the fields of agriculture, livestock, forestry, fisheries, policy, and natural resources management. It is one of the 15 centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food secure future.