IFPRI’s 2011 Global Food Policy Report

I FPRI’s 2011 Global Food Policy Report—the first in a new annual series—provides an in-depth, contextualized look at the past year’s major food policy developments and events. It both raises and answers these key questions: What happened in food policy in 2011 and why? What challenges and opportunities resulted? What could have been done differently? What should be done in the future?

The topics covered in the 2011 Global Food Policy Report were selected after numerous consultations by a strategic advisory council consisting of policymakers, researchers, and other experts that sought to represent the most profound, relevant, and broadly applicable food policy issues that arose in 2011. IFPRI’s Board of Trustees and senior staff then provided feedback on major development and research topics, and a review of related print and broadcast media from 2011 was conducted. Finally, leading policymakers  and food experts from around the world were asked for their opinions on how to best capture national and regional perspectives.

This is the first of its kind, and I hope it will contribute to an enriched research agenda that informs sound food policies to the benefit of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.