Agriculture and Food

A third of all food globally is lost and wasted, amounting to significant costs to society: $1 trillion globally annually, 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and significant natural resource use are all associated with food that is grown but never reaches the table. Timed with the first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (FLW), this event will launch a set of new World Bank reports that propose a framework for better understanding policy options and trade-offs involved in tackling food loss and waste, and drill down on challenges and solutions in Guatemala, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Vietnam. New World Bank analysis finds that reducing food loss and waste could play a significant role in reducing the environmental footprint of food while boosting food and nutrition security. Join World Bank Group President David Malpass and other speakers on #FLWDay to be inspired by tangible solutions for positive change.

In this new series on World Bank Live we focus on the ideas and actions that will help countries as they look beyond the pandemic. Recovery from COVID-19 will be an opportunity for countries to build resilience, improve inclusion and ensure economic growth. We will be joined by David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group, Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF and African Union Commissioner Josefa Sacko to discuss how Food Security has been impacted by COVID-19. The World Food Programme estimates the number of people facing acute food insecurity could double by the end of 2020 due to job and remittance losses. At the same time, farmers face depressed prices for their unsold farm produce, a reduced ability to finance food production in the next season, and massive locust waves in parts of East Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Related Links:  Brief: Food Security and COVID-19:  The World Bank and the Locust crisis Blog: Three imperatives to ...

Locust swarms are ravaging crops and pastureland, destroying food and vegetation and jeopardizing food security across Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and parts of South Asia. Without action, the locust population could grow 400 times larger by June 2020 and spread to new areas, disrupting food supply, upending livelihoods and requiring substantial resources to address. The World Bank estimates that in Africa alone, more than 90 million hectares of cropland and pasture are at risk and damages and losses could amount to as much as US$9 billion in coming years.  Join us as we discuss this important issue with two World Bank staff: Melissa Williams, Senior Rural Development Specialist & Afrah Alawi Al-Ahmadi, Senior Social Protection Specialist. Ask your questions now!  Related Links:  Locust Crisis World Bank Response Blog: The Locust Plague: Fighting a Crisis within a Crisis Website: Food Security at the World Bank Group  

What can we do to help the poorest and most vulnerable access the food they need during coronavirus pandemic? Juergen Voegele, Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank, has some ideas. Related Links: Covid-19 (Coronavirus): Live Interview and Panel Series COVID-19 landing page

On the heels of fresh evidence that current diets are making both people and planet sick, On the Menu: Can Food be the Planet’s Medicine?  gathered thought leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs and policy makers who aim to challenge the status quo of food consumption and production. World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva kicked off the event with remarks that made clear why transforming food is such a priority agenda – it is essential to boost economic inclusion, build human capital and increase climate resilience. EAT Co-founders Gunhild Stordalen and Johan Rockström then shared highlights from the recent EAT- Lancet Commission Report on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems which attempts for the first time to define a healthy diet based on available scientific evidence and imagine what it would take to feed almost 10 billion people by 2050 a healthy diet within planetary boundaries. Two strong messages emerged: We’re unlikely to stay within safe operating zones on most environmental indicators – water, greenhouse ...

During this flagship event, the World Bank and United Nations, joined by leaders from countries affected by chronic food insecurity, will discuss plans for a new global partnership to help eradicate famine.

Food systems cannot get “too big to fail” - too much is at stake. Change is possible, positive, and all around us. It will not be easy, but all signs show that collective action can and must get us there. Multi-level partnerships mean getting out of our comfort zones. By the time this last session kicks off, the delegates at EAT Stockholm Food Forum will have rolled up their sleeves, joined forces, tackled uncomfortable conversations, shared solutions, forged new connections and literally sowed the seeds of change. Together we are building a new narrative, and together we can define strategies for managing political and economic opinion change. A true success story of the Great Food Transformation. Let’s get to work!

This is a Facebook Live interview. Watch the replay! As part of our Spring Meetings 2018 Interview Series, we will be talking with Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)​, about investments and innovations in agriculture.

This is a Facebook Live interview. Watch the replay!   As part of our Spring Meetings 2018 Interview Series, we will be live with Andy Pharoah, Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, Mars, Inc., who will talk about how Mars has set a high bar among global food processing and distribution brands for environmental sustainability and for setting ambitious social targets across its supply chain.   

Want to hear some big ideas on how to #EndPoverty? As part of our Annual Meetings 2017 Interview Series, we will be talking with Katrina Sasse, Farmer at Leichhardt Fields, Australia and Brian Ndyaguma, Project Manager and Entrepreneur, Uganda, about innovations in agriculture. Join us live on October 11 at 11:45 am. Have a question for Katrina and Brian? Ask in the comments!

Young farmers encourage youth to find profit and purpose in farming The World Bank’s Food and Agriculture Global Practice hosted an event highlighting young farmers who are finding profit and purpose in agriculture.  Journalist Femi Oke moderated the panel, which was headlined by Shelly-Ann Dinnall, a poultry farmer from Jamaica; Pedro Diniz, Founder and CEO of a large scale organic farm in Brazil; Katrina Sasse, a cereal farmer from Australia; and Brian Ndyaguma, an entrepreneur who grows greens to supply a café in Uganda. The farmers detailed how they built successful businesses, despite starting with few resources and in some cases, no knowledge of farming. Katrina, who left behind a banking career to work on her family farm, discussed her efforts to get more women involved in agriculture. Shelly-Ann called on policy makers to help create a more supportive environment for young people who do not have preexisting farms or credit.  Brian recommended teaming up with other people as ...

Hunger and obesity, waste and water scarcity -- food production in 2017 is plagued with contradictions and often seems to lag behind the times. We urgently need to jumpstart a revolution in the way we produce and consume food so that we can feed the world’s population -- without leaving people behind, neglecting nutrition, or degrading the planet. This event will showcase young entrepreneurs and mission-driven leaders who are working to fix the food and agriculture system while creating the jobs and business opportunities of tomorrow. Speakers include Kristalina Georgieva, World Bank CEO; Jehiel Oliver, founder and CEO of Hello Tractor (shared tractor service by SMS in Nigeria and Kenya); Annie Ryu, founder and CEO of the Jackfruit Company (Indian farmers supplying a meat alternative in US market);  Nataliey Bitature, founder and COO of Musana Carts (solar powered food carts providing safe food and improved livelihoods in Kampala, Uganda);  Kees Aarts, founder and CEO of Protix (producing sustainable protein from ...

One quarter of children under age five worldwide are chronically malnourished. The World Food Prize event “Let Food Be Thy Medicine,” brought together scientists, policymakers and food and nutrition experts from around the world to share insights on ways in which malnutrition can be tackled with smart policies, innovation and political will.  Key is to prioritize investments in people – during the earliest years of life -- because it underpins the very future of nations.

With 800 million people going to bed hungry every night, the world needs a sustainable food system that can feed every person, every day. Increasingly, the quality of food is as important as quantity, and better food must become a priority in many countries. Hear from a panel of international food experts about what it will take to feed more people a nutritious and safe diet, and how this can help end poverty and boost shared prosperity in our lifetime.

Droughts, floods and rising temperatures are cutting crop yields, threatening food supply and pushing people deeper into poverty. With climate change affecting food production, how will we feed 9 billion people by 2050? The World Bank Group is continuing the conversation on the “Future of Food” to explore ways in which the food system can become climate-smart. What climate-smart practices can farmers adopt to boost productivity and resilience while reducing emissions? What roles can chefs, food processors and researchers in gastronomy play in tackling climate change? How can we prioritize investments in climate-smart agriculture? Hear from celebrated Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio, Jim Yong Kim, and others on the different ways we can work together to shape a climate-smart food system that can feed the world.

Evidence-based policies that promote secure access to land (including for women), and strengthening poor farmers’ ability to tackle climate change and improve productivity are urgently needed. Yet, in many cases, translating far-reaching legal changes into country strategies and progress on the ground has been a challenge. Panelists will discuss ways to better integrate land and climate-smart agriculture into countries’ development strategies and explore how these can help to build capacity to mainstream these issues in national policy dialogue, projects and private sector strategies.

People have different ideas about what the future of food will look like, but everyone can agree on what it should deliver: a food system that can feed everyone, every day, everywhere. The world needs a sustainable food system that will feed a projected 9 billion people by 2050 with nutritious food, provide livelihoods—and also help steward our natural resources. To make this happen farmers, scientists, consumers, business leaders, food processors, nutritionists, distributors, policymakers and chefs must work together to build a system that feeds everyone and addresses the problems of malnutrition, obesity, hunger, extreme poverty and climate change. What are the necessary ingredients for a food system that works for all? Hear from a development banker, a renowned chef, an agricultural expert, a woman farmer, a culinary professional and others about the future of food, and how we can work together to feed the world.