The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty in developing countries. IFPRI is one of 15 research centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an alliance consortium of 64 governments, private foundations, and international and regional organizations.

IFPRI aims to achieve its mission through cutting-edge scientific research, capacity strengthening, and policy communication that lead to food policy and programs that improve the livelihoods of poor people and promote sustainable production.

Food, Water, and Energy Nexus

The increasing demand on agriculture to meet the food and nutrition needs of a growing and urbanizing population puts an extraordinary burden on water and energy resources, which can cause significant environmental damage and catalyze social and political unrest if urgent actions are not taken. Weather shocks and climate change add further stress to this volatile situation. Protecting the livelihoods of the world’s most vulnerable people requires a strengthened nexus with regard to strategies and policies dealing with water, energy, and food security.

In order to address these challenges, IFPRI conducts research on water, bioenergy, and climate change. In particular, IFPRI’s water research program focuses on multiple dimensions of the issue:

• ensuring sustainable food production under growing water scarcity,
• devising governance structures, policies, and institutions for effective water resource management, and
• identifying links among water management and access and gender and human health.

“IFPRI’s water research program is unique in that it assesses water supply and demand together with food outcomes, nonagricultural water demands, and environmental outcomes at the local, basin, national, and global levels. It works across disciplines and with strong partners to deliver documented policy impact,” says Claudia Ringler, deputy director of IFPRI’s Environment and Production Technology Division and head of the water research program.

Expectations for Bonn 2011

The water, energy, and food nexus is the focus of the Bonn2011 Conference, which comes at a crucial time for global food security. The event will provide an opportunity to reflect on challenges and develop new approaches for integrating the three sectors. The nexus approach is about tearing down silos that hinder interdisciplinary problem solving. It is about finding solutions, policies, and concepts that achieve the same results with fewer resources or achieve better results with the same resources. This unique multisectoral, multistakeholder event can allow us to network across disciplines, compare best practices, and move one step closer to achieving a stabler, more sustainable global environment while ensuring food security for all.

Q&A with Fan Shenggen

Why did IFPRI make the decision to be involved in this conference?

Recent events have put food security back on the global agenda. However, many new policies and programs fail to account for the connections among food, water, and energy, and thus risk using resources unsustainably—with dire consequences for food security. IFPRI recognizes that new approaches for integrating food, water, and energy sectors are urgently needed. This conference presents an important opportunity for IFPRI to listen and learn and to discuss its evidence and research with international stakeholder groups.

What is the particular expertise that your organization brings to this discussion?

IFPRI brings over 30 years of research and policy expertise on sustainable food security and poverty reduction. Its program of research involves many facets of the global food system, including its links with energy and water. As a result of this conference, we hope that our research and evidence on these topics receive greater attention from policymakers and practitioners.

What do you feel is the role of our institutions in designing and implementing solutions to the nexus problem?

IFPRI does not have a mission that focuses on advocacy. IFPRI’s findings are based on research that allows policymakers to base their decisions and policies on sound evidence. IFPRI recognizes that coordination across the three sectors is essential for improved and integrated water, food and energy strategies. IFPRI works closely with policymakers and other actors in developing countries to help them identify effective and efficient policies, strategies and investments for sustainable agricultural development.

An interview with Fan Shenggen from the “Conference Dailies” by OOSKANews.