Over the coming decades, global change will have an impact on food and water security in significant and highly uncertain ways, and there are strong indications that developing countries will bear the brunt of the adverse consequences, particularly from climate change. This is largely because poverty levels are high, and developing-country capacity to adapt to global change is weak.

For more than 30 years, China has undergone economic reforms and development that have led to successful economic growth and poverty reduction. The country has also made considerable efforts to reduce the income gap between urban and rural populations, balance regional development, and conserve natural resources. In 2003, IFPRI developed a strategy specifically tailored to its work in China and expanded its national program.

This policy note summarizes research that analyzed the adverse impact of climate-related shocks on farm households’ real per capita consumption and asset ownership over time, as well as factors that exacerbate or ameliorate those adverse impacts.

South Asia (SA), including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan, is one of the most populous regions in the world. Agriculture is the backbone of the economies of SA nations and is the main source of livelihood for many rural poor households. While parts of SA have experienced considerable agricultural sector growth in the last half-century, many other regions, including large parts of eastern India and Bangladesh, have lagged behind. Many farmers face water scarcity due to both physical constraints as well as lack of adequate water storage and management

The recent food crisis, combined with the energy crisis and emerging climate change issues, threatens the livelihoods of millions of poor people as well as the economic, ecological, and political situation in many developing countries. On top of these crises, the decades of shrinking global investment in agricultural research are leading to slower growth in agricultural productivity. Progress in achieving development goals-such as cutting hunger and poverty in half by 2015-has been delayed significantly.

The year 2011 highlighted ongoing challenges to global food security, from food price volatility, extreme weather shocks, and famine to unrest and conflicts. On the policy front, major devel­opments at the global and national levels both offered grounds for encouragement and pointed to areas where further action is needed.

Der Welthunger-Index (WHI) 2014 stellt die nationale, regionale und weltweite Hungersituation zum neunten Mal in jahrlicher Folge multidimensional dar. Er zeigt, dass bei der globalen Hungerbekampfung seit 1990 Fortschritte erzielt werden konnten, jedoch angesichts sehr ernster oder gar gravierender Hungerwerte in 16 Landern noch immer groser Handlungsbedarf besteht. Der Schwerpunkt dieses Berichts liegt auf einem entscheidenden Aspekt des Hungers, der haufig ubersehen wird, dem verborgenen Hunger.

The well-documented threats posed by climate change are serious and potentially devastating to the global community. The geographic areas that are most susceptible to the effects of climate change, such as increased droughts and flooding, are also the regions where the majority of the world’s poor live.

The United Nations declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming. Although many forms of production were once family-based, agriculture is now one of the few that are still dominated by families. Because family farms are so prevalent, making them more productive could help combat poverty and hunger in many rural areas around the world. Family farms are mostly small in scale, but they are highly diverse in other ways, and their pathways out of poverty will vary.

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is based on three equally weighted indicators: > Undernourishment: the proportion of undernourished people as a percentage of the population (reflecting the share of the population with insufficient caloric intake); > Child underweight: the proportion of children younger than age five who are underweight (that is, have low weight for their age, reflecting wasting, stunted growth, or both), which is one indicator of child undernutrition; and > Child mortality: the mortality rate of children younger than age five (partially reflecting the fatal synergy o

Numerous studies indicate that agricultural production is sensitive to climate variability, and lack of infrastructure in developing countries increases vulnerability to extreme climate events. In Ethiopia, the historical climate record indicates frequent droughts and floods, which can devastate agricultural production and existing infrastructure. Too much precipitation can flood crops, rot or suffocate roots, and wash out roads, creating similar economic conditions to those resulting from drought.