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Who we are

With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

researcher spotlight

Liangzhi You

Liangzhi You is a Senior Research Fellow and theme leader in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit, based in Washington, DC. His research focuses on climate resilience, spatial data and analytics, agroecosystems, and agricultural science policy. Gridded crop production data of the world (SPAM) and the agricultural technology evaluation model (DREAM) are among his research contributions. 

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Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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The Earth Planet

Ukraine

countries and regions

Publications

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Opinion Piece

From farm to ship to fork: The role of maritime insurance in facilitating global food trade

2024Denamiel, Thibault; Dodd, Emma; Glauber, Joseph W.; Reinsch, William Alan; Welsh, Caitlin
Details

From farm to ship to fork: The role of maritime insurance in facilitating global food trade

Developments in agriculture and transportation over the last century have shifted global diets from traditional to staple crops, largely concentrating the source of populations’ nutritional and caloric needs to a limited number of producing countries. Three staple crops—rice, corn, and wheat—now provide more than 40 percent of global caloric intake. The remaining dietary needs of populations are in part met by local markets, but the outsourcing of a significant proportion of food production is now a permanent fixture of food security and nutrition in a globalized agricultural marketplace. More than 80 percent of global trade in staple crops and oilseeds relies on a handful of maritime trade routes that, when disrupted, create a chokehold on food supplies.

Year published

2024

Authors

Denamiel, Thibault; Dodd, Emma; Glauber, Joseph W.; Reinsch, William Alan; Welsh, Caitlin

Citation

Denamiel, Thibault; Dodd, Emma; Glauber, Joseph; Reinsch, William Alan; and Welsh, Caitlin. 2024. From farm to ship to fork: The role of maritime insurance in facilitating global food trade. Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies. https://www.csis.org/analysis/farm-ship-fork-role-maritime-insurance-facilitating-global-food-trade

Country/Region

Ukraine

Keywords

Eastern Europe; Black Sea; Agriculture; Transport; Diet; Crops; Markets; Insurance

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Opinion Piece

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Report

Food as the “silent weapon”: Russia’s gains and Ukraine’s losses

2024Welsh, Caitlin; Glauber, Joseph W.
Details

Food as the “silent weapon”: Russia’s gains and Ukraine’s losses

Russia’s war in Ukraine has caused the greatest military-related disruption to global agricultural markets in at least a century. Ukraine’s agricultural sector has been a major front in Russia’s war since February 2022, and the primary purpose of Russia’s targeting of Ukraine’s agricultural infrastructure is likely to undercut a main source of Ukraine’s income. Ukraine’s GDP contracted by more than 29 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, and the value of agriculture as a proportion of Ukraine’s GDP was 39 percent lower in 2022 than 2021. The global disruptions to the agricultural market due to Ukraine’s diminished production and exports have been stark: world food prices reached all-time nominal highs in March 2022, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization Food Price Index. In 2022, 258 million people suffered from acute food insecurity, an all-time high, according to the Global Report on Food Crises. At the same time, the cost of addressing these challenges also soared due to concurrent shocks in the global energy and fertilizer markets brought on by Russia’s war. For example, the cost of the delivery of humanitarian assistance also peaked due to the increased cost of food and fuel for operations. At the same time, for countries hoping to address domestic food insecurity with domestic agricultural production, the increased cost of fertilizer became a limiting factor. Likewise, countries dealing with the high price of food imports, high prices of agricultural inputs, and high levels of food insecurity also had less fiscal space for social programs following the Covid-19 pandemic, which drained national budgets.

Year published

2024

Authors

Welsh, Caitlin; Glauber, Joseph W.

Citation

Welsh, Caitlin; and Glauber, Joseph W. 2024. Food as the “silent weapon”: Russia’s gains and Ukraine’s losses. CSIS Report. Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). https://www.csis.org/analysis/food-silent-weapon-russias-gains-and-ukraines-losses

Country/Region

Ukraine

Keywords

Russia; Europe; Eastern Europe; Agriculture; Armed Conflicts; Infrastructure; Gross National Product; Food Insecurity; War

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Fragility, Conflict, and Migration

Record type

Report

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Brief

From the ground up: Demining farmland and improving access to fertilizer to restore Ukraine’s agricultural production

2023Welsh, Caitlin; Dodd, Emma; Dankevych, Vitalii; Glauber, Joseph W.; Broyaka, Antonina
Details

From the ground up: Demining farmland and improving access to fertilizer to restore Ukraine’s agricultural production

In the two decades leading up to Russia’s February 2022 invasion, Ukraine had become a major producer and exporter of numerous agricultural commodities. In the 2020–2021 harvest season—the last season unaffected by Russia’s full-scale invasion—Ukraine was the fifth-largest exporter of wheat, honey, and walnuts worldwide; the third-largest exporter of maize, barley, and rapeseed; and the world’s top exporter of sunflower oil, sunflower meal, and millet. Due to Russia’s intentional attacks on all aspects of Ukraine’s agriculture sector, and collateral damage from hostilities, Ukraine’s production and exports are diminished today from prewar levels. As of June 2023, the Kyiv School of Economics estimated that Ukraine’s agriculture sector had incurred $8.7 billion in direct damages to agricultural machinery, equipment, and storage facilities, as well as from stolen or damaged agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers and seeds, and outputs, such as crops and livestock. The sector’s $40.3 billion losses represent farmers’ diminished incomes due to foregone production, lower selling prices for products, and higher operational costs across all stages of the agri-food value chain.

Year published

2023

Authors

Welsh, Caitlin; Dodd, Emma; Dankevych, Vitalii; Glauber, Joseph W.; Broyaka, Antonina

Citation

Welsh, Caitlin; Dodd, Emma; Dankevych, Vitalii; Glauber, Joseph W.; and Broyaka, Antonina. 2023. Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies. https://www.csis.org/analysis/ground-demining-farmland-and-improving-access-fertilizer-restore-ukraines-agricultural

Country/Region

Ukraine

Keywords

Eastern Europe; Europe; Agricultural Production; Agrifood Systems; Farmland; Fertilizers; Value Chains

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Fragility, Conflict, and Migration

Record type

Brief

Blogs

The war in Ukraine continues to undermine the food security of millions
IFPRI Blog
 | 
April 04, 2024

The war in Ukraine continues to undermine the food security of millions

By Rob Vos

The struggle to recover amid conflict.

Ukraine and global agricultural markets two years later
IFPRI Blog
 | 
February 26, 2024

Ukraine and global agricultural markets two years later

By Joseph Glauber

A mixed picture for prices and food security.

Impacts of Red Sea shipping disruptions on global food security
IFPRI Blog
 | 
January 17, 2024

Impacts of Red Sea shipping disruptions on global food security

By Joseph Glauber and Abdullah Mamun

Potential fallout from Houthi attacks.

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Events

Trade disruptions and their impacts on agricultural markets: Looking back and ahead
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

January 13, 2025, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Trade disruptions and their impacts on agricultural markets: Looking back and ahead

Also streaming on Please type your questions into the chat box with name, affiliation, and country. The event video, presenter slides, and podcast will be available in the days following the event. Global agricultural markets have been in a constant state of uproar over the past 5 years. Trade wars between major trading nations such as […]

How should governments respond to crises? Rapid response using RIAPA modeling system
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

August 13, 2024, 9:30 – 10:30 am

How should governments respond to crises? Rapid response using RIAPA modeling system

IFPRI’s foresight modeling systems cover food, land, and water systems across the world’s poorest and most food insecure geographies. Thanks to longstanding investments in these systems, IFPRI is uniquely positioned to provide rapid analysis of the impacts of global or domestic crises on agrifood systems, poverty, and food security at global, regional, national, or subnational […]

From Commitments to Impact: Analyzing the Global Commitments Toward Promoting Food Security and Healthy Diets
Series/Special Event

 | 

February 6, 2024, 9:00 – 10:30 am

From Commitments to Impact: Analyzing the Global Commitments Toward Promoting Food Security and Healthy Diets

Hybrid Event: February 6, 2024 at 9:00am-10:30am EST. This event will shed light on commitments already made, share research results on the potential of current commitments to achieve a focused set of food and nutrition security goals, and foster continued dialogue with global advocacy partners.

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News

October 06, 2023 | In the News

Qué está pasando en la guerra: Ucrania desafía a Rusia e impulsa una nueva ruta para transportar cereales en el mar Negro (elDiario.es)

What’s going on in the war: Ukraine challenges Russia, promotes new Black Sea grain transport route (elDiario.es) “Several ships have once again set sail from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, despite Russia withdrawing from an agreement that allowed ships to safely pass through those waters to transport grain. They follow the original trade route: a corridor […]

September 28, 2023 | In the News

Food prices are rising as countries limit exports. Blame climate change, El Nino and Russia’s war (Associated Press)

“Countries have imposed restrictions on the food they export to protect their own supplies from the combined effect of the war in Ukraine, El Nino’s threat to food production and increasing damage from climate change,” writes the Associated Press. “Tanzania’s onion limits this year are part of the “contagion” of food restrictions from countries spooked by supply […]

September 19, 2023 | In the News

Why Is Russia blocking Ukraine’s food exports? (CSIS) 

A short, spoken-word summary from CSIS’s Caitlin Welsh on her Critical Questions publication with Joe Glauber (IFPRI) and Emma Dodd (CSIS), “Why Is Russia Blocking Ukraine’s Food Exports?” “Russia’s termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BGSI) will be a main topic of discussion in United Nations General Assembly meetings next week. The United Nations and others continue to […]

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