Iwmi Annual Report 2020

In 2020, PIM findings contributed to seed policies in Nepal and Uganda, Malawi’s extension strategy and approval of insect-resistant cotton, a nationwide program aimed at improving the effectiveness of public service delivery in Uganda, social protection programs in Egypt, and school gardens for better nutrition in Papua New Guinea. At the global level, PIM research was used to shape strategic decisions of organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GIZ, the Inter-American Development Bank, the UK Government's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the World Bank and the World Health Organization. PIM tools were incorporated in universities’ curricula in India and South Africa. Examples of PIM innovations scaled up by partners in 2020 are private sector seed marketing in Ethiopia, picture-based insurance in Ethiopia, India and Kenya, and tools for inclusive governance of natural resources in India and Peru.

IFPRI’s 2020 Annual Report presents highlights from our research work around the world. Cutting-edge research on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policies, and on our strategic research areas—climate resilience and sustainability, healthy diets and nutrition, inclusive and efficient food systems, institutions and governance, and rural transformation, as well as cross-cutting work on gender—is helping to inform policies and programs to end hunger and malnutrition.

This book presents the challenges of developing countries to understand and manage the risks of extreme natural events. In the seventeen chapters presented, it brings together scientific communities from Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Venezuela to share their expertise in different aspects of managing extreme natural events, particularly those related to climate. It discusses how adaptation to these extreme natural events must be an integral part of national policy of the developing countries dealing with disaster mitigation and management.

The 21st century is associated with a number of environmental, social, and economic challenges spanning from globalization and migration to climate change, global health, urbanization, and natural hazards. These challenges of the modern age command our immediate reaction towards an equal society. There is an urgent need for scientists, researchers, and politicians to take the reins by providing immediate solutions to tackle this harsh reality. The need for a more human approach has recently led to what we call humanitarian engineering. Modern Challenges and Approaches to Humanitarian Engineering provides relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in this area. It discusses the most recent challenges and approaches in the field of humanitarian engineering and presents research, case studies, and innovative models. Covering topics such as contact tracing apps, scientific production, and sustainable management, this book is an essential resource for engineers, government officials, scientists, activists, humanitarians, emergency management agencies, students and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

The book is organized according to ‘seven inspirations’ – seven ideas – and presents a collection of theoretical essays and a set of provocative and innovative solutions to design, plan and build urban resilience in uncertain and unpredictable scenarios. Led by the National University of Singapore School of Design and Environment, presents the research by design results of four consecutive years in four different countries (China, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand) responding to the current challenge of building more resilient cities in front of impacts of climate change, such as coastal and river flooding, water and air pollution, water scarcity, urban heat island effect, aquifer depletion or subsidence. The book brings together the work of highly-reputed academics, professionals and scholars from 20 universities worldwide with the aim of serving as a guide for mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, and more specifically to reinstating the environmental qualities of our cities through carbon-neutral or carbon net-positive urban designs and plans.