scholarly journals Modeling impacts of faster productivity growth to inform the CGIAR initiative on Crops to End Hunger

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Wiebe ◽  
Timothy B Sulser ◽  
Shahnila Dunston ◽  
Mark W. Rosegrant ◽  
Keith Fuglie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
United States Department ◽  
The Impact

In 2017-2018, a group of international development funding agencies launched the Crops to End Hunger initiative to modernize public plant breeding in lower-income countries. To inform that initiative, USAID asked the International Food Policy Research Institute and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service to estimate the impacts of faster productivity growth for 20 food crops on income and other indicators in 106 countries in developing regions in 2030. We first estimated the value of production in 2015 for each crop using data from FAO. We then used the IMPACT and GLOBE economic models to estimate changes in the value of production and changes in economy-wide income under scenarios of faster crop productivity growth, assuming that increased investment will raise annual rates of yield growth by 25% above baseline growth rates over the period 2015-2030. We found that faster productivity growth in rice, wheat and maize increased economy-wide income in the selected countries in 2030 by 59 billion USD, 27 billion USD and 21 billion USD respectively, followed by banana and yams with increases of 9 billion USD each. While these amounts represent small shares of total GDP, they are 2-15 times current public R&D spending on food crops in developing countries. Income increased most in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Faster productivity growth in rice and wheat reduced the population at risk of hunger by 11 million people and 6 million people respectively, followed by plantain and cassava with reductions of about 2 million people each. Changes in adequacy ratios were relatively large for carbohydrates (already in surplus) and relatively small for micronutrients. In general, we found that impacts of faster productivity growth vary widely across crops, regions and outcome indicators, highlighting the importance of identifying the potentially diverse objectives of different decision makers and recognizing possible tradeoffs between objectives.

scholarly journals Modeling impacts of faster productivity growth to inform the CGIAR initiative on Crops to End Hunger

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0249994
Author(s):  
Keith Wiebe ◽  
Timothy B. Sulser ◽  
Shahnila Dunston ◽  
Mark W. Rosegrant ◽  
Keith Fuglie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
United States Department ◽  
The Impact

In 2017–2018, a group of international development funding agencies launched the Crops to End Hunger initiative to modernize public plant breeding in lower-income countries. To inform that initiative, USAID asked the International Food Policy Research Institute and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service to estimate the impacts of faster productivity growth for 20 food crops on income and other indicators in 106 countries in developing regions in 2030. We first estimated the value of production in 2015 for each crop using data from FAO. We then used the IMPACT and GLOBE economic models to estimate changes in the value of production and changes in economy-wide income under scenarios of faster crop productivity growth, assuming that increased investment will raise annual rates of yield growth by 25% above baseline growth rates over the period 2015–2030. We found that faster productivity growth in rice, wheat and maize increased economy-wide income in the selected countries in 2030 by 59 billion USD, 27 billion USD and 21 billion USD respectively, followed by banana and yams with increases of 9 billion USD each. While these amounts represent small shares of total GDP, they are 2–15 times current public R&D spending on food crops in developing countries. Income increased most in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Faster productivity growth in rice and wheat reduced the population at risk of hunger by 11 million people and 6 million people respectively, followed by plantain and cassava with reductions of about 2 million people each. Changes in adequacy ratios were relatively large for carbohydrates (already in surplus) and relatively small for micronutrients. In general, we found that impacts of faster productivity growth vary widely across crops, regions and outcome indicators, highlighting the importance of identifying the potentially diverse objectives of different decision makers and recognizing possible tradeoffs between objectives.

scholarly journals Household Water Insecurity Is Common and Associated With Higher Odds of Hunger and Lower Dietary Diversity Across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 668-668
Author(s):  
Joshua Miller ◽  
Sera Young ◽  
Elizabeth Bryan ◽  
Claudia Ringler
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Random Coefficient Models ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Household Water

Abstract Objectives Household water insecurity may exacerbate poor nutrition (e.g., via limited water to produce or prepare preferred foods) and health, but comparable quantification of water access and use has only recently become possible. We therefore aimed to assess the prevalence of household water insecurity and estimate its association with dietary diversity, hunger, and illness. Methods The International Food Policy Research Institute is conducting panel phone surveys among a random subsample of men and women in ongoing studies to understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Surveys last 20–30 minutes and include information about respondent and household characteristics; experiences with household water insecurity [using the Household Water Insecurity Experiences Scale-4 (HWISE-4), range: 0–12], hunger, and illness in the prior 2 weeks; and 24-hour dietary recall (range: 0–10 food groups). We assessed the relationship between water insecurity and dietary diversity, hunger, and illness using random coefficient models (which account for variation by site and adjust for measured confounders) among sites with available baseline data: Senegal (interviews conducted June 2020, n = 501), Nepal (July 2020, n = 759), Ghana (September 2020, n = 543), Nigeria (September 2020, n = 501), Kenya (October 2020, n = 547), and Niger (October 2020, n = 364). Additional data from other sites and timepoints are forthcoming. Results The prevalence of water insecurity (HWISE-4 scores > 3) ranged from 8.9% of sampled households in Nepal to 47.4% in Ghana. In bivariate analyses for each site, household water insecurity did not differ by respondent sex but was consistently lower among households that had an on-premises compared to off-premises water source [e.g., mean, 2.3 vs. 3.7, p < 0.001 in Senegal]. In adjusted models across all sites, greater water insecurity was associated with lower dietary diversity (B: –0.08; 95% CI: –0.10, –0.05), and higher odds of experiencing hunger (OR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.14) and having an ill household member (OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.07). Conclusions Water insecurity is experienced by many households and may be an important determinant of nutritional and physical well-being. Funding Sources The Bureau for Resilience and Food Security at the United States Agency for International Development.

Demonstrating Nutrient Cost Gradients: A Brooklyn Case Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 244-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Karp ◽  
Gary Wong ◽  
Marguerite Orsi
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Caloric Density ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Introduction: Foods dense in micronutrients are generally more expensive than those with higher energy content. These cost-differentials may put low-income families at risk of diminished micronutrient intake. Objectives: We sought to determine differences in the cost for iron, folate, and choline in foods available for purchase in a low-income community when assessed for energy content and serving size. Methods: Sixty-nine foods listed in the menu plans provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for low-income families were considered, in 10 domains. The cost and micronutrient content for-energy and per-serving of these foods were determined for the three micronutrients. Exact Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for comparisons of energy costs; Spearman rho tests for comparisons of micronutrient content. Ninety families were interviewed in a pediatric clinic to assess the impact of food cost on food selection. Results: Significant differences between domains were shown for energy density with both cost-for-energy (p < 0.001) and cost-per-serving (p < 0.05) comparisons. All three micronutrient contents were significantly correlated with cost-for-energy (p < 0.01). Both iron and choline contents were significantly correlated with cost-per-serving (p < 0.05). Of the 90 families, 38 (42 %) worried about food costs; 40 (44 %) had chosen foods of high caloric density in response to that fear, and 29 of 40 families experiencing both worry and making such food selection. Conclusion: Adjustments to USDA meal plans using cost-for-energy analysis showed differentials for both energy and micronutrients. These differentials were reduced using cost-per-serving analysis, but were not eliminated. A substantial proportion of low-income families are vulnerable to micronutrient deficiencies.

Anne O. Krueger, Constantine Michalopoulos and Vernon W. Ruttan. Aid and Development. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 1989. xiv + 386 pp.Price: U.S. $ 52.00

1991 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-217
Author(s):  
Mir Annice Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
International Development ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Development Assistance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Low Literacy ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Impact

Foreign aid has been the subject of much examination and research ever since it entered the economic armamentarium approximately 45 years ago. This was the time when the Second World War had successfully ended for the Allies in the defeat of Germany and Japan. However, a new enemy, the Soviet Union, had materialized at the end of the conflict. To counter the threat from the East, the United States undertook the implementation of the Marshal Plan, which was extremely successful in rebuilding and revitalizing a shattered Western Europe. Aid had made its impact. The book under review is by three well-known economists and is the outcome of a study sponsored by the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development. The major objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of assistance, i.e., aid, on economic development. This evaluation however, was to be based on the existing literature on the subject. The book has five major parts: Part One deals with development thought and development assistance; Part Two looks at the relationship between donors and recipients; Part Three evaluates the use of aid by sector; Part Four presents country case-studies; and Part Five synthesizes the lessons from development assistance. Part One of the book is very informative in that it summarises very concisely the theoretical underpinnings of the aid process. In the beginning, aid was thought to be the answer to underdevelopment which could be achieved by a transfer of capital from the rich to the poor. This approach, however, did not succeed as it was simplistic. Capital transfers were not sufficient in themselves to bring about development, as research in this area came to reveal. The development process is a complicated one, with inputs from all sectors of the economy. Thus, it came to be recognized that factors such as low literacy rates, poor health facilities, and lack of social infrastructure are also responsible for economic backwardness. Part One of the book, therefore, sums up appropriately the various trends in development thought. This is important because the book deals primarily with the issue of the effectiveness of aid as a catalyst to further economic development.

Impact of Ventilation on Fire Behavior in Legacy and Contemporary Residential Construction

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Kerber ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Homeland Security ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fire Service ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Department Of Homeland Security ◽  
Front Door ◽  
Fire Environment ◽  
Open Floor ◽  
The Impact

Under the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program, Underwriters Laboratories examined fire service ventilation practices as well as the impact of changes in modern house geometries. There has been a steady change in the residential fire environment over the past several decades. These changes include larger homes, more open floor plans and volumes and increased synthetic fuel loads. This series of experiments examine this change in fire behavior and the impact on firefighter ventilation tactics. This fire research project developed the empirical data that is needed to quantify the fire behavior associated with these scenarios and result in immediately developing the necessary firefighting ventilation practices to reduce firefighter death and injury. Two houses were constructed in the large fire facility of Underwriters Laboratories in Northbrook, IL. The first of two houses constructed was a one-story, 1200 ft, 3 bedroom, 
bathroom house with 8 total rooms. The second house was a two-story 3200 ft, 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house with 12 total rooms. The second house featured a modern open floor plan, two- story great room and open foyer. Fifteen experiments were conducted varying the ventilation locations and the number of ventilation openings. Ventilation scenarios included ventilating the front door only, opening the front door and a window near and remote from the seat of the fire, opening a window only and ventilating a higher opening in the two-story house. One scenario in each house was conducted in triplicate to examine repeatability. The results of these experiments provide knowledge for the fire service for them to examine their thought processes, standard operating procedures and training content. Several tactical considerations were developed utilizing the data from the experiments to provide specific examples of changes that can be adopted based on a departments current strategies and tactics.

Abstract P078: Contribution of Nutrients from Consumption of Low/Non-Fat/Light Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt versus Regular Ice Cream to Total Daily Nutrient Intake

Circulation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Smerling ◽  
Douglas Balentine ◽  
Mary Kearney ◽  
Carolyn Scrafford ◽  
Leila Barraj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Intake ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Ice Cream ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Nutrient Intakes ◽  
Frozen Yogurt ◽  
Dietary Nutrient ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Impact

Objective: The impact on nutrient intake of replacing regular ice cream with low/non-fat/light ice cream and frozen yogurt (lower fat ice cream) is heretofore unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of daily nutrient intake from ice cream consumption to total daily dietary nutrient intake. Methods: Food intake and frequency of consumption data were based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2003–2004 and 2005–2006) and nutrient composition data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS). The NHANES datasets provide nationally representative nutrition and health data of the civilian U.S. population. A total of 16,783 individuals in the 2003–2006 survey periods provided 2 complete days of dietary recalls and nutrient intake estimates were derived using 2-day average intake analysis. Results: Mean consumption of regular and lower fat ice cream products in the US population was 68.5 and 77.1 grams/day, respectively and frequency of consumption was 0.2 and 0.22 eating occasion/day, respectively among consumers of ice cream. Figure 1 reveals that lower fat ice cream contributed equal or greater amounts of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, and niacin to daily nutrient intakes for the U.S. population when compared with regular ice cream, with the exception of vitamin D. Alternatively, lower fat ice cream contributed lesser amounts of energy, saturated fat, and added sugar to daily nutrient intakes when compared to regular ice cream; lower fat ice cream contributed 56% less saturated fat to daily nutrient intake compared to regular ice cream. Conclusion: Consumers of low/non-fat/light ice cream and frozen yogurt had lower percent contribution of saturated fat to total daily nutrient intake compared to users of regular ice cream. Figure 1

Book Reviews: Coddington et al. - The Crisis in Health Care: Costs, Choices, and StrategiesDean C. Coddington, David J. Keen, Keith D. Moore, and Richard L. Clarke San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991, 303 pp. US$30.95 cloth. ISBN 1-55542-273-X. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 350 Sansome St., San Francisco, CA 94104, USA.

1992 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-275
Author(s):  
Andrea L. Bonnicksen
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Present System ◽  
Cost Shifting ◽  
Hospital Administrators ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Care System

PrécisThe authors assume that costs can no longer be contained in the United States health care system and that the present system cannot be sustained beyond the near future. Three of the authors are affiliated with an applied economic research and consulting firm, and the fourth is president of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. They are trained in business and city planning. The bibliography lists articles from such journals as Hospitals, Business & Health, Business Insurance, and Medical Economics.The book is directed to members of hospital governing boards and other hospital administrators, but it will be of interest to students of health policy. Part I highlights tensions between what the authors call the worlds of doctors and hospital administrators struggling to survive, on the one hand, and health care planners worried about spiraling costs on the other. Part II contains five chapters that suggest reasons for growing costs and that criticize cost shifting as a remedy.In Part III the authors evaluate alternative health care systems by presenting four future scenarios: incremental change, universal access, consumer choice model, and single payer system. In these chapters they also approach the fundamental purpose of the book—to “help physicians, hospitals, and health plans take the next steps to position themselves for the future.” While not highly analytical, the book is a readable and thoughtful supplement to more abstract critiques of the impact of today's health care system on distributive justice.

No Longer Overlooked and Undervalued? The Evolving Dynamics of Endogenous Educational Research in Sub-Saharan Africa

2006 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICHARD MACLURE
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Educational Research ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Research Networks ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Local Research

Multilateral donors like the World Bank and bilateral agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the British Department for International Development exert a great deal of influence in international educational development — particularly in sub-Saharan Africa — both in the programs they fund and the types of research they engage in. In this article, Richard Maclure investigates educational research in Africa and juxtaposes research done by large, exogenous, Western, results-oriented organizations with research performed by smaller, endogenous, local researchers aided by local research networks. Maclure argues convincingly that research that falls into the exogenous "donor-control" paradigm far too often is irrelevant to the African educational policy context and does little to develop local research capacity. The cases of two African research networks — the Educational Research Network of West and Central Africa and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa—are presented as exemplars of organizations that promote an alternative type of research that is endogenous, relevant to policy and the process of policymaking, and controlled by Africans. Maclure concludes with a call for increased support for and development of these types of networks, and for the development of the long-term solution to educational research in Africa — the university.

scholarly journals Social Vulnerability, Gender and Disasters. The Case of Haiti in 2010

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mar Llorente-Marrón ◽  
Montserrat Díaz-Fernández ◽  
Paz Méndez-Rodríguez ◽  
Rosario González Arias
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disasters ◽  
International Development ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Research Work ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

The study of vulnerability constitutes a central axis in research work on sustainability. Social vulnerability (SV) analyzes differences in human capacity to prepare, respond and recover from the impact of a natural hazard. Although disasters threaten all the people who suffer from them, they do not affect all members of society in the same way. Social and economic inequalities make certain groups more vulnerable. Factors such as age, sex, social class and ethnic identity increase vulnerability to a natural disaster. Ten years after the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, this work deepens the relationship between natural disasters, SV and gender, exploring the unequal distribution of the SV in the face of a seismic risk. The source of statistical information has been obtained from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), developed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Multicriteria decision techniques (TOPSIS) and the differences in differences (DID) technique are used to analyze variations in gender inequality in SV as a result of the catastrophic event. The results obtained reinforce the idea of the negative impact of the disaster on the SV. Additionally, an intensification of the negative effects is observed when the household is headed by a woman, increasing the gap in SV between households headed by women and the rest of the households. The conclusions obtained show additional evidence of the negative effects caused by natural disasters on women, and important implications for disaster risk management are derived that should not be ignored.

scholarly journals The Economic Importance of Financial Literacy: Theory and Evidence

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annamaria Lusardi ◽  
Olivia S. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Final Section ◽  
The United States ◽  
Empirical Models ◽  
Financial Knowledge ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
What Works ◽  
Economic Decision Making ◽  
The Impact

This paper undertakes an assessment of a rapidly growing body of economic research on financial literacy. We start with an overview of theoretical research, which casts financial knowledge as a form of investment in human capital. Endogenizing financial knowledge has important implications for welfare, as well as policies intended to enhance levels of financial knowledge in the larger population. Next, we draw on recent surveys to establish how much (or how little) people know and identify the least financially savvy population subgroups. This is followed by an examination of the impact of financial literacy on economic decision making in the United States and elsewhere. While the literature is still young, conclusions may be drawn about the effects and consequences of financial illiteracy and what works to remedy these gaps. A final section offers thoughts on what remains to be learned if researchers are to better inform theoretical and empirical models as well as public policy. (JEL A20, D14, G11, I20, J26)

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