Despite progresses over the last few decades, undernutrition is widespread across Africa south of the Sahara. While agricultural interventions have traditionally focused on enhancing yields of few staple crops, there is increased interest on the role of production diversity in enhancing the dietary quality of subsistence farm households.

Reducing undernutrition requires improving access to goods and services from a wide range of economic and social sectors, including agriculture, education and health.

The world has made significant progress in reducing hunger over the past decade. But hunger remains a major challenge. This policy brief identifies the most effective and efficient ways to invest in improving food security.

India, a country with high concentrations of poor and malnourished people, long promoted a cereal-centric diet composed of subsidized staple commodities such as rice and wheat to feed its population of more than a billion. Today, however, dietary patterns are changing.

It is generally assumed that there are strong links between conflict, food security and peace. However, the precise underlying causes and channels that determine these links are often not well understood. More research and data are required to generate the evidence base that helps guide both national and international responses.

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges the world must meet today and in the future. Prolonged droughts and desertification are among the issues faced by many countries, especially in Africa and Asia, where the rural poor and smallholders are most heavily affected.