
Unlike many African countries, local grain prices in Uganda were largely unaffected by soaring prices in 2008. Uganda is relatively isolated from global markets due in part to the high cost of shipping to this landlocked country. In addition, Uganda is self-sufficient in terms of national food production.
In early 2009, however, the story began to change. Between December 2008 and April 2009, local maize prices in Uganda increased by 4.6 percent. Increased exports to neighboring countries, including Kenya and the DRC, have been driving maize prices up, explains Mr. Magulu.
While producers may reap some benefits from the price increase, consumers are more likely to suffer from it. Understanding the nature and size of price effects has important policy implications. Within a given country, for example, the effects of a price increase can vary greatly across regions or districts. The impact on welfare can also differ at the household level, where women and girls often have less access to food and other resources.
According to a new IFPRI study, How Does Food Price Increase Affect Ugandan Households? An Augmented Multimarket Approach, policy responses need to take these conflicting effects and other factors into account if they intend to successfully assist both poor consumers and producers.

Gruere (left) and Rosegrant with Prof.
Richard E. Just, AAEA president.
Photo Credit: Paul Sweitzer Photography
Mark Rosegrant, director, and Guillaume Gruère, research fellow, of the Environment and Production Technology Division received the Review of Agricultural Economics’ Outstanding Journal Article award by the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA).
According to Gruère, the article, “Assessing the Implementation Effects of the Biosafety Protocol’s Proposed Stringent Information Requirements for Genetically Modified Commodities in Countries of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation” shows “that strict requirements, as proposed in the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, will translate into costly and unjustified regulatory procedures, affecting not only trade but also agricultural technology choices in the future.”
Gruère and Rosegrant’s article was published in the Review of Agricultural Economics in 2008 and full text is available to subscribers. The Review of Agricultural Economics is composed of research articles on agricultural, food, and natural resource economics relevant to policy and business decisions. Originally, the results of the study presented in the article were presented at a ministerial meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Hanoi, Vietnam in February 2006 ahead of the Protocol meeting in March 2006.
They accepted the award at the AAEA and ACCI 2009 Joint Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The shocking results of the study may have influenced the UPA government in India to propose a National Food Security Act to be published in the very near future, according to the Times of India. The Times of India reported the Food Security Act will require families who are below poverty line in rural or urban areas to receive up to 25 kgs of food grain at 3 rupees/ kg per month. Currently, below poverty level families are provided with 35 kgs of rice or wheat per month. Wheat is available at 4.15 rupees/ kg while rice is 5.65 rupees/ kg.
Biraj Patnaik explained if the United Progressive party was voted back to power,Congress agreed to pass a food act based upon the premise that all citizens have the right to food. No one should go hungry. If the Indian government passes this bill, they will have taken the first step to improve their 66 out of 88 ranking on IFPRI’s Global Hunger Index.
While this Act may lead to improvement in malnutrition and hunger levels, the Indian government faces distribution challenges as well as financial setbacks. Some worry about the Food Security Act during a year the crop was not very successful, as well as whether there will be limits on the number of people in each state able to receive food due to storage and balanced distribution according to the population. A draft of the Food Security Bill will be published soon online at the website of the ministry of food and public distribution for ongoing debate before the final budget is available.
What do you think of the proposed plan? What are your hopes and concerns about the Food Security Act relating to the India State Hunger Index?
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Benjamin Kariuki, a father of 5, lives in Gachoka division of Mbeere district in semi-arid Kenya. Every year he plants maize and beans to feed his family, but he depends on rain to water his crops. Benjamin believes that climate change is a reality, causing both higher temperatures and more volatile rainfall patterns. This year, he planted in January when the rains started, but lost the crop when the rains stopped. He planted again in February and a third time in March. The last time, he could only plant part of his field as he had no more seeds left and no more money to buy them.
The effects of climate change can be particularly severe for farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, who rely almost exclusively on rainfall for crop production and have limited capacity to adapt.
For more information on climate change and agriculture visit www.ifpri.org/themes/climatechange/climatechange.asp
Agriculture has increased the intensity of malaria around the world, because it can support the breeding of mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite. Urbanization is increasing in most developing countries as a result of population growth. To feed the increasing population, farmers are cultivating undeveloped land around cities to produce and supply vegetables to the city dwellers. Water is vital for the success of the venture as cultivation is done year round. However, water is scarce in most of the cities and so it becomes a constraining factor. Farmers have learned to adapt to the constraints by storing water in dugouts and bunds. These water storage receptacles provide favorable aquatic habitats for mosquitoes. Additionally, farmers are implementing irrigation methods, such as furrow irrigation, that increase the potential for mosquito breeding. People who live around these urban agricultural field gardens easily contract malaria throughout the year if they are not properly protected by bed nets or pesticides or other control measures. It is important for policy makers to be cognizant of the relationship between agriculture and health when devising agricultural development and disease control policies and strategies.
For more information see The Linkages Between Agriculture and Malaria: Issues for Policy, Research, and Capacity Strengthening