Accra, March 2, GNA - The International Food Policy Research Institu= te (IFPRI) has launched a new project dubbed "Global Futures for Agriculture= " to improve agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability in developing countries. The project, which will be focusing on evaluating promising technologies, investments, and policy reforms, is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

A release issued by IFPRI and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the project would enable researchers to develop an enhanced version of IFPRI'= s International Model for Policy Analysis of Agricultural Commodities and Trade (IMPACT), a state-of-the-art economic model that projects the futur= e production, consumption and trade of key agricultural commodities, and ca= n assess the effects of climate change, water availability and other major trends. Improvements to the IMPACT model will make it possible to more effectively evaluate potential research expenditures and their impact on the world's most important crops, forests, and livestock.

The research will focus on regions most vulnerable to global changes= in the next 30 to 50 years, with special attention on the rural poor and smallholder farmers. The release said high global food prices in 2008 underscored the importance of research to help achieve the goals of feeding the world's burgeoning population while protecting critical natural resources.

"Sustainable agricultural growth in developing countries is challeng= ed as never before by climate change, increasingly volatile food and energy markets, natural resource exploitation, and a growing population with aspirations for a better standard of living," Mr Mark Rosegrant, Director= of Environment and Production Technology at IFPRI, the release said. It said the research would assess how changes in global trading regimes, mandates for biofuels and energy prices, land degradation, and climate change affect human well-being.

Additionally, it will consider how these trends affect developing countries' progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals of=

reducing hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. IFPRI researchers will collaborate with other scientists from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and leading public and private institutions around the world. The project also aims to improve the capacity of the CGIAR centres to=

evaluate and prioritize research investments, and to support the decision-making of international development partners and national policymakers.

The grant forms part of the foundation's agricultural development initiative, which is working with a wide range of partners to provide millions of small farmers in the developing world with tools and opportunities to boost their yields, increase their incomes, and build better lives for themselves and their families. The Foundation would be working to strengthen the entire agricultura= l value chain - from seeds and soil to farm management and market access so=

that progress against hunger and poverty is sustainable over the long ter= m.