1.1 Origin, Mission and Mandate

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) was established in 1975 in recognition of the need for an independent research institute that would deal with socioeconomic policies for agricultural development. IFPRI joined the CGIAR in 1980. The Institute’s mission, as it was re-stated in 1996, is (a) to identify and analyse alternative national and international policies for meeting food needs on a sustainable basis, with particular regard for low-income countries and poor people, and for the sound management of the natural resource base that supports agriculture; (b) to make the results of its research available to all those in a position to apply them or use them; and (c) to help strengthen institutions conducting research on food policies and institutions in a position to apply such research results in developing countries. The interpretation of IFPRI’s mandate and its research activities evolved over time, in response to changing needs within developing countries and perceptions of their major policy issues.

IFPRI’s first External Programme and Management Review took place during 1985; the second was during 1990. Programme and management reviews were then conducted separately. The second external review coincided with an extremely difficult period for IFPRI, during which the Board Chair and the Institute’s Director General were abruptly replaced. Although the high regard in which the quality and the relevance of IFPRI’s programme were held was not affected, the reviews called for many changes in the Institute’s management to help put it on a more professional footing. To monitor the implementation of change, TAC and the CGIAR Secretariat commissioned an Interim External Review (IER), which took place during 1992. The IER found that IFPRI had overcome its major hurdles, achieved many positive changes, and was well on track. The IER provided an overview of IFPRI’s response to the second EPMR, but also showed that a number of the 1990 recommendations had not yet been implemented. An overview of these unimplemented recommendations and their current status are provided in Appendix I. The present report reflects the outcome of IFPRI’s Third EPMR and covers the period since 1992, during which IFPRI has been led by its current Director General, Dr. Per Pinstrup-Andersen.