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Food Price Volatility, Food Security and Trade Policy Conference
September 18-19, 2014World Bank Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
This conference will focus on trade-offs faced by policy makers trying increase food security for their populations. The challenge is to identify policies or combinations of policies that can ensure both the livelihood security and the food security of vulnerable people.

Food price volatility raises serious concerns in developing countries, given the large share of income spent on food by the poor, and the importance of agriculture as a source of income for many poor people. It can result in sharp declines in the incomes of poor people, potentially throwing them into poverty, and pose serious threats to their food security. The challenge for policy is to identify policies or combinations of policies that can ensure both the livelihood security and the food security of vulnerable people. Meeting this challenge is made much more difficult by collective-action problems. While individual countries may insulate themselves from a food price surge using measures such as export bans, these exacerbate the increase in the world price, creating particular difficulties for poor net-food-importing countries. Join the research department for a two-day conference at World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC, for a far-ranging discussion and debate on the trade-offs faced by policy makers trying increase food security for their populations. 

Conference Organizer

Will Martin, Research Manager, Development Research Group, World Bank 

Inquiries

For any inquiries regarding the event, please contact Estella Malayaika emalayika@worldbank.org.


This project received substantial support from the Knowledge for Change Trust Fund (KCP project on Trade and Storage,TF010230).


Last Updated: Oct 02, 2014

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18*

08.15am

Breakfast and Coffee

09.00am

Introduction, Kaushik Basu, Senior Vice President & Chief Economist (DECVP), World Bank (minute 1:30, webcast day 1)

NATURE AND IMPACTS OF FOOD PRICE VOLATILITY
Chair: Bob Thompson, Johns Hopkins University (former Director for Agriculture, World Bank)

09.20am

Causes and types of food price volatility
Speaker: Brian Wright, UC Berkeley (Presentation) (minute 22, webcast day 1)
Discussant: Maximo Torero, International Food Policy Research Institute (minute 42, webcast day 1)

10.00am

Implications of food price changes for the poor
Speakers: Maros Ivanic & Will Martin, Development Research Group, World Bank (Presentation) (minute 58, webcast day 1)
Discussant: Rob Townsend, World Bank (minute 79, webcast day 1)

10.40am

Morning Coffee

FIRST-BEST POLICY RESPONSES
Chair: Gopinath Munisamy, Director, Market and Trade Division, Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture

11.00am

Social safety nets
Speakers: Ruslan Yemtsov and Ugo Gentilini, World Bank (Presentation) (minute 126, webcast day 1)
Discussant: Antoine Bouet, International Food Policy Research Institute (Presentation) (minute 148, webcast day 1)

11.40am

Producer insurance and risk management
Speaker: Vincent Smith, University of Montana (Presentation | Paper)  (minute 165, webcast day 1)
Discussant: Olivier Mahul, World Bank (minute 187, webcast day 1)


Lunch

TRADE AND STORAGE POLICY RESPONSES
Chair: Aaditya Mattoo, Research Manager, Trade and International Integration, Development Research Group, World Bank

02.00pm

Optimal trade and storage policies
Speaker: Christophe Gouel, French National Institute for Agricultural Research (Presentation) (minute 300, webcast day 1)
Discussant: Donald F. Larson, Agricultural and Rural Development, Development Research Group, World Bank (Presentation) (minute 320, webcast day 1)

02.40pm

Trade policy & price insulation
Speaker: Will Martin, Agricultural and Rural Development, Development Research Group, World Bank (Presentation) (minute 339, webcast day 1)
Discussant: Peter Timmer, Harvard University and Center for Global Change (minute 361, webcast day 1)

03.20pm

Afternoon tea

TRADE AND STORAGE POLICY CASE STUDIES
Chair: Uma Lele, Independent Scholar (formerly Senior Advisor, World Bank)

03.50pm

India
Speaker: Madhur Gautam, World Bank (Presentation | Paper) (minute 405, webcast day 1)
Disussant: Ashok Gulati, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (minute 428, webcast day 1)

04.30pm

China 
Speaker: Mario Miranda, Ohio State (Presentation | Paper) (minute 441, webcast day 1)
Discussant: Funing Zhong, Nanjing University (minute 465, webcast day 1)

05.10pm

Africa
Speaker: Thom Jayne, Michigan State University (Presentation) (minute 493, webcast day 1)
Discussant: Obie Porteous, UC Berkeley (Presentation) (minute 518, webcast day 1)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

08.15am

 Breakfast and Coffee

TRADE AND STORAGE POLICY CASE STUDIES (continued)
Chair: Mark Cackler, Manager, Agriculture Global Practice 

09.00am

Indonesia country study
Speaker: Peter Timmer, Harvard University and Center for Global Change (Presentation) (minute 2, webcast day 2)
Discussant: Peter Warr, Australian National University (Presentation) (minute 26, webcast day 2)

09.40am

Low-income net food importers
Speaker: David Hallam, Food and Agricultural Organization (Presentation)  (minute 47, webcast day 2)
Discussant: Paulo Bastos, Development Research Group, World Bank (Presentation) (minute 72, webcast day 2)

10.20am

Morning Coffee

POLICY OPTIONS
Chair: Will Martin, Research Manager, Agricultural and Rural Development, World Bank

10.40am

Potential rules for managing collective action problems 
Speaker: Tim Josling, Stanford University (Presentation | Paper) (minute 104, webcast day 2)
Discussant: Majda Petschen, World Trade Organization (minute 129, webcast day 2)

11:20am

Policy panel
Ashok Gulati, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (minute 157, webcast day 2)
Bernard Hoekman, European University Institute (minute 174, webcast day 2)
Eugenio Diaz-Bonilla, International Food Policy Research Institute (Presentation) (minute 187, webcast day 2)

Last Updated: Oct 02, 2014

Speaker Bios

  • Aaditya Mattoo

    Development Research Group, World Bank

  • Antoine Bouet

    International Food Policy Research Institute

  • Ashok Gulati

    Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations

  • Bernard Hoekman

    European University Institute

  • Bob Thompson

    Johns Hopkins University (former Director for Agriculture, World Bank)

  • Brian Wright

    UC Berkeley

  • Christophe Gouel

    French National Institute for Agricultural Research

  • David Hallam

    Food and Agriculture Organization

  • Donald F. Larson

    Development Research Group, World Bank

  • Eugenio Diaz-Bonilla

    Visiting Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute

  • Funing Zhong

    Professor, College of Economics & Trade, Nanjing Agricultural University

  • Gopinath Munisamy

    Director, Market and Trade Division, Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture

  • Madhur Gautam

    World Bank

  • Majda Petschen

    Agriculture and Commodities Division of the World Trade Organization

  • Mario Miranda

    Ohio State University

  • Mark Cackler

    Manager, Agriculture Global Practice

  • Maros Ivanic

    Development Research Group, World Bank

  • Maximo Torero

    International Food Policy Research Institute

  • Obie Porteous

    UC Berkeley

  • Olivier Mahul

    Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Program, World Bank

  • Paulo Bastos

    Development Research Group, World Bank

  • Peter Timmer

    Harvard University and Center for Global Change

  • Peter Warr

    Australian National University

  • Rob Townsend

    World Bank

  • Ruslan Yemtsov

    World Bank

  • Thom Jayne

    Michigan State University

  • Tim Josling

    Stanford University

  • Uma Lele

    Independent Scholar (formerly Senior Advisor, World Bank)

  • Vincent Smith

    University of Montana

  • William J. Martin

    Organizer, Development Research Group, World Bank
Background Papers
Event Details
  • Date: September 18-19, 2014
  • Location: World Bank Headquarters, 1818 H Street, N.W., Room MC13-121
  • Feature Story: Read the Story
  • CONTACT: Research Department, research@worldbank.org
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