IFPRI’s ReSAKSS program released its third flagship report, the 2020 Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor (AATM). It focuses on intra-African trade integration for agricultural products—including the role of nontariff measures—and on the competitiveness of African value chains that are crucial for food security. The report also examines and measures informal cross-border trade and its role in poverty alleviation and food security and offers policy recommendations for improving agricultural export performance.
Additional highlights from this week’s Compact2025 News in Brief include:
- Lao PDR has adopted the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (BMS) Decree to protect and promote breastfeeding. The government’s national legislation aligns with global guidance: it will provide information on appropriate infant feeding, and put strict regulation on marketing of breastmilk substitutes, bottles and teats.
- A new IFPRI book explores the state of agricultural extension—a service essential for rural transformation, incomes, nutrition, and empowerment. The book provides a synopsis of global extension systems and deep dives into Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Uganda. View the book launch event, organized by IFPRI and the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutes, and Markets (PIM).
- Prevalence of moderate or severe wasting among children could increase by 14% due to COVID-19-related losses in GNI per capita suggests an IFPRI journal article.
