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This post originally appeared on the IFPRI-WCAO blog.

The prolonged heatwave of summer 2018 has devastated crops across Europe, leaving some countries facing their worst harvests since the end of World War II.

The hot temperatures and lack of rainfall, especially in central and Eastern Europe, has forced major exporting countries to import food for the first time in decades. Some countries are facing rising food prices as a result, while others, such as the UK, experience fruit and vegetable shortages in supermarkets.

Parts of the Eastern Horn of Africa experienced above-average precipitation between March and May, followed by more heavy rainfall in the northern areas of the region during the start of the June-September wet season. This increased rainfall has led to severe flooding in several areas of the region, and FEWS Net forecasts flooding and heavy rains to continue into Decembe r. Sudan remains the hardest hit, with parts of northern Ethiopia and western South Sudan also impacted.

Teff plays a leading role in both the diets and the economy of Ethiopia. While the crop’s potential to expand into lucrative domestic and global export markets is large, however, little investment has been made to expand the crop’s productivity to take advantage of these opportunities. A new book from IFPRI, The Economics of Teff: Exploring Ethiopia’s Biggest Cash Crop , takes a look at the challenges faced by teff producers and how governments and private sector actors can work together to expand the crop’s role in global food markets.

This blog was originally published by IFPRI .

By Catherine Ragasa and John Mazunda (IFPRI)

Malawi’s agricultural policy is coming up short for farmers. While they receive heavy subsidies for seed and fertilizer, farmers continue to grapple with challenges to food security and productivity. Our recent research examines these gaps in Malawian agricultural policy, focusing on these questions: How can agricultural services best help farmers? And where is the ideal intersection of subsidies and extension services?

As crop prices move throughout the year, they influence households’ consumption decisions, farmers’ production decisions, and traders’ marketing decisions. As such, it is important to understand price seasonality in local contexts in order to design appropriate policy interventions. A new working paper and policy note from IFPRI’s Nigeria Strategy Support Program look at such price movements in grain prices in Kebbi state, Nigeria.