International Food Policy Research In-stitute uses the approach that evidence-based strategies should serve as the basisfor policies to provide food security forthe world’s poor. In order to reach itsgoals, IFPRI collects and provides infor-mation on agricultural developmentsand nutritional interventions that canguide policymaking. The underlyingpremise being that public policy is es-sential for achieving sustainable foodsecurity. However, policies must bebased on sound scientific research andresearch-related activities. The dissemi-nation of results is critical for raising thequality of the debate and formulatingsound and appropriate food policies.

The IFPRI is a non-governmentalorganization (NGO) that sponsors nu-merous projects aimed at alleviatingpoverty and hunger through sustainablesolutions. It provides cutting-edge pol-icy research that is communicated in amanner to promote action and ensurethat the poor benefit. IFPRI is one of 15centers supported by the ConsultativeGroup on International AgriculturalResearch (CGIAR), an alliance of 64governments, private foundations, andinternational and regional organizations.

The web site is an excellent re-source for not only descriptions of theorganization and its work, but also pro-vides up-to-date information on theworld food situation, new policy initia-tives and on-going research projects.Broadcasts of recent seminars and re-marks made by international leaders onrelevant topics can be found at:http://feeds.feedburner.com/IfpriPodcast

Several projects sponsored by IFPRIthat are of particular interest to nutri-tionists include a joint project withCornell University using “sprinkles”that contain micronutrients. The addi-tion of Sprinkles to an ongoing fortifiedfood aid program in Haiti, was effectivein reducing child anemia by half (J Nutr2007;137:1023-30). In Bangladesh the“Food for Education” program has beenjudged an outstanding success. Poorfamilies were rewarded with food in re-turn for regular attendance of their chil-dren at school. The program led to 20-30% increase in school participationrates with children staying in school for0.4-1.4 years longer.

The website is easy to navigateand provides a wealth of informationand hyperlinks. Forewarned is fore-armed, when you surf by for a peek,you may end up investing much moretime than you had planned.

Aliza Stark, PhD, RD, TheHebrew University of Jerusalem, Fac-ulty of Agricultural, Food and Envi-ronmental Quality Sciences, Instituteof Biochemistry, Food Science andNutrition, School of Nutritional Sci-ences, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100ISRAELdoi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2007.09.007

Grameen: Banking for the Poor. FromGrameen Bank Bhavan, Mirpur-1,Dhaka-1216, Bangladesh. Web site,available at: http://www.grameen-info.org. Accessed August 25, 2007.

The Grameen Bank is a microfinanceorganization and community developmentbank that makes small loans (known asmicrocredit) to the poor without requiringcollateral. The bank, which started in Ban-gladesh, is based on the idea that the poorhave many underutilized skills that are po-tential community resources. The organi-zation and its founder, Muhammad Yu-nus, were jointly awarded the Nobel PeacePrize in 2006.

At a time when US banks are be-leaguered by economic woes stemmingfrom their practice of making subprimeloans, it’s reassuring to know there’s aBank that makes smart small loans.And even though most recipientswouldn’t come close to qualifying for aloan in the United States, the invest-ments are yielding big individual andcommunity returns and the loan recov-ery rate is an enviable 98.6 percent.

The Grameen Bank began as aproject started in 1976 in the village ofJobra, Bangladesh. Seven years later itwas transformed into a formal bank thatreversed conventional practices by re-moving the need for collateral and cre-ated a banking system based on mutualtrust, accountability, participation, andcreativity.

Borrowers own 94 per cent of thetotal equity of the bank. The remaining6 percent is owned by the Indian gov-ernment. The total number of borrow-ers is 7.24 million, and 97 per cent of

them are women. Grameen Bank has2 452 branches providing services in79 152 villages, covering more than 94percent of the total villages inBangladesh.

Loans are made to support income-generating activities, housing, educa-tion, and to assist the poorest of thepoor in society—beggars. No interest ischarged from this group, and providingcredit helps beggars find a dignified live-lihood, send their children to school,and graduate into becoming regularGrameen Bank members.

The Grameen Bank website pro-vides extensive information about theorganization, its history, and how themicrocredit process works. It also de-scribes the criteria set for determiningif a family is poor or has moved out ofpoverty, and it provides motivationfor women who join the Grameenbank in the form of “16 decisions.”

While the site is informative, itsdesign, architecture and navigation areunfortunately less impressive than theexcellent work of the organization. Sitenavigation is problematic. Navigationbecomes inconsistent as the viewer ex-plores subpages of the site, making itdifficult to see the path. In other words,it’s easy to get lost in the bank! Navi-gational options change from one pageto the next, and options that may ap-pear in a deeper layer of the site couldeasily be missed because they don’t ap-pear in the pop-up menus higher up inthe site.

From a design standpoint, the mar-gins and font on several pages changedepending on the path taken to accessthem. The font of the left navigationwas inconsistent from one page toanother.

On the date the site was accessedfor this review, several of the links tointernal pages were broken, making itimpossible to view all of the informa-tion the site has to offer.

Jennifer Wilkins, PhD, RD, Foodand Society Policy Fellow, Class IV,Senior Extension Associate, Divisionof Nutritional Sciences, 305 MVRHall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14850doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2007.09.005

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior ● Volume 39, Number 6, November/December 2007 359