In the wake of the food crises of the early 1970s and the resulting World Food Conference of 1974, a group of innovators realized that food security depends not only on crop production but also on the policies that affect food systems, from farm to table. In 1975, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) was founded to provide solid research and evidence-based policy options to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. Agriculture and rural development play a critical role in alleviating poverty and undernutrition. IFPRI research has addressed key issues over time, moving from food subsidies and commercialization of agriculture in its early years to support in recent years for sustainable agricultural growth, investment in agricultural research, provision of safety nets to strengthen resilience, prioritization of nutrition interventions for women and children, strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation, and partnerships with other stakeholders in global movements such as the diverse and impressive Scaling Up Nutrition.