Welcome to the Borlaug Dialogue - Feeding a Fragile World
Welcome to the 2022 Borlaug Dialogue, Feeding a Fragile World. We have one week until we kick off three days of inspiring deliberations on the huge challenges ahead and the progress needed to feed our fragile world.
We are grateful that many of you will be traveling to Des Moines to convene in person after two years of mostly-virtual programming. Our staff, interns and many volunteers have been working diligently to create an exciting and rewarding experience in our new venues.
This year, we focus on the climate-food nexus and the unprecedented challenges we face amidst the pandemic and significant regional conflicts. We will feature expert speakers on so many crucial issues, focusing on the looming global hunger crisis and the scalable solutions needed to sustainably increase the quality, quantity and availability of food for all.
On our opening day, Tuesday, we begin early with concurrent breakout sessions, where participants will discuss the African food system, soil health, and the New Cow, among other topics. View the schedule on Accelevents to bookmark your sessions of interest.
Following an opening keynote from US Special Envoy Cary Fowler, we welcome the Rwandan Minister of Agriculture, Gérardine Mukeshimana, to share the strategies to build successful partnerships with Manuel Otero, IICA, and Latin American countries. Jyotsna Puri, International Fund for Agriculture Development, joins them to explore dynamic, cooperative models being employed. Rwanda hosted this year’s amazingly successful African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF - newly branded the African Food Systems Summit) in early September, which I had the pleasure of attending.
Later on Tuesday, engaging roundtables and chats lead us through a day focused on the Triple Threat of climate, COVID, and conflict, as well as the opportunities of regenerative agriculture. We close with crucial and engaging Side Events hosted in person and virtually.
Wednesday begins with USAID Administrator Samantha Power, who will share global strategies and perspectives on food security and international development in her keynote address. Roundtables and chats focus on finance and investment, NASA’s tools for food and agriculture, and the opportunities for increased global cooperation in research, sustainable agriculture, and innovative agriculture technologies. Shameran Abed, CEO of BRAC, offers another keynote address outlining BRAC’s impact over 50 years pursuing the end of poverty. At the close of the day, we celebrate Dr. Mahalingam Govindaraj, our 2022 Borlaug Field Award Recipient, who is recognized for his leadership in the biofortification of pearl millet.
On Thursday, two Roundtable discussions proceed, where esteemed speakers address food security and nutrition in the climate era, and the role for a Just Transition. Rodger Voorhies, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Uma Lele, International Association of Agricultural Economists, and Eric Danquah, West Africa Center for Crop Improvement tackle the innovations of international development, and Secretary Thomas Vilsack, US Department of Agriculture, closes the Dialogue with a charge to tackle climate change in the context of an evolving agricultural landscape.
Finally, we will award Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig with the 2022 World Food Prize in a special ceremony on Thursday evening. Getting to know Cynthia more over the past few months has been a true pleasure, and I am thrilled for her to receive this well-deserved recognition. If you aren’t joining in Des Moines, we hope you will watch the Laureate Award Ceremony, which is streamed publicly for all to view on our website.
If you haven’t already, register for the Borlaug Dialogue to join these conversations, focus on what is most needed, and develop solutions to global food systems challenges.
Again, welcome to the Borlaug Dialogue and see you in a week!