#BorlaugBlog
For 30 years, the World Food Prize has worked to build on the legacy of Dr. Norman Borlaug, the man who saved a billion lives, by recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. Our Laureates, our close partners, and our staff work tirelessly to alleviate hunger through innovative approaches, and we hope to share their expertise, research, and personal stories on The Borlaug Blog.
In the Borlaug Blog, we will occasionally post a blog featuring stories, research, and expert opinion from our Laureates, partners, and staff. It is our hope that this blog series will create a conversation between farmers, NGOs, CEOs and people across the globe.
What Comes From the Ordinary
By Francine Barchett posted on
03/05/2018
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“Really, Iowa? Why Iowa?” When I told my high school friends I would be going to a food symposium in Iowa, their responses ranged from amazement to amusement to borderline confusion. Most pictured Iowa as a vast and isolated wilderness of corn and tractors, yet one thought outside the box...
My Experiences with The World Food Prize: Embracing Complexity, Seeing Possibility, and Creating Opportunity
By Madeline Song posted on
02/26/2018
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There have been certain experiences in my life that I can only describe as defining and life-changing. I encountered one such experience at the 2015 Global Youth Institute, where I heard Sheryl WuDunn share her book, “A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity.”
In her speech, she introduced the concept of...
How The World Food Prize Empowered Me and the Next Generation of Hunger Fighters
By Akriti Bhattarai posted on
02/19/2018
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Whenever I walk into the Rotunda of the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates, I am immediately filled with feelings of awe and inspiration that draw me back to the first time I witnessed that spectacular sight and read the words “Food is the moral right of all who are...
If Only We Take A Chance
By Erica Baier posted on
02/12/2018
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If you had asked me my freshmen year of high school what my future plans were, I would have confidently responded, “I want to become a Division I Track and Field athlete.” Ambitious, right? Maybe it’s just me, but I believe that some of our biggest goals and dreams are...
My Thoughts About the Experiences I Had Interning at the World Food Prize
By Samantha Westphal posted on
02/05/2018
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Growing up in Urbandale, a suburb of Des Moines, I remember driving by and admiring the beautiful World Food Prize (WFP) Hall of Laureates – I even took my senior pictures in the garden. However, it wasn’t until the summer after I graduated from the University of Iowa that I...
A Week With Ambassador Kenneth Quinn and the Lessons that I Learned While Being a Part of the World Food Prize Foundation's Week of Events
By Lainey Bourgeios posted on
01/29/2018
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My name is Lainey Bourgeois, and I am a first semester student in the Masters of Agribusiness Program at Texas A&M University. This past October, I had the unique opportunity to attend the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be...
Achieving Food Security and Nutrition (SDG2) calls for a multi-sectoral approach going beyond food production
By Uma Lele posted on
01/22/2018
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I had the pleasure of working with Norman Borlaug and President Carter in the Sasakawa program in Africa. As a student of Indian Agriculture, of course I have seen Borlaug’s large footprint on Indian agriculture, which became the cradle of the Green Revolution. Not only did he introduce new hybrid...
Mentored by Greatness
By Dr. Ronnie Coffman posted on
01/15/2018
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Ronnie Coffman
When a person is mentored by greatness, it changes them for life. That is what happened to me under Dr. Norman E. Borlaug.
In 1967, I arrived at Cornell University from the University of Kentucky as a 24-year-old Ph.D. student in the plant breeding department. Soon afterwards, I was offered...
A Noble (and Nobel) Legacy of Inspiring Young Leaders
By Keegan Kautzky posted on
01/08/2018
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Keegan Kautzky
At the very first World Food Prize Youth Institute, there were just 12 students…and three Nobel Peace Prize Laureates!
Norman Borlaug, Jimmy Carter and Muhammad Yunus spent the day listening to the students’ ideas, discussing their solutions, and offering them advice on how to tackle the world’s toughest challenges.
Three of...
Why the Quality of Food Matters in Combating Hunger
By Jan Low posted on
01/02/2018
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Dr. Jan Low
When one sees pictures of starving children in Yemen or the multitudes of refugees walking long distances with clearly limited resources, the first and appropriate reaction is to get enough calories to these stricken individuals so that they can survive and not feel the pangs of severe hunger....