World Food Prize Foundation
2007 Borlaug Dialogue
Biofuels and Biofoods: The Global Challenges of Emerging Technologies
The 2007 Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium, held in Des Moines October 17-19, 2007, focused on: “Biofuels and Biofoods: The Global Implications of Emerging Technologies.”
The 2007 “Borlaug Dialogue” gathered more than 700 leading policymakers, industry executives, and agricultural and food science experts from over 60 countries, who explored the international impact that biorenewable energy will have in the coming decades, including such topics as:
- the implications of biorenewable energy in the context of climate change, declining water resources, and sustainable agriculture
- the linkages between biofuels and biotechnology
- the particular promises and challenges that biofuels pose for developing countries
Transcripts by Agenda
Opening Ceremony
Amb. Kenneth Quinn, United States – President, The World Food Prize Foundation
Hugh Grant, United Kingdom – President, Chairman & CEO; Monsanto Company
Session I: Global Perspectives
Nina Federoff, United States (Moderator) – Science and Technology Advisor to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Professor, Penn State University
Gloria Visconti, Italy – Senior Expert, Ministry for the Environment, Land & Sea
H.E. Roberto Rodrigues, Brazil – Coordinator, Getulio Vargas Foundation Agribusiness Center, Former Minister of Agriculture, Brazil
Zhangliang Chen, China – President, China Agricultural University, Member, World Food Prize Council of Advisors
Ibrahim Rehman, India – Director, Action Programs Division,The Energy & Resources Institute
H.E. Lulama Xingwana, South Africa – Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs
Conversation with Session I Speakers and Participants
Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, United States/Mexico – Founder, The World Food Prize, 1970 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Secretary’s Luncheon
Hon. Chuck Conner, United States – Acting U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Session II: Industry, Policy, and Sustainability
Dr. Gregory Geoffroy, United States (Moderator) – President, Iowa State University, Member, World Food Prize Council of Advisors
Hon. Daniel Sullivan, United States – Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs
John Powell, Australia – Deputy Executive Director, UN World Food Programme
Hon. James Greenwood, United States – President & CEO, The Biotechnology Industry Organization
Christopher Policinski, United States – President & CEO, Land O’ Lakes
Conversation with Session II Speakers and Participants
Symposium Breakfast Address
Charles O. Holliday, Jr., United States – Chairman & CEO, DuPont
Session III: Realizing the Promise of Biofuels in Development
Ambassador Melinda Kimble, United Nations (Moderator) – Senior Vice President, U.N. Foundation
Andrea Kutter, Germany – Senior Natural Resources Management Specialist, Global Environment Facility
H.E. Ibrahim Mayaki, Niger – Executive Director, The Hub for Rural Development in West and Central Africa
Birgitte Ahring, Denmark – Professor, Technical University of Denmark, Head, Danish Center for Biofuels
Session IV: Future Science and Policy Challenges
Margaret Catley-Carlson, Canada (Moderator) – Chair, Global Water Partnership Member, World Food Prize Council of Advisors
Suzanne Hunt, United States – Consultant, Natural Resources Defense Council, UN Food and Agricultural Organization, Global Bioenergy Partnership, and Inter-American Development Bank
David Molden, Sri Lanka – Deputy Director General, International Water Management Institute
Cynthia Rosenzweig, United States – Senior Research Scientist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Conversation with Session IV Speakers and Participants
Philip E. Nelson, United States – Scholle Chair Professor in Food Processing, Purdue University
2007 World Food Prize Laureate
Friday Luncheon
Jeffrey Cox, United Kingdom – President, NAFTA Seeds, Syngenta