World Food Prize Foundation
2013 Borlaug Dialogue
Biotechnology, Sustainability and Climate Volatility
The 2013 Borlaug Dialogue launched the year-long centennial observance of World Food Prize founder Dr. Norman E. Borlaug’s birth. Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of Watson and Crick’s discovery of the DNA double helix, the 2013 Borlaug Dialogue looked ahead to the next century of advances in agricultural research and application and focused on the issues that Dr. Borlaug would have viewed as critical as we strive to nourish the world’s growing population.
In keeping with Dr. Borlaug’s legacy, we brought customized and localized solutions for smallholder farmers to the forefront of our dialogue. Specifically, the symposium explored:
- The advances in science-based innovation in allowing us to not only produce more food, but to reduce loss and waste, enhance food safety and better manage our environmental resources. Looking at the role of technological innovation since the Green Revolution, the symposium will evaluate how we can use research, education, extension and enterprise to strengthen the linkages along the value chain to benefit all stakeholders, with a special focus on enabling farmers around the world to manage risks and build resilience in the face of growing climate volatility.
- How we can best harness the many tools and technologies at our disposal, including biotechnology, alternative frameworks, and new methodologies and mechanisms, to improve human development, increase food security and enhance nutrition and health.
- Diverse perspectives including agro-ecology and sustainable agriculture, as well as explore the crucial issues of land tenure, land management, emerging innovations in food traceability and precision agriculture. We further analyzed the metrics of sustainability and the success of collaborative initiatives to build climate resilience, while looking ahead at future challenges and opportunities.
These and other critical issues were explored through keynote presentations and lively and engaging conversations featuring the expertise and diverse perspectives of governmental leaders; policymakers; CEOs and executives from agribusiness and non-governmental organizations; and scientific, academic and development experts from around the world.
To further Dr. Borlaug’s dream of inspiring the next generation to become future leaders in confronting hunger and poverty, the 2013 Borlaug Dialogue also featured the second annual dialogueNEXT conversation during the Thursday plenary program, which brings together emerging young thought leaders and innovators who are contributing new ideas, concepts and achievements.
Key Highlights
The World Food Prize welcomed to the stage three key global leaders: Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, current President of Iceland; and Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, at the Holy See in the Vatican.
They joined over 1,000 international scientific, business and policy experts from more than 65 countries during the 2013 Borlaug Dialogue from October 16 to 18 in Des Moines, Iowa. This global gathering has been called the “premier conference in the world on global agriculture.”
- Tony Blair, in his current role as Patron of the Africa Governance Initiative, spoke on a panel titled “40 Chances,” which represents the number of growing seasons that a farmer can expect during his or her lifetime. With the theme of “Redefining the Fight Against Hunger, Poverty and Suffering,” this discussion included Howard G. Buffett, farmer and President of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and Ritu Sharma, founder and CEO of Women Thrive Worldwide. It focused on the drivers of food security including aid effectiveness, trade, private sector investment, and technological innovation, and also announced new joint programming designed to foster market-based solutions for addressing global challenges related to hunger, poverty, and conflict.
- President Grímsson has identified the need to combat climate volatility as one of the most pressing current issues worldwide. He convened the Global Roundtable on Climate Change and has brought Iceland to the forefront of global green energy leadership.
- Cardinal Turkson of Ghana has served as the President of the Roman Catholic Church’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace since 2009. He has focused on the importance of addressing food security issues long-term by respecting the land and rural populations, and promoting agricultural development in poorer countries.
The Borlaug Dialogue took place in conjunction with the 2013 World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony, where we honored the pioneers of biotechnology: Dr. Marc Van Montagu of Belgium, and Dr. Mary Dell-Chilton and Dr. Robert Fraley of the United States.
Transcripts by Agenda
Forward Thinking: Engaging Future Leaders to End World Hunger (Transcript, Video)
Moderator: Ellen Kullman, Chair and CEO, DuPont
Speakers: Mpule Kwelagobe,Founder and CEO, MPULE Institute for Endogenous Development, Julie Borlaug – Associate Director of External Relations, Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A&M and, Eve Ntseoane – smallholder farmer
Adapting to Change: The Role of Animal Protein in Feeding a Hungry World (Transcript, Video)
Moderator: Chris Nelson, President and CEO, Kemin Industries
Speakers: Balram Singh Yadav,Managing Director, Godrej Agrovet Ltd. and Shouchun Wang, Assistant Director General, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department, UN Food and Agriculture Organization
Research and Returns: The Future of Agricultural Technology & Investment (Transcript, Video)
Moderator: Martina Newell-McGloughlin, Director of International Biotechnology, University of California-Davis
Speakers: James Borel,Executive Vice President, DuPont, Brett Begemann, President and Chief Commerical Officer, Monsanto, Rob Aukerman, President of U.S. and Canada Operations, Elanco Animal Health, and Victor Villalobos, Director General, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
Setting the Stage: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead (Transcript, Video)
Moderator: Sir Gordon Conway, Professor of International Development, Imperial College London
Speakers: Tim Hanstad, President & CEO, Landesa, Kijoolu Kaliya,Pastorilist and Community Leader, Maasai Community, Tanzania, Claude Fauquet, Director of the International Laboratory for Tropical Agricultural Biotechnology (ILTAB), Beth Keck, Director, Women’s Economic Empowerment, Walmart
DialogueNext (Part 1): Capacity and Capital (Transcript, Video)
Moderator: Thad Simons, President & CEO, Novus International
Speakers: Jacqueline Mkindi, Executive Director & CEO, Tanzania Horticultural Association, Mark Kahn, Partner, Omnivore Partners, and Jatin Singh, Founder & CEO, Skymet Weather Services
Partnerships and Potential: A New Vision for Agriculture (Transcript, Video)
Moderator: Lisa Dreier, Senior Director, Food Security and Development Initiatives, World Economic Forum USA
Speakers: Ray Offenheiser, President, Oxfam America, Bill Cordingley, Managing Director and Head of Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory, The Americas, Rabobank International, Davor Pisk, Chief Operating Officer, Syngenta, Khalid Bomba, Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency, CEO, and Dyborn Chibonga, Chief Executive Officer, National Smallholder Farmer’s Association of Malawi (NASFAM), Malawi
The Triangle: Ice, Energy, Food (Transcript, Video)
Speaker: H.E. Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, President of Iceland
40 Chances (Transcript, Video)
Moderator: Betty Liu, Anchor, Bloomberg Television
Speakers: Honorable Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the UK; Howard G. Buffett, Chairman and CEO Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and Ritu Sharma, Co-Founder and President, Women Thrive Worldwide
Transformative Policy: Focus on Africa (Transcript, Video)
Moderator: Gebisa Ejeta, 2009 World Food Prize Laureate
Speakers: Chris Elias, President, Global Development Program, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, H.E. Akinwumi A. Adesina, Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nigeria, and H.E. Florence Chenoweth, Minister of Agriculture, Liberia
Thursday Luncheon Keynote (Transcript, Video)
Speaker: His Eminence Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson of the Vatican
South to South: Collaborative Best Practices Across Borders (Transcript, Video)
Moderators: Marcos Fava Neves, International Adjunct Professor,School of Business, University of Sao Paulo (USP)
Speakers: Deshpal Verma, Professor, The Ohio State University, Beatriz Silveira Pinheiro, Former Director General Strategic Studies and Capactiy Strengthening Division, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), and Ishmael Sunga, Chief Executive Officer, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU), South Africa
DialogueNEXT (Part 2): Beyond the Big Idea (Transcript, Video)
Moderators: Thad Simons, President & CEO, Novus International
Speakers: Peter Frykman, Founder & CEO, Driptech, Charity Mutegi, Kenya Country Coordinator for the Aflasafe Project Internatioal Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and Matt Burkhart, Vice President and General Manager, Applied Technology Division, Raven Industries
Breakfast Keynote (Transcript, Video)
Speaker: H.E. Akinwumi A. Adesina, Minister of Agriculture of Nigeria
Resilience and Reality: The Future of a Climate Volatile Planet (Transcript, Video)
Moderators: Mark Cackler, Agricultural and Rural Development Department, The World Bank
Speakers: Ren Wang, Chairman and General Manager Shandong Xiatan Co. Ltd., Hermann Lotze-Campen, Co-Chair Research Domain II- Climate Impacts and Vulnerabilities, Postdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Rattan Lal, Distinguished University Professor and Director Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, Ohio State University
Stakeholders and Synergies: Socio-Economic Dimensions of Sustainable Agriculture (Transcript, Video)
Moderators: Hans Herren, Chief Executive Officer and President, Millennium Institute
Speakers: M. Jahi Chappell, Director of Agriculture Policy, Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant-Director General, Economic and Social Development, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Frances Moore Lappé, Author of Duet for a Small Planet and Cofounder Small Planet Institute
Straight Talk on GMOs: Facts, Fiction and Food Security (Transcript, Video)
Moderators: Greg Jaffe, Biotechnology Project Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest
Speakers: Sir Brian Heap, Professor, Biosciences for Farming in Africa, Mark Lynas, author and environmental campaigner, Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Advisor to the President, European Commission, and Gilbert Bor, smallholder farmer and Lecturer, Catholic University of Eastern Africa’s Eldoret Campus (GABA)
Laureate Luncheon – Looking Ahead: A Conversation with the 2013 Laureates (Transcript, Video)
Moderator: Margaret Catley-Carlson, Chair, Global Crop Diversity Trust
Speakers: Mary-Dell Chilton, 2103 World Food Prize Laureate, Robert Fraley, 2013 World Prize Laureate, and Marc Van Montagu 2013 World Food Prize Laureate