DialogueNEXT in Washington, D.C.
WORLD FOOD PRIZE
Seeds of Equity: Women Driving Growth & Innovation in Agriculture
In alignment with its mission to elevate innovation and inspire action to enhance the availability, quantity and quality of food for all, the Foundation regularly convenes food security advocates at the state, national and global level. The launch of the DialogueNEXT series was held at the U.S. Institute of Peace on March 26, 2024. The entire day was dedicated to highlighting the critical role of women in global food security under the theme Seeds of Equity: Women Driving Growth and Innovation in Agriculture and featured a special collaboration with Roots of Peace, the organization founded by 2023 World Food Prize Laureate Heidi Kühn.
The inaugural event in Washington, D.C., coincided with International Women’s History Month and celebrated the birthday of the Foundation’s Founder Dr. Norman Borlaug. Additionally, it commemorated the 10th anniversary of Dr. Borlaug’s statue unveiling in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall. The event was a platform for robust discussions, innovative ideas and collaborative actions. Dialogue centered around women’s empowerment and equity, agricultural innovation and technology and the role of women in fostering peace through agriculture.
LATEST NEWS
Speakers
Agenda
- Ambassador Terry Branstad | President, World Food Prize Foundation
- Mashal Husain | Chief Operating Officer, World Food Prize Foundation
- Chaunté Lowe | Olympian, World Champion Medalist, American Record Holder, Member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition
- Elsa Murano | World Food Prize Foundation Council of Advisors Member and Director, Norman E. Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, Texas A&M University
- Hon. Jose W. Fernandez | Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, U.S. Department of State
- Hon. Jennifer Lester Moffitt | Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Ambassador Lisa Carty | Representative of the United States of America to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
- Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli | Founder and Executive Chair, African Food Changemakers
- Maria Rose Belding | Co-Founder, Founding Executive Director and Board Chair, FoodRecovery.org
- Jocelyn Brown Hall | Director, FAO North America
- Dina Esposito | Assistant to the Administrator for the Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security at USAID and Feed the Future Deputy Coordinator for Development
- Tambra Raye Stevenson | Founder and CEO of WANDA and NativSol Kitchen
- Hale Ann Tufan | 2019 Borlaug Field Award Recipient and Associate Professor, Cornell University
- David Beckmann | 2010 World Food Prize Laureate and Coordinator, Circle of Protection
- Jan Low | 2016 World Food Prize Laureate and Managing Director, JWLOW Limited
- Catherine Bertini | 2003 World Food Prize Laureate and Chair, Executive Board, Global Crop Diversity Trust
- Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted | 2021 World Food Prize Laureate and Director, Nutrition, Health and Food Security Impact Area Platform, CGIAR
- Heidi Kühn | 2023 World Food Prize Laureate and Founder, Roots of Peace
- Jan Low | 2016 World Food Prize Laureate and Managing Director, JWLOW Limited
- Mashal Husain | Chief Operating Officer, World Food Prize Foundation
- Bram Govaerts | 2014 Borlaug Field Award Recipient and Director General, CIMMYT
- Julie Borlaug | World Food Prize Foundation Council of Advisors and President, Borlaug Consulting and the Borlaug Foundation
- Hon. Joni Ernst | U.S. Senator and Member, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Hon. Debbie Stabenow | U.S. Senator and Chairwoman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Hon. Ramin Toloui | Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, U.S. Department of State
- Introduction: Elsa Murano | World Food Prize Foundation Council of Advisors Member and Director, Norman E. Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, Texas A&M University
- Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli | Founder and Executive Chair, African Food Changemakers
- Jocelyn Anderson | Farmer and Vice President, GSA Farms and Glenn County Farm Bureau Board of Directors
- Julie Borlaug | World Food Prize Foundation Council of Advisors and President, Borlaug Consulting and the Borlaug Foundation
- Jennifer Crall | Global Head Partnerships-Growers Engagement & AgriChain Activation, Bayer Crop Science
- Sarah Davidson Evanega | Vice President of External Relations, Okanagan Specialty Fruits
- Cary Fowler | Special Envoy For Global Food Security, Office Of Global Food Security, U.S. Department of State
- Introduction: Paul Schickler | Chair, Council of Advisors, World Food Prize Foundation
- Hon. Jennifer Lester Moffitt | Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Karen Chandler | Director of the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM), U.S. Department of State
- Sarah Goring | Country Director, Mines Advisory Group (MAG) Vietnam
- Jonathan Granoff | President, Global Security Institute
- Heidi Kühn | 2023 World Food Prize Laureate and Founder, Roots of Peace
- Violet Grgich | President, Grgich Hills Estate Winery
- Laura Turner Seydel | Director, Turner Foundation
- Elizabeth Whitlow | Executive Director, Regenerative Organic Alliance
A Root Awakening
DialogueNEXT in Washington, D.C. was held at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, Washington, D.C., March 25, 2025.
DialogueNEXT is a part of an event series tracing Dr. Norman Borlaug’s international footsteps and revisiting landmarks preserving his legacy. Through a powerful progression of collaborative conversations, participants create a meaningful DIALOGUE that leads us to critical NEXT steps in alleviating hunger. These exchanges will set the stage for essential discussions at the annual Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue.
WORLD FOOD PRIZE
Overarching Calls to Action
Based on the keynote remarks and panel discussions at DialogueNEXT in Washington, D.C., below is a summary of the necessary actions the global community must take to improve food security:
- Increase investment, capacity and funding for agricultural R&D to drive sustainable productivity.
- Support institutional and technical innovations that enhance agricultural systems.
- Accelerate the adoption of research and innovation by fostering more conversations and showcasing real-world examples, particularly with farmers.
- Educate and inspire young leaders in science, agronomy, food security and other forms of agricultural research.
- Provide networking and decision-making opportunities for young researchers and professionals.
- Incorporate food security topics into educational curriculums at all levels to increase awareness of hunger and agricultural challenges.
- Strengthen partnerships and intersectoral cooperation between public and private sectors, NGOs and academia, particularly in developing regions.
- Align agricultural policies with trade, environmental and economic strategies.
- Convene food systems stakeholders regularly from a variety of disciplines and sectors through forums such as DialogueNEXT.
- Recognize how food security supports national security and alleviates global conflict.
- Leverage storytelling to engage diverse stakeholders, including consumers.
- Unite global populations through our shared dependence on food and agriculture.
- Mobilize resources and commitments to end hunger.
- Encourage aspirational, “moonshot” solutions that drive immediate and/or long-term impacts.
Remember the legacy of Dr. Borlaug by boldly pursuing opportunities to feed a hungry world.
Agenda
- Mashal Husain | President, World Food Prize Foundation
- Thomas J. Vilsack | Chief Executive Officer, World Food Prize Foundation
- Facilitator: Cary Fowler | 2024 World Food Prize Laureate
- Martin Chalfie | 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Gebisa Ejeta | 2009 World Food Prize Laureate, Chair, World Food Prize Laureate Selection Committee and Distinguished Professor of Agronomy, Purdue University
- John C. Mather | 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics and Senior Astrophysicist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- Cynthia Rosenzweig | 2022 World Food Prize Laureate, Co-founder, AgMIP and Adjunct Senior Research Scientist, Columbia Climate School
- Facilitator: Han Chen | 2024 Top Agri-food Pioneer and Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ZeaKal
- Sarah Dean | Global Public Policy Manager, John Deere
- Simon Heck | Director General, International Potato Center (CIP) and Senior Director, CGIAR
- Brooke Jamison | Chief, Americas Liaison Office, International Fund for Agricultural Development
- Philip Pardey | Director, GEMS Informatics Center, University of Minnesota
- Hon. Amy Klobuchar | United States Senator and Ranking Member, Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Facilitator: Thomas J. Vilsack | Chief Executive Officer, World Food Prize Foundation
- Emma Barrett | World Food Prize Foundation Youth Programs Alumna and Undergraduate Student, Yale University
- Chidimma Ifeh | Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research Fellow and Doctoral Student, Montana State University
- Zachary Stewart | Vice President of Research and Chief Scientist, International Fertilizer Development Center
- Grace Tiwari | Next Generation Agriculture Impact Network Ambassador and Doctoral Student, Pennsylvania State University
- Hon. Chuck Grassley | United States Senator, Senate President Pro Tempore and Member, Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Introduction: Mashal Husain | President, World Food Prize Foundation
- Han Chen | 2024 Top Agri-food Pioneer and Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ZeaKal
- Jennie Schmidt | Farmer, Schmidt Farms, Inc. and Member, Global Farmer Network
- Myron E. Stine | President, Stine Seed Company
- Amy Wu | Founder and Director, From Farms to Incubators