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Press and media partner registration for the 2025 World Food Prize Week of Events held October 20-24, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa, is now open. As the highlight of the week, the 2025 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue will convene a diverse array of international leaders, experts and scientists to discuss and address critical issues facing global food security.
• Members of the media can apply for press credentials HERE
• The current agenda can be found HERE
• Select speakers will be available for private interviews with onsite press. Details will be provided to in-person press who have registered.
The 2025 Borlaug Dialogue will convene under the theme SOILutions for Security, underscoring the foundational role that agriculture plays in sustaining global stability. As the world’s population rises and new challenges strain food systems, a global consensus is taking root: soil is more than dirt—it is a dynamic, living system that underpins human survival. In an era of economic disruption, conflict and environmental stress, the Borlaug Dialogue will examine how diverse industries and sectors can unite to address these challenges from the ground up.
The 2025 World Food Prize week of events consists of the Borlaug Dialogue, the Laureate Award Ceremony, the Global Youth Institute, the presentation of the Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, Endowed by The Rockefeller Foundation, dozens of side events, exhibitor booths, Deep Dives at the Dialogue (formerly breakout sessions) as well as Iowa Farm Tours later in the week.
Press and media should indicate which events they are interested in covering on the registration form.
Bloggers are invited to apply in advance to cover the event as media partners, granting the same event access as accredited press. For application details, please contact Zach Clemens at zclemens@worldfoodprize.org. For security purposes, space is limited. To guarantee entry, bloggers should register for the event ahead of time.
Highlighted speakers for the event include:
• H.E. John Dramani Mahama | President, Republic of Ghana
• Hon. Eric Opoku | Minister of Food and Agriculture | Republic of Ghana
• Hon. Henry Musa Kpaka | Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Government of Sierra Leone
• Hon. J. Alexander Nuetah | Minister of Agriculture, Republic of Liberia
• Hon. Akinwumi Adesina | 2017 World Food Prize Laureate and President, African Development Bank Group
• Amb. Cindy McCain | Executive Director, World Food Programme
• Alice Ruhweza | President, Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa
• Brian Sikes | Board Chair and CEO, Cargill
• Cary Fowler | 2024 World Food Prize Laureate
• Chris Abbott | CEO, Pivot Bio
• Chris Nelson | 2024 Top Agri-food Pioneer, President and CEO, Kemin Industries
• Isaac Vosburg | World Food Prize Foundation Alumnus and Student, Grinnell College
• Johan Swinnen | Director General, International Food Policy Research Institute
• Mariangela Hungria | 2025 World Food Prize Laureate and Senior Researcher, Embrapa National Soybean Center
• Rattan Lal | 2020 World Food Prize Laureate and Distinguished Professor and Director of the Lal Carbon Center, the Ohio State University
• Sanjeev Kapoor | 2025 Top Agri-food Pioneer, Culinary Icon, Humanitarian and Entrepreneur
• Shobha Shetty | Global Director, Agriculture and Food, World Bank Group
Additional significant participants include:
• Sanaa Abourezk | Chef and Restauranteur, Sanaa’s Gourmet Mediterranean
• Hilary Barry | 2024 Agri-food Pioneer, Founder and Secretary General, LadyAgri Impact Investment Hub
• Jason Brantley, VP of Production Systems, Small Ag and Turf, John Deere
• Han Chen | 2024 Top Agri-food Pioneer, Co-Founder and CEO, ZeaKal
• Jason Cope | 2025 Top Agri-food Pioneer and CIPO, PowerPollen
• Ismahane Elouafi | Executive Managing Director, CGIAR
• Violet Grgich | President, Grgich Hills Estate Winery
• Lazarus Lynch | World Food Prize Foundation Global Youth Institute Alumnus and Chef, Psychotherapist, Social Worker and Author
• Rachel Ruan McLean | Vice Chair, World Food Prize Foundation Board of Directors
• Cynthia Hardin Milligan | Member, World Food Prize Foundation Board of Directors, President and CEO, Wood-Stieper Capital Group
• Sandi Pamungkas | 2025 Top Agri-Food Pioneer, Founder and CEO, MooApps Agriculture Technology
• Sir Richard Roberts | 1993 Nobel Prize Laureate and Chief Science Officer, New England BioLabs
• Esha Venkat | Founder and COO, NEST4US
• Jorge Fernández Vidal | Managing Director and Head Agriculture and Food, Liechtenstein Group
• Zachary Thomas Vosburg | World Food Prize Foundation Alum and Veterinarian | Hampton Veterinary Center
• Michael Werz | Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations