This week over 1,000 foreign nationals and dignitaries from more than 65 countries are in Des Moines, Iowa, for this year’s World Food Prize international symposium. The focus of this year’s symposium is on the one billion small farmers worldwide who are struggling to feed their families on the small amount they can raise on just one or two acres of land while battling effects of drought, climate change, and lack of technology.
Iowa native Norman Borlaug, also known as the father of the “Green Revolution,” established the World Food Prize after he won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for helping increase food production in developing nations with high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat.
This week serves as a great reminder for those of us involved in food production to be “agvocates.” It’s the perfect time to promote the important role that American farmers play in feeding a growing world population. As primary producers of food for the world, it’s necessary that we promote advancements in agriculture for the world’s poorest who are struggling to feed their families. Agricultural growth brings the necessary tools to transform their communities with economic and educational opportunities.
What are your ideas to help improve global food security? You never know – you could be the next World Food Prize winner!
For more about the World Food Prize, visit: http://www.worldfoodprize.org/.
