“What began in 1994 with just 13 Iowa high school students has 20 years later grown to become one of the most unique programs in America”-The World Food Prize Global Youth Institute
The World Food Prize Global Youth Institute convenes in Iowa every year. It is held in conjunction with the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue events. Delegates, who are high school students who have been chosen through a rigorous process, present their research papers on global food security issues. Together with faculty experts, invited speakers, and laureates, students discuss science, agriculture and development. I was very privileged to have been asked by the World Food Prize Foundation to participate as a Faculty Expert. As a young African woman leader who is in the forefront championing the efforts for a food secure Africa, a passionate woman scientist working on research aimed at finding more sustainable ways to feed our expanding population, a citizen of Kenya, who participated in farming and witnessed firsthand impacts of poverty and hunger, a Founder of an Agriculture focused start-up company- OYESKA GREENS that is hoping to revolutionize farming at the Kenyan Coast, and a Commitment Mentor (Agriculture) for Clinton Global University Initiative, attending this meeting was powerful and humbling.
My role as a Faculty expert was to help inspire tomorrow’s scientific and humanitarian leaders. To me, there is no other better role I can play than to mentor and help inspire the next generation. I have always believed that:
“The future and prosperity of our world depends on the skillful mentoring of each new generation by the one that precedes it.”
A week before the event, I received my assigned student papers. Students that had written the papers were from Iowa, Ohio, Texas, Minnesota, Indiana, and Mexico. To write the research paper, students had to select ONE developing country, and ONE key factor affecting food security in the country. Thereafter, they used guided questions to write their paper and make recommendations on how to improve food security for their country of choice. Being a faculty expert gave me a unique opportunity of reading AMAZING essays. Students had clearly done a good job researching their topic of choice. The papers were very well written. They offered well rounded perspectives of the problem and contributed useful recommendations.
Saturday, October 18, 2014 will forever remain special to me. The day began with a continental breakfast, at DuPoint Pioneer’s Carver Conference Center. While having breakfast, we had the opportunity to visit with the 2014 Borlaug-Ruan International Interns. I was equally amazed by the research the students had done, as well as the quality of their posters. Following breakfast, we were treated to amazing and very inspirational speakers including: Paul Schickler, President DuPoint Pioneer; Ambassador Quinn, President, World Food Prize Foundation; Honarable Kim Reynolds, Lieutenant Governor of Iowa; and Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram, 2014 World Food Prize Laureate. We were all challenged to RISE UP and confront the single greatest challenge in human history-the challenge of sustainably feeding the 9 billion people who will be on our planet by the year 2050.
After the plenary sessions we all convened to our assigned groups for student presentations and roundtable discussions. I was in Group 19. I served as an expert alongside other distinguished and very accomplished experts including: Mr. Javier Pelaez, Director of inside Sales, Agricredit; Dr. David Acker, Associate Dean Academic & Global Programs, Iowa State University, and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, World Food Prize Laureate Committee. This was the highlight of my day. The students were given 3 minutes to summarize their paper, which was followed by a question from the audience and feedback from us-the faculty experts. The students once again blew my mind. Their passion for agriculture, their compassionate spirit, and their determination to be part of the generation that ensures hunger and poverty become history was evident. At the end of the session, I had fallen in love with all of them. Following the completion of the presentation of the papers, students were presented with certificates. Afterwards, we all convened to the auditorium for panel presentation of findings and recommendations from all the groups. The presentations were once again amazing. Following the presentations, we had lunch, followed by afternoon presentations by 2014 Borlaug-Ruan Interns. Once again, the students were very amazing! The World Food Prize Global Youth events concluded at 3:15 pm. I simply had one of the best days of my life. I am simply thankful to Lisa Flemming, Catherine Swoboda, Keegan Kautzky, Jacob Hunter, and Libby Crimmings for putting together one of the GREATEST events, I have ever attended. I also are grateful to all the interns at The World Food Prize Foundation who were equally very amazing.
Just like Dr. Norman E. Borlaug noted, I left Iowa VERY convinced that the students were definitely on their way to becoming future agricultural, scientific and humanitarian leaders in the fight to end hunger.
Written by Dr. Esther Ngumbi , Auburn University.
The World Food Prize Global Youth Institute convenes in Iowa every year. It is held in conjunction with the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue events. Delegates, who are high school students who have been chosen through a rigorous process, present their research papers on global food security issues. Together with faculty experts, invited speakers, and laureates, students discuss science, agriculture and development. I was very privileged to have been asked by the World Food Prize Foundation to participate as a Faculty Expert. As a young African woman leader who is in the forefront championing the efforts for a food secure Africa, a passionate woman scientist working on research aimed at finding more sustainable ways to feed our expanding population, a citizen of Kenya, who participated in farming and witnessed firsthand impacts of poverty and hunger, a Founder of an Agriculture focused start-up company- OYESKA GREENS that is hoping to revolutionize farming at the Kenyan Coast, and a Commitment Mentor (Agriculture) for Clinton Global University Initiative, attending this meeting was powerful and humbling.
My role as a Faculty expert was to help inspire tomorrow’s scientific and humanitarian leaders. To me, there is no other better role I can play than to mentor and help inspire the next generation. I have always believed that:
“The future and prosperity of our world depends on the skillful mentoring of each new generation by the one that precedes it.”
A week before the event, I received my assigned student papers. Students that had written the papers were from Iowa, Ohio, Texas, Minnesota, Indiana, and Mexico. To write the research paper, students had to select ONE developing country, and ONE key factor affecting food security in the country. Thereafter, they used guided questions to write their paper and make recommendations on how to improve food security for their country of choice. Being a faculty expert gave me a unique opportunity of reading AMAZING essays. Students had clearly done a good job researching their topic of choice. The papers were very well written. They offered well rounded perspectives of the problem and contributed useful recommendations.
Saturday, October 18, 2014 will forever remain special to me. The day began with a continental breakfast, at DuPoint Pioneer’s Carver Conference Center. While having breakfast, we had the opportunity to visit with the 2014 Borlaug-Ruan International Interns. I was equally amazed by the research the students had done, as well as the quality of their posters. Following breakfast, we were treated to amazing and very inspirational speakers including: Paul Schickler, President DuPoint Pioneer; Ambassador Quinn, President, World Food Prize Foundation; Honarable Kim Reynolds, Lieutenant Governor of Iowa; and Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram, 2014 World Food Prize Laureate. We were all challenged to RISE UP and confront the single greatest challenge in human history-the challenge of sustainably feeding the 9 billion people who will be on our planet by the year 2050.
After the plenary sessions we all convened to our assigned groups for student presentations and roundtable discussions. I was in Group 19. I served as an expert alongside other distinguished and very accomplished experts including: Mr. Javier Pelaez, Director of inside Sales, Agricredit; Dr. David Acker, Associate Dean Academic & Global Programs, Iowa State University, and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, World Food Prize Laureate Committee. This was the highlight of my day. The students were given 3 minutes to summarize their paper, which was followed by a question from the audience and feedback from us-the faculty experts. The students once again blew my mind. Their passion for agriculture, their compassionate spirit, and their determination to be part of the generation that ensures hunger and poverty become history was evident. At the end of the session, I had fallen in love with all of them. Following the completion of the presentation of the papers, students were presented with certificates. Afterwards, we all convened to the auditorium for panel presentation of findings and recommendations from all the groups. The presentations were once again amazing. Following the presentations, we had lunch, followed by afternoon presentations by 2014 Borlaug-Ruan Interns. Once again, the students were very amazing! The World Food Prize Global Youth events concluded at 3:15 pm. I simply had one of the best days of my life. I am simply thankful to Lisa Flemming, Catherine Swoboda, Keegan Kautzky, Jacob Hunter, and Libby Crimmings for putting together one of the GREATEST events, I have ever attended. I also are grateful to all the interns at The World Food Prize Foundation who were equally very amazing.
Just like Dr. Norman E. Borlaug noted, I left Iowa VERY convinced that the students were definitely on their way to becoming future agricultural, scientific and humanitarian leaders in the fight to end hunger.
Written by Dr. Esther Ngumbi , Auburn University.
