World Food Prize Twitter Exploration

It is World Food Prize week! This is a time when world leaders gather to tackle the challenges around food insecurity. The Borlaug International Dialogue has so many engaging sessions throughout the week. Many of these sessions' main points are highlighted via Twitter and can be found by following #FoodPrize21. Many topics are covered including sustainable agriculture, research and innovation, gender equity, climate change, best practices, and much more. If you are on Twitter grab your phone and search #FoodPrize21. If you are not a Twitter user you can still follow the conversation via this link as long as posts are not protected/private.

We encourage you to explore the Tweets that have the hashtag #FoodPrize21 and complete the challenges below. You may discuss your findings/thoughts with others or quote retweet and start a conversation online.

• Find a #FoodPrize21 tweet that you agree with. Explain why this is the case for yourself.
• Find a #FoodPrize21 tweet that you disagree with or question. Why is this the case?
• Find a #FoodPrize21 tweet that surprises you and you would like to explore further. Why did this Tweet grab your attention?

Keep in mind that throughout this week Tweets will continue to be posted. Return often to explore further conversations!

Importance of Global Engagement

This week has been busy with emphasis on global engagement. At the beginning of the week I participated in the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education conference. So much great content and research was shared. In one of the breakouts a conversation around the benefits of Farmer to Farmer exchanges was discussed. It was noted that there were great benefits to both the visiting and hosting farmers. 

Today a group of students from Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States voluntarily gathered either early morning (in the USA) or late in their school day (in Denmark and the Netherlands). they discussed cultural and agricultural topics. This morning I also engaged in discussion with a United States Congresswoman regarding the importance of the United States leadership globally and the international affairs budget.

There is often debate around one countries presence on the global stage and why are we/they (or are we/they not) engaging with others internationally? Why should what is happening abroad bother us? We encourage you to reflect and engage in conversation with others utilizing the discussion points below. 

Discussion Points

• Do you believe it is important for your home country to engage with other nations globally? Why or why not? What is there to be gained? What is there to lose?
• In reflecting on the farmer to farmer exchanges and student virtual exchanges mentioned above in relation to agriculture, what are the benefits? Why would a farmer travel across the world to connect with another farmer? Why would college students climb out of bed for a 7:00 AM meeting?
• Do you believe it is important to financially support and/or invest in other countries? What does this look like in regards to agriculture, but also other areas such as health, conflict, etc.?
• When worldwide challenges face us do you believe it is more important to close off or reach out? Explain your thoughts. 

Agriculture Challenges and Opportunities in Zimbabwe

Travel with us to Zimbabwe via the video linked below from the FAO. We meet Shupa who shares agriculture in Zimbabwe with us along with the challenges and opportunities that farmers face in his region. We encourage you to utilize the discussion points below to connect and discuss with others around the globe.

Zimbabwe: Shupa's Story

Discussion Points

• What stuck out to you from the video and why?
• What are the challenges facing farmers in Zimbabwe? What might be done to turn these challenges into opportunities? Get Creative!
• Watch the video a second time. This time just focus on the images and video footage (first time we often focus on the text and the spoken words). What did you notice this time that you did not before? Discuss your findings with others.

Empowering Women in Agriculture

 Women are essential to the success of agriculture, but yet face many boundaries and challenges in agriculture. At the Borlaug Dialogue as part of the World Food Prize last week H.E. Gilbert Houngbo (President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development) shared the following, "If women were to have the same productive resources, in agriculture, as men we would have 150 million less people suffering from malnutrition and hunger." Below is a video that was shared a couple days ago by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrating International Rural Women's Day. We encourage you to watch the video linked below and utilize the discussion points to guide your conversations around the globe. 

Pakistan International Rural Women's Day

Discussion Points

• What did you notice from the video? Could be visual footage or text.
• What is your main takeaway from the video? What surprised you or did not surprise you?
• What role do women play in agriculture in your local area? What are the attitudes towards women in agriculture in your local area? Compare and contrast women's roles in agriculture from different parts of the world.
• It what ways can women in agriculture be empowered locally and globally? 
• As the woman in the video asks, "What do you say?"

World Food Prize Reflections

Last week I was able to attend a week of World Food Prize events in Des Moines, Iowa and we were even able to host a Laureate Lecture on campus in Waterloo. The week is always filled with incredible and inspiring learning opportunities. Throughout the week I took note of many pieces of information and quotes shared. Below you will find a small selection of some quotes I took note of. I encourage you to read through the quotes below and challenge you to discuss with others around the globe!

Challenge:

1. Read each quote individually.
2. Pick at least two quotes to think about and analyze further, in regards to solving world hunger and malnutrition and/or improving agriculture around the globe.
3. Share your thoughts: Discuss with others, raise awareness on social media, create a poster to share with your class/school, and/or take action.

"When rebuilding after conflict nothing can be accomplished until we eat. We must have food in our stomach before anything else." H.E. Chanthol Sun

"We can do well by doing good. Profit and fulfilling a mission can be done together." Polly Ruhland

"We are very good at describing a world we do not want, but we are not very good at describing the world we do want. We must have a vision." Roy Steiner

"Can we feed nine billion people by 2045? When I look at the science and technology I am optimistic, but the pessimistic side of me is concerned by the role politics and regulations play." Chris Nelson

"It's about feeding the world, without starving the earth." Liam Condon

"We all must work off the same data and information before change can happen." Sara Menker

"All lives have equal value, but not all lives have equal opportunities." Roger Voorhies

"In a world with less and less certainty we need more diversity (seed and plant)." Lawrence Haddad

Agriculture Change in Small Island Developing States

Natural disasters, climate change, and numerous other challenges face many small island developing states such as the Comoros, Cabo Verde, Samoa, and others. Through many programs farmers and producers in these small island developing states are looking for opportunities in agriculture to improve the livelihoods of citizens within the country. Linked below is an article that highlights initiatives in small island developing states around the globe and includes a video highlighting the fishing industry in Cabo Verde. We encourage you to read the linked article, view the short video, and utilize the discussion points below to engage in conversations with others around the globe!

Something to Crow About in the Comoros

Discussion Points

• What are some of the major challenges facing small island developing states? 
• What initiatives are being implemented around the globe to help farmers in small island developing states? Of all the initiatives mentioned which do you feel has the greatest potential and why?
• What additional initiatives would you like to see implemented and why would they be beneficial?
• After viewing the video "Our Islands, Our Oceans - Cabo Verde," what do you see as the biggest challenge facing the island and what do you see as the best potential solutions? Explain your thoughts.

Silos in Afghanistan

In developing countries there are often solutions that can be introduced that seem "simple" to the developed world. Things that we take for granted can be life changing to developing countries. An example of this is when we shared in season fertilizer practices with our partner university in Haiti. By using fertilizer sources available to them and the concept of in season fertilizers yields tripled in one year. Below is a video from the FAO that shares how a silo project in Afghanistan is positively impacting agriculture. Watch the short video (under two minutes) linked below and utilize the discussion points to guide your conversations around the globe.

Silos for Afghanistan 

Discussion Points

• Explain the silo project implemented in Afghanistan.
• How has this project benefited farmers and citizens of Afghanistan?
• Why is it key that this project utilized locals to create the silos?
• This project was tabbed "a simple solution to food and seed loss." What are other "simple solutions" that you can think of that could improve agriculture in developing countries? What are the possible benefits and negatives of your potential solution? What are potential challenges facing your solution and how would you overcome them?

African Agricultural Development

Recently the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations held a side event at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development that highlighted agriculture development as a key tool in providing peace and resolve to conflicted areas in Africa. Read the linked article summarizing this event below and utilize the discussion points provided to spark conversations around the globe!

No Peace Without Freedom From Want

Discussion Points

• The director of the FAO emphasized the importance of agriculture development in keeping peace and resolving conflict. How would you justify this statement (how does agriculture do this)?
• Why is the UN so focused on bringing peace to this area (what percentage of UN peacekeeping missions take place in this area)?
• What successes have been seen in the Democratic Republic of Congo in regards to agriculture development? Do you believe these success can be duplicated throughout Africa? Explain your reasoning.
• Explain what the Initiative for Food and Nutrition Security in Africa is focused on. In your mind what needs to be done to make sure this initiative is successful?
• Why do you believe Tokyo would be so interested in African development?