The Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium, commonly known as the Borlaug Dialogue, is an annual international symposium tackling the topic of "global food security" organized by The World Food Prize Foundation. Past symposia have focused on the promises and challenges presented by biofuels for global development, the dual challenges of malnutrition and obesity, water insecurity and its impact on development and stability in the Middle East, and the possibility of replicating the Green Revolution. The 2014 "Borlaug Dialogue" was held on October 15–17, 2014 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of founder Dr. Norman Borlaug's birth.
2014 Discussion topics ranged from:
taking stock of where we currently stand in meeting the "greatest challenge in human history";
closing yield gaps while addressing pressing water, gender and nutrition challenges and disparities;
the role of information technology and data to increase productivity, conserve the environment, adapt to climate volatility and consumer needs, and improve the lives of farmers and other participants along the value chain;
sustainable intensification to improve productivity with a special focus on soils and fertilizers;
innovations in insurance and agrofinancing;
and the role of the next generation in the fight against hunger through the DialogueNEXT conversation that features young innovators and thought leaders who are contributing new ideas, concepts and achievements toward this goal.
Notable speakers included:
Ernest Bai Koroma, President, Republic of Sierra Leone
Kanayo F. Nwanze, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development
Thomas J. Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, United States
Enrique Martinez y Martinez, Secretary of Agriculture, Mexico
Florence Chenoweth, Minister of Agriculture, Liberia
Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application
An annual US $10,000 award endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation which is presented during the symposium by the World Food Prize Foundation to recognise “researchers under 40 who emulate the scientific innovation and dedication to food security of Dr. Norman Borlaug".
Recipients:
Source: World Food Prize
2016: Andrew Mude, for his persistence in his science-based, community mediated, and innovative approach to providing financial protection, through insurance, to millions of poor herders and their families who care for and depend upon their livestock as they move across the vast rangelands of East Africa
2015: Eric Pohlman, for his work in developing highly innovative programs that are transforming subsistence agriculture in rural Rwanda.
2014: Dr. Bram Govaerts, for his work developing leading-edge, sustainable programs that are transforming subsistence agriculture and unsustainable farming systems in Mexico and other regions of the world into productive and sustainable production operations.
2013: Dr. Charity Kawira Mutegi, for her efforts to identify the cause of, and solution to, a deadly outbreak of aflatoxicosis in 2004-05. Her diligent research led to innovative solutions to avert future outbreaks and safeguard Kenya's staple crop of maize.
2012: Dr. Aditi Mukherji, for her research on groundwater resources in agriculture which led to major policy changes benefiting thousands of farmers in West Bengal.
