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Published on 11/11/24

CAES students gain global insights at 2024 Borlaug Dialogue

By Claire Sanders Kinnard
Three people stand together at an event for the World Food Prize, with large, illuminated letters spelling out "WORLD FOOD PRIZE" prominently displayed in the background. They are indoors in a spacious, well-lit venue with a colorful carpet pattern. Each person wears event lanyards and badges around their necks. The man on the left is dressed in a checkered blazer and beige pants, the woman in the middle wears a white blouse with a floral pattern and dark pants, and the man on the right sports a gray blazer, blue shirt, and tan pants. A large screen in the background shows the World Food Prize Foundation logo along with text that reads "Norman E. Borlaug // Seeds of Opportunity."
From left, CAES Assistant Dean for International Programs Todd Applegate accompanied CAES doctoral students Brooke Stefancik and Kelvin Awori, winners of the 2024 CAES World Food Prize Travel Award, to the Borlaug Dialogue, an annual global agriculture conference in Des Moines, Iowa.

Every October, top leaders in food security and agriculture come together for the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, the premier conference on global agriculture.

Attendees participate in sessions covering the current state of agriculture around the world, new technologies being deployed in the field, and projects in the works to ensure a safe and sustainable global food supply. In addition to the wealth of opportunities to connect with counterparts from around the world, the organizers also recognize the winners of the World Food Prize, often referred to as the Nobel Prize for agriculture.

In attendance with world agriculture leaders were two University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences graduate students, Kelvin Awori and Brooke Stefancik, who traveled to the conference as winners of the 2024 CAES World Food Prize Travel Award.

World Food Prize Travel Award

To be selected for the scholarship, which covered all trip-associated expenses, each had to submit a letter detailing their interest in global food security and how they anticipated their attendance at the Borlaug Dialogue would impact their personal, academic and career goals. The students were joined by R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Chair in Poultry Science and Assistant Dean for International Programs Todd Applegate for the duration of the trip.

The three-day conference presented a unique opportunity for Awori and Stefancik to consider their own futures in the fight against world hunger and to ensure global food security after they finish their degrees.

Awori, a doctoral student in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, said “Now I feel like I’m ready to impact the world with my research and help curb food insecurity, and I know that I won’t be alone in that work after hearing from so many great minds working in agriculture.”

Sessions on agriculture in Africa were particularly impactful for Awori, who enjoyed discussions on crop diversity and investing in currently abandoned crops.

After returning from the trip, Stefancik, a doctoral student in the Department of Animal and Dairy Science, said, “I have been re-energized in my passion for global agriculture after hearing discussions and meeting some amazing people from so many different countries, walks of life and specialty areas,” she said. “The theme of this conference has been two-fold: we must collaborate in interdisciplinary teams to reach our goal in ending food hunger, and the farmers must be at the forefront, with their voices represented, throughout every step of the way.” 

The CAES group attended a variety of breakout sessions and Stefancik attended a session on livestock production, her area of study, which is not often noted in conversations about sustainable agriculture. It was amazing to hear my area of study being discussed as an area for great improvement in sustainable agriculture across the world,” Stefancik said.

Sustainable agriculture meets interdisciplinary collaboration

For Applegate, providing opportunities for students to engage with other agriculture experts from around the world is one of the highlights of his work as assistant dean.

“This critical yearly forum gathers a global audience of leadership spanning the agricultural and food spectrum to celebrate approaches, share accomplishments, and plan for the future of how we can strive to meet a sustainable global food supply,” said Applegate, who is also the poultry science department head. “It’s exciting to see our selected graduate students participating, as they will soon begin their careers and identify their roles in continuing the green revolution Dr. Borlaug began. This forum is extremely helpful to our students’ development as they can garner complex perspectives of food security from participants from governments, companies, not-for-profit organizations and academia.”

For the students, a trip to the Borlaug Dialogue was an opportunity to see themselves as future leaders in agriculture.

“Seeing that all these great minds were at one point graduate students just like me, working on projects just like I am — this really motivated me in the work I’m doing to support global agriculture,” Awori said.

For information on the CAES World Food Prize Travel Award including how to apply, visit caes.uga.edu/students/scholarships.

Claire Sanders Kinnard is the senior public relations specialist in the CAES Dean and Director's Office.

Authors:
Claire Sanders Kinnard
Experts/Sources:
Todd Applegate
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