2025 Borlaug Dialogue Kicks Off With Global Call for Bold Action on Food Security

Over 250 Organizations Join the Call for Moonshot Investments in Global Food Production

DES MOINES, IA, UNITED STATES, October 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As the 2025 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue opens, over 250 organizations have joined the call for moonshot investments into agrifood systems to fight against global food insecurity.

Initially signed by 153 Nobel and World Food Prize Laureates, the open letter warns that the world is “not even close” to meeting future food needs, with an estimated 700 million people going hungry today and an additional 1.5 billion people to feed by 2050.

“This growing coalition sends a powerful message—that solving global hunger will require moonshot thinking and bold, coordinated investment in our agrifood systems,” said Mashal Husain, President, World Food Prize Foundation. “We cannot meet the challenges ahead with incremental steps. It’s time to act with the same urgency, creativity and collaboration that defined Dr. Borlaug’s legacy as the father of the Green Revolution.”

The letter comes in the context of the Borlaug Dialogue’s theme, which focuses on the importance of soil health and crop nutrition to ensure global stability and growth. Soil is more than dirt—it is a dynamic, living system that underpins human survival. In an era of economic disruption, conflict and environmental stress, the 2025 Borlaug Dialogue is examining how diverse industries and sectors can unite to address these challenges from the ground up.

Delegations from around the world gathered at the Iowa Events Center to hear how collaboration and shared purpose can transform global food systems.
In a high-level panel, Hon. Henry Musa Kpaka, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security for the Government of Sierra Leone and Hon. Eric Opoku, Minister of Food and Agriculture for the Republic of Ghana will highlight how public–private partnerships can strengthen international trade, drive innovation and tackle urgent global agricultural and food security challenges.

Kicking off the first day of the Borlaug Dialogue, keynote speaker Doc Hendley, Founder and President of Wine to Water (W|W), will share his journey from bartender to humanitarian. What began as a simple idea—to use wine events to raise funds for clean water projects—has grown into a global nonprofit that brings safe drinking water to people in need, anywhere on the planet.

Working hand-in-hand with local leaders, W|W has dug, repaired and sanitized wells for nearly two million people across 53 countries over the past two decades. The organization’s water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives ripple far beyond access to clean water: fostering environmental sustainability, advancing education, empowering women, improving health and driving economic growth.

Later, after her keynote, Valerie Guarnieri, Assistant Executive Director of Programme Operations at the World Food Programme, will join a high-level panel on scaling impact through partnerships and collaboration. She will be joined by Chris Nelson, President and CEO of Kemin Industries and a 2024 Top Agri-food Pioneer; Kathy Pickus, Chief Sustainability Officer at ADM; and Amb. Kenneth Quinn, President Emeritus of the World Food Prize Foundation. Together, they will explore how cross-sector collaboration can accelerate innovation and deliver lasting change in global food systems.

Over the past two decades, the Borlaug Dialogue has served as a platform for collaboration and bold thinking on how to end hunger and build resilient food systems for a growing global population. Throughout the week, the World Food Prize Foundation will continue hosting sessions exploring breakthrough research, policy innovations and technologies shaping the future of sustainable agriculture.

Harvey Presence
Marchmont Communications
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