Heidi Kühn received the 2023 World Food Prize from the World Food Prize Foundation. This years prize amount doubled to $500,000, up from $250,000 in previous years.
The ceremony, held at the Iowa State Capitol building, is referred to as “the Nobel Prize for Agriculture”. It is held in parallel with the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue. This year it drew over 1,300 participants from more than 75 countries this year.
The increased prize award is in recognition of the lifelong impact that Laureates have achieved through their work. The increased cash prize will continue to be awarded to future Laureates.
In receiving the 2023 World Food Prize, Kühn said, “I accept this award on behalf of our Kühn family and farmers and families living in war-torn countries worldwide. Yet, as I stand here today, the ravages of war echo from multiple continents. This is not an award to place on a shelf—but a battle cry for the importance of cultivating peace through agriculture.”
The 2023 World Food Prize was formally awarded to Kühn during the 2023 International Borlaug Dialogue. The event also included high-level speakers from around the world. The Presidents of Ethiopia and Kosovo were in attendance and spoke. The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Ministers from Guyana, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Zambia all spoke as well.
Ambassador Terry Branstad, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, said, “Perhaps at no other time in history has there been so much attention focused on our global food system. The decisions and commitments we make today will equip us to rise to the challenge of nourishing a growing global population. It is only by embracing innovation that we can overcome the many challenges facing the sector.”
Kühn is the founder of the non-profit Roots of Peace. She received the prize for her efforts in turning “mines into vines” by demining war torn land. Once demined, the land is turned back into prosperous farmland for local agriculture to flourish.
Kühn’s work has supported demining partners in Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Croatia, Israel, Iraq, Palestinian areas, and Vietnam. This work has also allowed local farmers safe access to irrigation canals and arable land for cultivation. Most recently, Roots of Peace has partnered with the Rotary Club of Ukraine to begin work in the country, where the UN estimates around 30 percent of the country’s land could be mined as a result of the ongoing conflict.
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