World Food Prize Symposium Summary Report

Entry: Demanie Musu B. Flomo - Borlaug Fellow Date: October 12-16 2009 Venue: Des Moines, Iowa The World Food Prize Symposium was held to honor Dr. Gebisa Ejeta the 2009 World Food Prize Laureate from Ethiopia. It was attended by approximately 1,000 people from around the world with different cultural backgrounds to explore the topic: “What will the world eat? U.S. Impact on Global Food Security”. The event brought together academe of agricultural scientists and experts. They shared their expertise and knowledge on Dr. Borlaug’s past work, identified some future challenges, and spoke of the need to deal with the causes and not the symptoms by understanding the science and supporting sustainable systems for productivity. It was a privilege for me being part of this remarkable event because it widens my horizons on basic issues faced within the agriculture sector around the world-problems and some approachable solutions, as well as the agricultural production in the U.S. especially Iowa. I was also excited because of the agriculture tour organized by USDA/FAS for the Borlaug Fellows to different research stations and farms learning new ideas to enhance my knowledge and, making new friends and contacts, as well as seeing Bill Gates deliver the keynote address. Demanie Musu Flomo is the first Cocoa Borlaug Fellow from Liberia. She is completing her fellowship at the University of Tennessee where she is studying market information systems and cocoa quality issues. World Cocoa Foundation is pleased to be part of a partnership with the USDA Borlaug Fellowship Program.