Sweetpotato Knowledge Portal
“One in three people on this planet are denied a say in shaping their destiny, because they are malnourished,” said Lawrence Haddad in his acceptance speech of the prestigious 2018 World Food Prize.
Dr. Lawrence Haddad and physician Dr. David Nabarro were honored with the prestigious 2018 World Food Prize. They split a $250,000 prize as part of an award envisioned decades ago as the “Nobel Prize of Food and Agriculture” by its late founder, legendary agricultural scientist Dr. Norman E. Borlaug.
“Through their leadership, our laureates have inspired efforts that between 2012 and 2017 reduced the number of stunted children in the world by 10 million,” Ambassador Quinn said at the ceremony at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.
Also present at the prestigious event, were the 2016 World Food Prize Laureates, CIP sweetpotato scientists, Dr. Jan Low, Dr. Maria Andrade, and Dr. Robert Mwanga and Dr.Howdy Bouis of HarvestPlus.
The 2018 World Food Prize also presented an opportunity for Dr. Maria Andrade to discuss how CGIAR is working with partners to make significant progress in agricultural research and in scaling up innovations to contribute to the SDGs.
One of the most rewarding activities during the week is the Youth Institute. The 2016 Laureates all listened to presentations of papers written by dynamic high school students on topics relevant to food security. “This really is my favorite part of the week” Jan Low says, “as it is energizing to interact with the next generation and learn how they would like to address challenges in our food systems.”
The World Food Prize is the foremost international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. The Prize was founded in 1986 by Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. Since then, the World Food Prize has honored more than 40 outstanding individuals who have made vital contributions throughout the world. The World Food Prize annually hosts the Borlaug Dialogue international symposium and a variety of youth education programs to help further the discussion on cutting-edge global food security issues and inspire the next generation to end hunger.
