2026 Borlaug Dialogue Opens as World Food Prize Marks 40 Years in the Fight Against Hunger

Global leaders, scientists, farmers and advocates convene in Des Moines under the theme "Before Hunger Wins," with a world record attempt to cap the opening day

DES MOINES, IA, UNITED STATES, October 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The 2026 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue opened today, bringing together more than 1,200 leaders from more than 65 countries as the World Food Prize marked its 40th anniversary. The three-day Borlaug Dialogue will focus on the urgent action needed to protect and strengthen global food security, at a time when conflict, climate shocks and economic pressures are pushing more people into hunger.

“For 40 years, the World Food Prize has honored those who refused to accept hunger as inevitable. This year's Dialogue — deliberately themed ‘Before Hunger Wins’ — is a call to act with the same urgency," said Mashal Husain, President, World Food Prize Foundation.

Delegations from around the world are gathering at the Iowa Events Center to hear how collaboration and shared purpose can transform global food systems.

Award-winning actor and activist Martin Sheen will open the Borlaug Dialogue with a keynote address about finding the next Norman E. Borlaug. Later in the day, actor, author and activist Nick Offerman will join regenerative agriculture leaders Mary Berry, Professor Robert Montgomery and farmer and author James Rebanks to explore how farming can restore land and feed the world.

2024 World Food Prize Laureate Cary Fowler will lead a high-level conversation on how today's conflicts are disrupting access to food, joined by 2010 Laureate David Beckmann, Henk van Duijn of the International Fertilizer Development Center, Michael Werz of the Council on Foreign Relations and Purvi Mehta of the World Food Prize Foundation Council of Advisors. Turner Foundation Chair Laura Turner Seydel will join Foundation CEO Thomas Vilsack to discuss why global cooperation on agriculture matters more than ever.

Marking the International Year of the Woman Farmer, farmers from Germany, the United States and Ecuador will share their experiences in a dedicated panel. Rockefeller Foundation President Dr. Rajiv Shah will present the Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, Endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, to West African plant breeder Pamela Afokpe, and the 2026 Top Agri-food Pioneers, drawn from 30 countries, will be honored.

The opening day will close with an attempt to break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the most hunger relief meals packaged in one hour. In partnership with Meals from the Heartland, more than 1,000 volunteers will aim to package 600,000 meals, surpassing the current record of 530,064.

“This week, leaders from every corner of the food system are coming together to find solutions that work to the global food security crisis,” said Vilsack. “We have the science and the tools, and what we need now is the will to use them."

Over the next three days, the Borlaug Dialogue will welcome Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai; Her Serene Highness Princess Tatjana of Liechtenstein; and Hon. Dr. Mwigulu Lameck Nchemba, Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania, among other esteemed guests. The week will culminate in the presentation of the 2026 World Food Prize to Huub Lelieveld, honored for his work establishing global food safety standards and harmonizing food regulations worldwide.

Sessions will be livestreamed for registered participants. Registration is available here.

Harvey Presence
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