USU Symposium Tackles Food Security Challenges With Keynote by Heidi Kühn

Utah State University will host Heidi Kühn, the 2023 World Food Prize Laureate, as the keynote speaker at the USU Food Security and Solutions Symposium on Wednesday, April 17.

The World Food Prize is equivalent to a Nobel Peace Prize in the food security field. The award honors individuals who have improved the quality, quantity or availability of food worldwide. Kühn's contributions to agricultural development in conflict-affected regions have earned her other international recognitions, as well, including the 2023 Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice.

Through the nonprofit organization Roots of Peace, which she founded in 1997, Kühn has led initiatives to restore agriculture in former conflict zones, restore soil health, enhance food security, support livelihoods and help sustain local communities with new sources of food and income.

Rose Judd-Murray, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Sciences, Technology & Education and program leader with USU’s Center for Anticipatory Intelligence, is organizing the symposium and arranged Kühn’s visit.

“I want my students to see that Heidi is a regular person who decided to step up and make a difference,” Judd-Murray said. “You don't have to have an advanced degree. You don't have to have billions of dollars. You just have to get in the fight. I want my students to know that those projects they worked on and the community service they did throughout the semester mattered because now they’re more educated about what food insecurity situations look like and potential innovations and solutions for change.”

Roots of Peace has positively influenced over 1 million farmers and their families across numerous nations, including Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Guatemala, Iraq, Israel, Palestinian territories and Vietnam. The organization's efforts have involved clearing unexploded ordnance and landmines, subsequently transforming the land into productive agricultural plots through the planting of millions of grapevines and fruit trees.

In remarks Kühn delivered at the 2019 Women Investing in Peace event at the United Nations, she said, “These brutal weapons of war have and continue to plague our earth, denying access to livelihoods through agriculture and sadly, in many cases, maim and kill innocent men, women, children and livestock.”

Roots of Peace works to improve farmers’ food production methods and access to buyers. Current work in Guatemala, for example, is focused on addressing economic instability by helping farming families with education about sustainable food production and marketing their products, and with efficient irrigation systems, and other supplies.

Before her address at the symposium, Kühn will meet with students and faculty to discuss cultivating peace through agriculture and identify ways that USU can collaborate with Roots of Peace to generate a student-driven initiative.

“I hope Utah State can be seen as a leader in this space,” Judd-Murray said. “These students are the next generation who will lead out in food security. We want critical and empathetic thinkers to walk out of Utah State University ready to be global citizens for change.”

Kühn's keynote address will challenge USU students, faculty and administrators to actively engage in initiatives to improve food security for all. Attendees are encouraged to participate in discussions, ask questions and explore opportunities for collaboration.

Following Kühn's address, the symposium will transition into student project presentations, showcasing their research and community engagement initiatives to address food security challenges. Attendees will be able to engage with students, view research posters, and participate in networking sessions.

The Food Security and Solutions Symposium is Wednesday, April 17, in the Life Sciences Building auditorium and atrium. The schedule includes:

• 3 p.m., Kühn's keynote talk
• 4 p.m., brief student presentations
• 4:45 p.m., student poster session, refreshments. and networking in the atrium

The event is free and open to the public. Earlier that day, Kühn will be the guest on Utah Public Radio’s Access Utah, a live call-in program from 9-10 a.m. (rebroadcast 7-8 p.m.)

The symposium is sponsored by the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, the Center for Anticipatory Intelligence, the Heravi Peace Institute, and the Hunger Solutions Institute at Utah State University.