About the Borlaug Dialogue
The World Food Prize Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium is one of the world’s premier conferences on global agriculture. Held each October in conjunction with the presentation of the World Food Prize, the “Borlaug Dialogue” is a three-day symposium that brings together international experts, policy leaders, business executives and farmers to address cutting-edge issues in global food security and nutrition. This year’s theme, “Breaking new ground: Building resilience today for improved global food systems tomorrow,” recognizes the urgent need for equity, sustainability and improved nutrition in our food systems. Learn more about the symposium and register to attend here.
CGIAR science and innovation are crucial to improving global food systems. This is underscored by the selection of CGIAR alumnus Dr. Rattan Lal as the 2020 World Food Prize Laureate. Dr. Lal spent 18 years at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), a CGIAR Research Center, where he spearheaded research demonstrating that soil organic matter and carbon are crucial to sustaining and enhancing the quantity and quality of food production.
CGIAR will take part in several high-level roundtables and side events this year, focusing on the contribution of CGIAR science and innovation to building food systems that are resilient and sustainable, and meet the food and nutrition needs of the world’s most vulnerable populations. See the full schedule of events, including registration details, below.
Key events and activities
Side event | The future of research for development: building resilient food, land and water systems |
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| Date and time | October 12, 2020 at 7:45–8:45 AM CDT |
| Description | This side event, organized by the CGIAR System Organization, will highlight the strategic directions that CGIAR is taking in developing its research portfolio and maximizing pathways for research to impact at scale. It aims to engage with key stakeholders and elicit feedback from the wider international community on the CGIAR 2030 Research Strategy, as well as inspire new partnerships for ensuring food security and nutrition for all.
Speakers include Claudia Sadoff (CGIAR System Organization), Kanayo Nwanze (CGIAR Special Representative to the UNFSS), Lawrence Haddad (GAIN), Jemimah Njuki (IDRC) and Patrick Caron (University of Montpellier) |
| Information | This is a free event. For more information, click here. |
| Video | https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1569881439886854 |
Side event | Productivity in a time of pandemics: 2020 GAP Report launch |
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| Date and time | October 12, 2020 at 8:00–8:45 AM CDT |
| Description | The 2020 Global Agricultural Productivity Report (GAP Report) explores the impact of disease and pest outbreaks on agricultural productivity, food security and nutrition, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability. For this virtual launch, we will hear from agricultural producers around the world and researchers on the front lines of battling the pandemic-scale outbreaks threatening our agriculture systems. We will also reveal the updated Global Agricultural Productivity Index™ (GAP Index™) and discuss its implications for the resilience of our food and agriculture systems.
Speakers include Alberto Salas (CIP) and Elisa Salas (CIP). |
| Registration | This is a free event. For more information and to register, click here. |
Roundtable | Carbon sequestration, sustainability in agriculture and the rise of carbon markets |
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| Date and time | October 12, 2020 at 10:00–11:30 AM CDT |
| Description | Climate, food systems and resilience correlate as climate variability acutely impacts agricultural productivity and food availability. Carbon sequestration removes atmospheric carbon for the long-term, mitigating global warming and pollution effects. Agriculture, small and large, has the potential—and the responsibility—to promote carbon sequestration and reduce carbon emissions. This roundtable will consider carbon market models and applications of carbon payment systems globally to explore the potential of carbon markets to drive innovations towards climate-positive agriculture.
Speakers include Elwyn Grainger-Jones (CGIAR System Organization). |
| Video | |
Side event | Small-scale irrigation, resilience and nutrition: can we have it all? |
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| Date and time | October 13, 2020 at 7:30–8:30 AM CDT |
| Description |
Small-scale irrigation allows millions of smallholders to grow incomes and improve nutrition while increasing resilience to climate change. But it needs to be placed in a larger complex of water-nutrition linkages, ranging from WASH (water supply, sanitation and hygiene), growing water scarcity and changing diets. This panel discussion, organized by IFPRI, provides an overview of water-nutrition linkages based on a recently released UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition paper, discusses specific linkages between small-scale irrigation and nutrition and incorporates insights from the field on how irrigation is transforming rural livelihoods. Speakers include Claudia Ringler (IFPRI). |
| Registration | This is a free event. Find more information here and register here. |
Side event | CGIAR in Latin America: a strategic innovation lab for global impact |
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| Date and time | October 14, 2020 at 7:45–8:45 AM CDT |
| Description | The CGIAR vision and engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean has changed, adapting to new realities and opening new horizons for strategic CGIAR leadership. The evolving public-private research collaboration, commitment to even greater strategic open innovation, and research in collaboration with the private sector are enabling solutions to agriculture and sustainability challenges to be delivered to more people, with broader reach and greater impact. In this side event organized by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, CIMMYT, CIP, and IFPRI, we will present innovations from the four CGIAR Centers and discuss how cross-center collaboration supports and informs this work.
Speakers include Jesus Quintana (the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT), Bram Govaerts (CIMMYT), Ginya Truitt Nakata (CIP), Ruben G. Echeverria (IFPRI), Marco Ferroni (CGIAR System Organization) and Natasha Santos (Bayer Crop Sciences). |
| Registration | This is a free event. For more information, click here. To register, click here. |
Side event | COVID-19 and developing country responses |
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| Date and time | October 15, 2020 at 7:00–8:00 AM CDT |
| Description |
This session, organized by IFPRI, will present country and regional perspectives, including from China, India, Africa south of the Sahara, and a global perspective. A panel of high-level speakers will offer brief perspectives followed by an engaging Q&A session with the audience. Speakers include Johan Swinnen (IFPRI) and Shenggen Fan (CGIAR System Board). |
| Registration | This is a free event. Find more information and registration details here. |
Side event | Food biofortification: reaping the benefits of science to overcome hidden hunger |
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| Date and time | October 15, 2020 at 10:00–11:00 AM CDT |
| Description | The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology’s (CAST) new Issue Paper, “Food Biofortification—Reaping the Benefits of Science to Overcome Hidden Hunger,” will be released on October 14 as part of the series on The Need for Agricultural Innovation to Sustainably Feed the World by 2050. This paper describes the progress made in developing, testing, and disseminating biofortified staple food crops, primarily through the use of conventional plant breeding. Join Dr. Howarth Bouis, 2016 World Food Prize Laureate and lead author, as he and a panel of the task force authors present highlights from the paper followed by Q&A.
Speakers include Jan Low (CIP), Ekin Birol (HarvestPlus/IFPRI) and Howarth Bouis (IFPRI). |
| Registration | This is a free event. To register click here. |
Side event | Pathways to preventing famine and chronic hunger (Farm Journal Foundation Speaker Series, 3rd installment) |
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| Date and time | October 15, 2020 at 11:30–1:00 PM CDT |
| Description | The current COVID-19 pandemic threatens to undo the last decade’s drastic reduction in chronic hunger levels, and thrust millions of people into famine—how can we prevent this? Farm Journal Foundation is launching a new pilot platform, the University Speaker Series. The University Speaker Series is a program in which multi-stakeholder panelists will engage in a dialogue on topics under the umbrella theme of “Re-envisioning the Global Food System.” This is the final of three virtual town-hall style events in the series.
Speakers include Claudia Sadoff (CGIAR System Organization) |
| Registration | This is a free event. More details are available here; you can register here. |
Side event | COVID-19 and farmer livelihoods: where are the opportunities to future-proof our agri-food systems? |
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| Date and time | October 16, 2020 at 6:00–7:30 AM CDT |
| Description | Drawing lessons from regional key informant interviews conducted over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, IRRI takes stock of the unique pivots that agriculture actors in Asia and Africa have taken, including shifts in strategic research and identifying intersecting opportunities toward future-proofing global food systems. This side event convenes a panel of food systems experts who can build on the initial insights from these interviews and complement the regional voices in proposing urgent actions and collaborations, in order to execute individual and collective post COVID-19 strategies.
Speakers include Jean Balie (IRRI) and Ekaterina Krivonos (CGIAR System Organization). |
| Registration | This is a free event. More details are available here. You can access the webinar here (passcode: 200605). |
Roundtable | Reconstructing equity and access in food systems |
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| Date and time | October 16, 2020 at 11:00 AM–12:30 PM CDT |
| Description | Disruptions to the food system often have disproportionate impacts on under-resourced communities. There are many systemic barriers to accessing inputs, capital and information, which create deep inequities that impact livelihoods, culture and food sovereignty. This roundtable will explore the impacts of shocks like COVID-19 on the most vulnerable people within the food system, and consider the systemic changes needed to increase access and build equity.
Speakers include Claudia Sadoff (CGIAR System Organization) |
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