Conflict is a primary driver of recent food crises, while extreme poverty in fragile settings is only anticipated to rise in the years ahead—an increasingly dangerous dynamic that threatens the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. The central role of food security in ensuring global stability was the theme of an October 21 panel discussion at the 2025 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa.
In front of an audience of food systems stakeholders spanning sectors and continents, IFPRI Director General Johan Swinnen, CGIAR Executive Managing Director Ismahane Elouafi, New England Biolabs Chief Scientific Officer and Nobel Laureate Sir Richard Roberts, and Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Michael Werz took the main stage for a discussion on the theme “Peace on the Plate: A Legacy of Security,” moderated by 2024 World Food Prize Laureate Cary Fowler.