THE NORMAN E. BORLAUG INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM, known informally as the “Borlaug Dialogue,” each year brings together over 1,200 people from more than 65 countries to address cutting-edge issues related to global food security and nutrition. The three-day conference convenes a wide array of scientific experts, policy leaders, business executives and farmers and has been called “the premier conference in the world on global agriculture.” Through the Borlaug Dialogue, the World Food Prize Foundation helps build alliances in the struggle against world hunger and malnutrition.

The Borlaug Dialogue occurs each October on or around World Food Day in conjunction with the awarding of the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. Additional events surrounding the conference include the Global Youth Institute, which aims to inspire the next generation of scientific and humanitarian leaders; the Iowa Hunger Summit, a free, grassroots event for regional hunger-fighting organizations; and several side events held by partner organizations.

The theme of the 2018 Borlaug Dialogue, Rise to the Challenge, explores the massive effort to feed 9.5 billion people expected by 2050. Our still undefined ability to feed the projected world population requires the attention of problem-solvers across stakeholder groups.

Failing to meet this challenge will impact the entire world population, not just the hungry. The ability to access adequate nutrition is as much as stake as the ability to access an adequate amount of calories. Rising poverty coupled with deepening health and disease concerns could devastate our world as a whole. Unsustainable farming practices threaten our environment with increased pollution, resource depletion, and loss of biodiversity. The risk of conflict powered by hunger and resource scarcity skyrockets.

These constraints reveal this challenge to be multidimensional and complex without a singular, linear solution. The need to Rise to the Challenge distinctly becomes imperative and inevitable.

With this in mind, we will endeavor to explore many of the most important issues, opportunities, and challenges we must consider in order to Ride to the Challenge.

REGISTRATION FOR THE BORLAUG DIALOGUE: 
Registration for the Borlaug Dialogue is now open. Please visit our Registration Page to register to attend.

BORLAUG DIALOGUE AGENDA:
A preliminary agenda for the Borlaug Dialogue can be found on our Symposium Agenda page. Please check back frequently, as more speakers and panels will be added in the coming weeks. Please visit our Symposium Agenda page for more information.

BOOK YOUR HOTEL:
The Borlaug Dialogue will take place again in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, in the Downtown Des Moines Marriott. A special block of rooms at a reduced rate at the Downtown Des Moines Marriott will be available on July 1st, 2018. More hotel information will be posted shortly. Please visit our Hotels & Lodging page for more information.