Madhura Swaminathan, daughter of the first World Food Prize Laureate M. S. Swaminathan, will present Central College’s annual World Food Prize Lecture at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, in Douwstra Auditorium on Central’s campus.
The World Food Prize Laureate Lecture Series brings the innovative discussions of the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue to Iowa’s educational communities and the broader public to engage citizens, students, teachers and community leaders in a vibrant exchange of ideas and information. The World Food Prize collaboration with Iowa’s educational institutions and businesses builds public awareness of those issues related to agriculture, agribusiness, food, nutrition and health, and further helps to support cultural and educational opportunities within the state.
“We are excited to have Professor Swaminathan on campus to address our first-year students on issues pertaining to food security, agriculture and rural development,” says Jay Wackerly, associate professor of chemistry. “World Food Prize Lecture speakers have been frequently welcomed to our campus because they live out the Central mission and values of engaged citizenship.”
Swaminathan currently serves as a professor and head of the economic analysis unit at the Indian Statistical Institute in Bangalore, India. She serves as chair of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and is an advisor on the World Food Prize Council of Advisors. Swaminathan received her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Oxford and has worked on issues of food security, agriculture and rural development for over 25 years.
She was a member of the Government of India’s High-Level Panel on Long-Term Food Security and served on the committee of development policy of the economic and social council of the United Nations from 2013 to 2015. She has authored numerous books and publications and most recently she was a contributing author of the report on “Multi-stakeholder Partnerships to Finance and Improve Food Security and Nutrition in the Framework of the 2030 Agenda” by the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security in Rome.
The World Food Prize is an international award recognizing individuals who have increased the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. Central has proudly hosted the lecture for years in conjunction with the World Food Prize Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. The World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, in Des Moines.
Central’s World Food Prize Lecture will be recorded and available on the Central Dutch Network.
