Heidi Kühn is the founder of the nonprofit organization Roots of Peace, which has been awarded the $250,000 World Food Prize for 2023. The organization’s work has involved planting crops in fields that were once riddled with landmines in countries such as Afghanistan and Vietnam. Since its inception 26 years ago, Roots of Peace has partnered directly with farmers and de-mining partners to restore farmland and food security in war-torn regions. Thus far, its work has generated $491m worth of crops in Afghanistan alone since 2010. Kühn has also challenged tech companies like Facebook and Google to support de-mining efforts in Ukraine, using the award as leverage.
Kühn’s desire to help farmers plant crops in areas that had been cleared of landmines was inspired when Roots of Peace partnered with US wineries to remove these explosive devices in Croatia so that vineyards and orchards could be replanted. The organization also helps Afghan farmers, 5,000 of whom are women, produce high-quality crops after landmine clearance. Her work has brought food security back to areas where conflict once reigned.
The World Food Prize Foundation, founded by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug, will present the award on 26 October in Iowa City Capitol.
UN World Food Programme Wins Nobel Peace Prize for its Fight Against Hunger
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its work to combat hunger and improve living conditions in warzones. The WFP is a UN agency that feeds approximately 97 million individuals in 88 countries each year and plays a significant role in distributing humanitarian aid in several locations around the world affected by conflict. The award comes with a $1.1m prize, and the ceremony will take place in Oslo on 10 December. The Nobel Committee has praised the organization for its capability to “intensify its efforts” during COVID-19.
As climate change and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continue to exacerbate the global hunger crisis, the critical role of developing international cooperation to combat the issue is emphasized even further. The Prize is a crucial recognition of how multilateral cooperation is essential to advancing global security and peace, and it follows other recent Nobel Peace Prize wins for organizations like the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2005, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in 2013, and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015.
With hunger affecting over 250 million people worldwide in 2020, up from 135 million individuals in 2019, the WFP’s fight against it has become increasingly important. Conflict and war are some of the top reasons behind food insecurity across the world, in part due to rules preventing agricultural work, destruction of farmland, or displacement of people. Additionally, the impact of climate change is only worsening the crisis.
As noted by the Nobel Committee, the WFP has been instrumental in intensifying its efforts to address global hunger during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The award of Nobel Peace Prize to the WFP is not only recognition for its efforts but also a symbol of the long road ahead for working against food insecurity.
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