AgWired

There were many corporate, government and organization types at the World Food Prize symposium last week in Des Moines – but there were lots of real farmers as well, from all over the world. The opportunity for farmers from different countries to network with each other is very valuable, especially for sharing ideas to increase productivity.

Laura Foell is a producer from Schaller, Iowa who is a member of the United Soybean Board. This year was the third time she has been to the World Food Prize events and she enjoys the ability to interact with farmers from other countries. Earlier this year she went to Africa with some other “Women in Soy” to help other women farmers in that country. “Because 80 percent of the agriculture is done by women,” she says. “We went out to the villages where women are actually being entrepreneurs and selling products and we’re hoping to get soy as a textured protein into their selling so they can add that to their diets.”

“We had women who had HIV tell us that putting soy in their diet helped them maintain their weight or even gain weight,” she added. And she says that soybeans can not only be used for food and feed, but for fuel and even fiber as well.

Listen to my interview with Laura here: wfp-08-laura.mp3

See photos of the World Food Prize event here.

The role of soybeans in helping to feed a growing world population was emphasized at the World Food Prize events in Des Moines this past week by the prominent presence of soybean industry groups like the United Soybean Board.

I spoke with USB CEO John Becherer (pictured here on the right with World Food Prize Foundation president Ambassador Ken Quinn) about the mood at the WFP this year and the increased emphasis on biotechnology, even among countries that have been resistant to using the technology in the past. “I think that the last year with real or perceived shortages of wheat and rice on a global basis really was a shock to the system and I think it changed some people’s attitudes about biotech and the need for using every tool in the toolbox to be able to feed people not only now, but the expected eight and a half billion people that we might see by the year 2030.”

Becherer says the role of soybeans is important. “As you look at soybeans, 20 percent of the product is oil and that goes to multiple uses, but 80 percent is meal,” Becherer said. “Most of that is fed to animals, really providing the protein that people need.”

“We’re doing everything we can working with checkoff funds that farmers pay to increase yields, improve digestibility, and working on quality parameters that make it a better product,” he added.

Listen to an interview with John here:
wfp-08-becherer.mp3

You can also download the audio with this link: John Becherer at World Food Prize (mp3)

See photos of the World Food Prize event here.