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Roots of Peace founder to receive 2023 World Food Prize

The 2023 World Food Prize award winner is being recognized for her work turning minefields into farmland.

World Food Prize President Terry Branstad tells Brownfield Heidi Kuhn founded Roots of Peace in 1997, a U.S.-based humanitarian organization that utilizes agriculture to restore food systems in war-torn regions.

“She’s helped take areas that were unused for agriculture because of dangerous land mines and helped de-mine those and help them restore it for agricultural use,” he said.

Branstad says she has helped over a million people gain access to nutritional food sources as they recover from devastating conflict. “She’s been in Vietnam. She’s been in Afghanistan,” he said. “And of course, now you have the situation in Ukraine. We’re very honored and very proud to honor her this year with the World Food Prize.”

This week’s Borlaug Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa will culminate with a ceremony honoring Kuhn.