WFP Global Youth Institute, Day 1 Part 2.
Thursday, October 16: Schedule of Activities (Part 2)
Secretary's Roundtable with Secretary of Agriculture from US and Mexico | World Food Prize Hall of Laureates with Guest Speaker
The next activity on the schedule was to attend another Symposium Session. This session was the "Secretary's Roundtable" with Hon. Tom Vilsack (Secretary of Agriculture for the United States) and H.E. Enrique Martinez y Martinez (Secretary of Agriculture for Mexico). I was looking forward to this discussion because I have always had an interest in agriculture and politics/policy, and both of these influential individuals have careers that seem to combine the two effortlessly. Both secretaries agreed that bringing the attention of youth to STEM fields (particularly agriculture science) is a necessity. Opportunities are there for students like me, they just need to be publicized and shown so we can access them and take full advantage of what is out there. Various programs that each government is doing were also highlighted throughout their talk.After the discussion we traveled to the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates to hear some inspirational talks with guest speakers, and to witness the Award Ceremony on the big screen. We also recorded video footage to be shown at the Awards Ceremony later that evening. Three special guests spoke (Senator Tom Harkin, Ambassador Charles Rivken, and the Minister of Agriculture of Rwanda) and I would like to share a little of what two of these distinguished speakers shared.
"The problem with being successful is that people expect you to continue and be successful."
Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa was one of my favorite speakers of the entire conference. His messages rang clear and true as to what needs to be done to stop food insecurity and I had high expectations for his speech due to my interest in government. ;) He spoke of the importance of being an active participants of the community, both locally and globally.
What good does it do if we feed everyone, but destroy the planet? It's important to keep sustainable, environmentally-friendly agricultural practices in mind as we continue to try and feed everyone. Without a healthy planet, we cannot have a healthy food source. He also spoke highly of education and addressing challenges.Ambassador Charles Rivkin, who serves as the "Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs at the US Department of State", also opened my eyes to what I can do to solve food insecurity on an international level. He also explained government service careers that have to do with international agriculture such as his former position as a diplomat (Something I very much enjoyed!). As he said, "it's easy to complain about the US government, God knows people do, but you need to be a part of the solution," inspiring me to pursue a career of public service in one way or another. He also spoke of internships and opportunities abroad for students, naming any student that travels abroad a "United States ambassador".
It was a privilege to learn from these three speakers and to explore government’s role in international food security.After viewing the Awards Ceremony, which was a brilliant and elegant celebration, we were sent to our rooms to prepare for the long first "full day" tomorrow.
Photographs courtesy of the World Food Prize Flickr