Podcast appearances and mentions of Roger Thurow

I was at a professional meeting recently and I heard an inspiring and insightful and forward-looking talk by journalist and author Roger Thurow. Roger was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal for 30 years, 20 of them as a foreign correspondent based in Europe and Africa. Roger has written a number of books including one on world hunger and another what I thought was a particularly important book entitled The First 1000 Days, A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children and the World. Now comes a new book on farmers around the world and how they are coping with the unprecedented changes they face. It was hearing about his book that inspired me to invite Mr. Thurow to this podcast and thankfully he accepted. His new book is entitled Against the Grain: How Farmers Around the Globe are transforming Agriculture to Nourish the World and Heal the Planet. Interview Summary I really admire your work and have loved the new book and what I've read before. So, let's talk about something that you speak about: the wisdom of farmers. And you talk about their wisdom in the context of modern agriculture. What do you mean by that? Farmers of the world, particularly the small holder farmers, indigenous farmers, family farmers as we know them in this country, they're really bold and pioneering in what they're doing. And these farmers, kind of around the world as we go on this journey around the world in the book, they've seen their efforts to earn a living and feed nourish their families and communities turn against. So, while conforming to the orthodoxies of modern industrial agriculture practices: the monocropping, the increased use of fertilizers and pesticides and insecticide chemicals, the land expansion, at the expense of savannas, forest wetlands, biodiverse environments. In the face of this, they've really witnessed their lands degrading. Their soils depleting. Their waters dwindling. Their pollinators fleeing. Their biodiversity shrinking and becoming less diverse. Their rains becoming ever more mercurial., Their temperatures ever hotter. And their children and families and their communities becoming ever more hungry and malnourished. So, they've really seen the future of their own impacts on the environment, and then the impacts of changing climates, of more extreme weather conditions. They've really seen this future. They've experienced, lived it, and it's ugly what they see and what they've experienced on their farms. So, that's their wisdom, and they'll really tell us that it doesn't have to be that way if we listen. That such a future isn't inevitable. Because out of their desperation, you know, these farmers have begun farming against the grain. So, there's the title of the book Against the Grain of this modern agriculture orthodoxy to reconcile their roles as both food producers and nourishers of us all, and stewards in the land. They're pushing forward with practices like agroforestry, agroecology, regenerative agriculture, kind of whatever one calls it. Farming with nature instead of bending nature to their will, which is what we too often done and with kind of the larger modern industrial agriculture techniques. So, farming with nature as opposed to against it as they strive to both nourish us all and heal our planet. Give us a sense, if you will, about how important these small farmers are to the world's food supply? So how important are these? They're really important. Extremely vital for the global food chain, certainly for their own families and communities, and their countries. In a lot of places, say in Africa, in many of the countries, on the continent, it's the small holder farmers that are producing the majority of the food. In their communities and in their countries and across the continent. Still not enough. Africa then must become a substantial importer of food. But these small holder farmers are so key and the more success that they have in feeding their communities and families, the more success we all have then in this great goal of ending hunger and malnutrition. Equally important, these farmers are the stewards of the land. And they're on the front lines of these environmental challenges. The threats from the changing climate and more extreme weather conditions. They're the first impacted by it, but they also increasingly see, and that's what stories in the book are about, how they see that their own actions are then impacting their environment and their climates. And this is why they're so important for all of us is that they find themselves at the center of what I think is this great collision of humanities two supreme imperatives. One, nourish the world, so nourish us all. That's the one imperative. And then the other imperative, kind of colliding with that, is to preserve, protect, and heal our planet from the very actions of nourishing us. So, these are these two colliding forces. You know as I think we already know agriculture and land use activities are responsible for about a third of the greenhouse gases impacting our climate and weather patterns. And the greatest impact of this then is felt by the farmers themselves. And they see what's happening to their soils and the depletion of their soils. Their lands being so terribly degraded by their very actions of nourishing their families and then contributing to nourishing us all. I think that's why they're so important for us. I mean, there's certainly kind of the canaries in the coal mine of climate change. Of these environmental challenges that we're all facing. And how they're then able to adjust their farming, as we kind of see in the book and that's this wisdom again. How can we learn from them and what are they seeing in their own situations. They're then having to adjust because they have no other options. They either have to adjust or their farms will continue to degrade and their children and their families increasingly malnourished and hungry. Roger let's talk through this issue of colliding imperatives just a bit. The fact that protecting the planet and nourishing people are colliding in your view, suggests that these two priorities are competing with one another. How is that the case? Some of the techniques of the monocropping, which is basically planting one crop on the same plot of land year after year, after year, season after season, right? And by doing that, these crops that are pulling nutrients out of the soil, many of the crops don't put nutrients back in. Some of them do. They'll restore nitrogen they'll put other nutrients in. But with the mono cropping, it's kind of the same depletion that goes on. And, has been particularly practiced in this country, and the bigger farmers and more commercial farmers, because it's more efficient. You are planting one crop, you have the same technique of kind of the planting and tending for that. And the harvesting, kind of the same equipment for that. You don't need to adjust practices, your equipment for various other crops that you're growing on that land. And so, there's an efficiency for that. You have then the price stability if there is any price stability in farming from that crop. That can be a weakness if the price collapses and you're so dependent on that. And so, the farmers are seeing, yeah, that's where the degrading and the weakening their of their soils comes from. So, what's their response to that when their land's degrading? When their soils become weak, it's like, oh, we need additional land then to farm. So they'll go into the forest, they'll cut down trees. And now there's virgin soil. They do the same practices there. And then after a number of years, well that land starts depleting. They keep looking for more. As you do these things, then with the soils depleting, the land degrading, becoming really hard, well, when the rain comes, it's not soaking in. And it just kind of runs away as the soil becomes almost like concrete. Farmers aren't able to plant much there anymore or get much out of the ground. And then so what happens then if the water isn't soaking into the soil, the underground aquifers and the underground springs they become depleted. All of a sudden, the lakes and the ponds that were fed by those, they disappear. The wildlife, the pollinators that come because of that, they go. The bushes, the plants, the weeds that are also so important for the environment, they start disappearing. And so you see that in their efforts to nourish their families and to nourish all of us, it's having this impact on the environment. And then that drives more impacts, right? As they cut down trees, trees drive the precipitation cycle. Tthen the rains become ever more mercurial and unpredictable. Without the trees and the shade and the cooling and the breezes, temperatures get hotter. And also, as the rains disappear and become more unpredictable. It has all this effect. And so, the farmers in the book, they're seeing all this and they recognize it. That by their very actions of cutting down trees to expand their land or to go to a different crop. Because again, that's what the commercial agriculture is demanding, so maybe its sugar cane is coming to the area. Well, sugar cane doesn't get along with trees. And so, the farmers in this one part of Uganda that I write about, they're cutting down all their trees to plant sugarcane. And then it's like, wow, now that the trees are gone, now we see all these environmental and ecosystem results because of that. And so that's where this collision comes from then of being much more aware, and sensitive in their practices and responding to it. That they are both nourishing their families and then also being even better stewards of their land. And they're not doing any of this intentionally, right? It's not like they're going 'we have to do all this to the land, and you know, what do we care? We're just here for a certain amount of time.' But no, they know that this is their land, it's their wealth, it's their family property. It's for their children and future generations. And they need to both nourish and preserve and protect and heal at the same time. Well, you paint such a rich picture of how a single decision like mono cropping has this cascade of effects through the entire ecosystem of an area. Really interesting to hear about that. Tell me how these farmers are experiencing climate change. You think of climate change as something theoretical. You know, scientists are measuring these mysterious things up there and they talk about temperature changes. But what are these farmers actually experiencing in their day-to-day lives? So along with the monocropping, this whole notion that then has expanded and become kind of an article of faith through industrial and modern agriculture orthodoxies, is to get big or get out, and then to plant from fence post to fence post. And so, the weeds and the flowers and plants that would grow along the edges of fields, they've been taken down to put in more rows of crops. The wetland areas that have either been filled in. So, it was a policy here, the USDA would then fund farmers to fill in their wetlands. And now it's like, oh, that's been counterproductive. Now there's policies to assist farmers to reestablish their wetland. But kind of what we're seeing with climate change, it's almost every month as we go through the year, and then from year after year. Every month is getting hotter than the previous months. And each year then is getting subsequently hotter. As things get hotter, it really impacts the ability of some crops in the climates where they're growing. So, take for instance, coffee. And coffee that's growing, say on Mount Kenya in Africa. The farmers will have to keep going further and further up the mountains, to have the cooler conditions to grow that type of coffee that they grow. The potato farmers in Peru, where potatoes come from. And potatoes are so important to the global food chain because they really are a bulwark against famine. Against hunger crises in a number of countries and ecologies in the world. So many people rely on potatoes. These farmers, they call themselves the guardians of the indigenous of the native potato varieties. Hundreds of various varieties of potatoes. All shapes, sizes, colors. As it gets warmer, they have to keep moving further and further up the Andes. Now they're really farming these potatoes on the roof of Earth. As they move up, they're now starting to then farm in soils that haven't been farmed before. So, what happens? You start digging in those soils and now you're releasing the carbon that's been stored for centuries, for millennia. That carbon is then released from the soils, and that then adds to more greenhouse gases and more impact on the climate and climate change. It kind of all feeds each other. They're seeing that on so many fronts. And then the farmers in India that we write about in the book, they know from history and particularly the older farmers, and just the stories that are told about the rhythm of the monsoon season. And I think it was the summer of the monsoon season of 2022 when I was doing the reporting there for that particular part of the book. The rains came at the beginning, a little bit. They planted and then they disappear. Usually, the monsoons will come, and they'll get some rain for this long, long stretch of time, sometimes particularly heavy. They planted and then the rains went away. And as the crops germinated and came up, well, they needed the water. And where was the water and the precipitation? They knew their yields weren't going to be as big because they could see without the rains, their crops, their millet, their wheat crops were failing. And then all of a sudden, the rains returned. And in such a downpour, it was like, I think 72 hours or three days kind of rains of a biblical proportion. And that was then so much rain in that short of time than added further havoc to their crops and their harvest. And it was just that mercurial nature and failing nature of the monsoons. And they're seeing that kind of glitches and kinks in the monsoon happening more frequently. The reliability, the predictability of the rains of the seasons, that's what they're all finding as kind of the impacts of climate change. You're discussing a very interesting part of the world. Let's talk about something that I found fascinating in your book. You talked about the case of pigweed in Uganda. Tell us about that if you will. Amaranth. So here, we call it pigweed. That's a weed. Yeah, destroy that. Again, fence post to fence post. Nah, so this pig weed that's growing on the side or any kind of weeds. The milkweed, so I'm from northern Illinois, and the milkweed that would kind of grow on the edges of the corn fields and other fields, that's really favored by monarch butterflies, right? And so now it's like, 'Hey, what happened to all the monarch butterflies that we had when we were growing up?' Right? Well, if you take out the milkweed plants, why are the monarch butterfly going to come? So those pollinators disappear. And they come and they're great to look at, and, you know, 'gee, the monarchs are back.' But they also perform a great service to us all and to our environment and to agriculture through their pollinating. And so, the pigweed in Africa - Amaranth, it's like a wonder crop. And one of these 'super crops,' really nutritious. And these farmers in this area of Uganda that I'm writing about, they're harvesting and they're cultivating Amaranth. And they're mixing that in their homemade porridge with a couple of other crops. Corn, some millet, little bit of sugar that they'll put in there. And that then becomes the porridge that they're serving to the moms, particularly during their pregnancies to help with their nutritional status. And then to the babies and the small children, once they started eating complimentary food. Because the malnutrition was so bad and the stunting so high in that area that they figured they needed to do something about that. And the very farmers that this program from Iowa State University that's been working with them for 20 years now, first to improve their farming, but then wow, the malnutrition is so bad in these farming families. What can we do about that? Then it was, oh, here's these more nutritional crops native to the area. Let's incorporate them into farming. This crop is Amaranth. Basically, neglected in other parts of the world. Destroyed in other parts of the world. That is something that's actually cultivated and harvested, and really cared for and prized in those areas. It's a really interesting story. Let's turn our attention to the United States, which you also profile in your book. And there was a particular farmer in Kansas named Brandon that you talk about. And he said he was getting divorced from wheat. Tell us about that. Yes, thank you. That's a really interesting story because he's standing there kind of on the edge of his farm, looking at the wheat crops across the road that his neighbor was planting and he had some himself. And he's saying, yeah, I need to get a divorce from wheat. Because of the impact that that was having on the environment. Again, the planting of the wheat, you know, year after year. It's the wheat belt of our Great Plains, which then is legendarily known as the breadbasket, not only of America, but the breadbasket of the world. This wheat is particularly good and appropriate for the label of Breadbasket because it's really good for breads, baking materials. But he's looking at here's the impact it had on his soil. The organic matter on the soil has been dwindling. In the season that the wheat is underground, and the topsoil is uncovered, then you have the problems with erosion. He's seen the impact over time of the year after year after year of growing the wheat. What's interesting, he says, you know, I need to get a divorce from wheat. Well, it's his relatives, because he's a fifth descendant, of the Mennonite farmers from what is now Ukraine - one of the world's original grain belts, who brought their hard red winter wheat seeds with them when they came to the Great Plains in the 1870s. They're the ones that wed Kansas, the Great Plains, the United States to wheat. So now this farmer, Brandon-I-need-to-get-a-divorce-from-wheat, well, it's your ancestors and your descendants that wed us to that. There's kind of historic irony that's taking place. But along with the wheat seeds that came, then also came the plowing up the prairie lands for the first time. And wheat is an annual crop. It's planted year after year one harvest. With each planting, the soil is disturbed, releasing carbon that had been stored, that had been stored in the soil for millennium when they first started plowing. Carbon along with methane released by agricultural activities is, again, one of the most potent greenhouse gases. And in addition, you know, this annual plowing exposes the soil to erosion. You know, relentless erosion with the wind and the rain in the plains. That's what eventually led to the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Some environmental and conservation agricultural practices come along because of that, but now that continues. And Brandon himself is seeing the impact as he measures the organic matter in the soil. These are the microorganisms in the soils that naturally work with the soils to grow the crops to feed us all. The nutrients in the soil are weakened and depleted, which then results in the need for more and more chemical enhancements and fertilizers, particularly nitrogen and all the rest. And then you see the runoff of the nitrogen into the water system. And so, yeah, he's seen the impact of all of this, and he's like I need to do something else. And so, he's taken a rather radical step than of planting and growing perennial crops, which you plant one season and then they'll grow for three or four years, maybe more and longer. He has some cattle, so he is able to graze that on those perennial crops. One in particular called kernza, which is an ancient intermediate wheat grass. Has some of the properties of wheat. And so the Land Institute in Kansas then is also working on perennial crops and how can they then be cultivated and harvested also as crops that we all eat. And so Kernza is very high in protein. There's all sorts of breads and pasta, pastries, that you can make with it. Cereals. It's a good ingredient for brewing. There's Kernza beer. And there's promise with that. And then so these perennial crops, then it's like, okay, so we don't have to plow every year. We plant, they grow, they provide a cover crop, but they also provide food for all of us. So perennials, good for our nutrition, good for the soils, good for the environment. You know, we've recorded a series of podcasts with farmers who've been doing regenerative agriculture. And the kind of story that you talk about Brandon, quite similar to what you hear from some of the other farmers. Farming was in their family for many generations. They were accustomed to a particular type of industrial agriculture. They saw it harming the land, thought it bad for the planet, and decided to really retool and do things entirely different. And they're making a go of it, which is really exciting. Roger, I wanted to ask you about Native Americans. As you write about their agriculture, spirituality, kinship, and how all these things come together. Tell us about that. Exactly. Thank you. And so, if you go travel a little bit further in our great plains from Kansas up to South Dakota, and the Sicangu Lakota communities in the southern part of South Dakota close to the Nebraska border. They're trying to reestablish their food sovereignty and the agriculture practices of the Native Americans destroyed, as we tried to destroy them and their communities. By taking of their land, forced relocations, the Trail of Tears, the Trail of Death, in various parts of the country, from various of the Native American communities. And they realize that, as you and the researchers at Duke, know really well, the health impacts that has had on the Native American communities and the high rates of diabetes and obesity, the shortened life expectancies in those communities. And one of the main factors then is their food pathways, and their nutrition being disturbed through all this. So how can they reestablish their food sovereignty? The emphasis on the crops that they used to grow, particularly the three sisters' crops, the maize, the beans, the squash. And then that they would have crops and taste and nutrients that were so vital to their systems traditionally. To recapture that in various growing projects that they have. And then also, with the Sicangu Lakota, they are trying to reestablish the buffalo herd, which was basically decimated from upwards of 30 million or more size of the herd basically down to several hundred with the intentional slaughter of the buffalo in order to really oppress and impact the Native American community. So vital not only to their food sources and nutrition, but basically everything. Clothing, tools - so using every inch of the buffalo. And then spiritually. And as they explain their approach to regenerative agriculture, they would put a picture of a buffalo as the very definition of regenerative agriculture. Just by the way that the buffalo grazes and then moves around. It doesn't graze to the soil it leaves something behind. Then the grasses grow quicker because there's something that's left behind. They leave things behind for other animals. The way that they migrate, and then kind of knead the soil as they go along. That also helps with the soil. So, all these regenerative agriculture, regenerative soil, healthy soil healing practices of it. And then they also say, look the spiritual nature of things that the buffalo represents their kinship. Their kinship of the people to the buffalo, to their land, to the environment. And to them, regenerative agriculture isn't just about food, about soils, about the cultivation and the planting, but also about this kinship. It is a kinship and a spirituality of kind of all of us together. We're all combined on this global food chain. And so that whole kinship element to regenerative agriculture, I think is also really important for us to all understand. Getting back to your original question about the wisdom. This is the wisdom of these farmers, these indigenous farmers, small holder farmers, family farmers. Like Brandon, the small holder farmers of African, India and Latin America are learning so much about their crops that we have so much to learn from.vIt's inspiring to think that some of the remedies that people are coming up with now in the face of all these challenges actually have historic roots that go back thousands of years is pretty inspiring. And it's nice to know that the resurrection of some of these techniques might really make a difference in the modern world. Roger, there are so many questions I'd love to ask you. And I'd urge people to read your book Against the Grain to further explore some of these issues. But I wanted to end with something. Are you hopeful that things will change in a positive direction? I am. I'm also concerned that we need to recognize the need to both nourish and heal. Recognize that this collision is looming, but it's already happening. And I think my hope, and cautious optimism I guess, then comes from the farmers themselves. They're very resilient, and they have to be, right? If you'd asked them the question about where their hope comes from or their optimism or their motivation and inspiration to keep going, it's they don't have any other option. I mean, this is their land. This is what they do. They're farmers, they're nourishing their families. If their families are to be nourished and to end the effects of poor nutrition as we see in this country, which is then common around the world, they need to adjust. So Abebe, a farmer Ethiopia this is kind of where my hope and inspiration comes from. And he begins the book. He's at the outset of the book and in the prologue. His land in Ethiopia was utterly degraded and you couldn't plant there anymore. They had already cut down trees, moved into areas that had been forested. The humble forest in the area had basically disappeared, in kind of the greater area of where Abebe lives. The bigger kind of ecosystem, environmental changes that then come from that, or the disappearance of a forest. And he had been following then the practices and the orthodoxies of modern agriculture. He realized that that was then behind the degradation of his land and the soil. He couldn't plant anymore. And the World Food Program, the Ethiopian government, other kind of NGOs, were then seeing, look these farm communities, these families, we're going to have to be assisting with food assistance forever because their lands are so degraded. They're not able to nourish their families from them unless we do something to restore and heal the land and bring the land back. And so, Abebe and his family and many others in his community, the kind of wider neighborhood and in this area, the humble forest, a lot of them, they stop farming on their land and they're given assistance saved by the World Food Program, kind of food for work. And they set about rehabbing their land. Kind of terracing their land so it'll hold the water. Digging shallow water pans to collect the rain so it then soaks into the soil, into the ground, and then regenerates the underground springs and sources of water. Planting grasses, bushes, letting kind of the land heal and regenerate itself. After a number of years, they see that happening. They move back to the land, and now he has this wide diversity as opposed to planting say corn every year or other mono cropping. Now he has this wide, wild, riotous array of different crops and vegetables and fruit trees. Some of the staple crops that he's grown also in rotation. Working with trees that have then grown up. Springs, a little pond has reformed that he didn't even know was there had come up because of the conservation the water. And he says, you know, my land, which once was dead, he's living again. Right? A profound statement and a realization from this farmer of this is how we can bring it back. So again, as I say, they've seen the future and it's ugly, right? He's seen his land degraded. He couldn't nourish his family anymore. He then does these practices, takes heed of this. I need to heal my land at the same time as farming it. And now his land is living again. So that to me is kind of a wonderful parable. So again, the wisdom of the farmers. It's through the stories and the wisdom of Abebe, that kind of the hope comes forward. Bio Roger Thurow is a journalist and author who writes about the persistence of hunger and malnutrition in our world as well as global agriculture and food policy. He was a reporter at The Wall Street Journal for thirty years, including twenty years as a foreign correspondent based in Europe and Africa. In 2003, he and Journal colleague Scott Kilman wrote a series of stories on famine in Africa that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting. Thurow is the author of four books: Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty (with Scott Kilman); The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change; The First 1,000 Days: A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children – And the World; and, Against the Grain – How Farmers Around the Globe Are Transforming Agriculture to Nourish the World and Heal the Planet. He has also been a senior fellow for Global Agriculture and Food Policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, as well as a Scholar-in-Residence at Auburn University's Hunger Solutions Institute.

Summary Award-winning journalist Roger Thurow reveals how conventional farming practices are simultaneously depleting resources and failing millions of farmers worldwide. His investigation finds that many receiving food aid are actually food producers, highlighting a fundamental flaw in global agricultural systems. Drawing from field research across multiple continents, Thurow highlights promising indigenous and regenerative farming approaches that could transform global food systems while addressing climate challenges. Chapters 00:00 The Collision of Nourishment and Planetary Health 02:30 The Journey into Agriculture and Food Security 05:42 Unintended Consequences of Agricultural Practices 10:25 Lessons from Farmers: Regret and Resilience 14:26 The Debate: Regenerative vs. Modern Agriculture 20:08 Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation in Agriculture 25:15 The Role of Farmers in Global Agriculture 27:54 The Importance of Listening to Farmers Want to stay updated on the latest news in global development? Subscribe to Devex's Newswire: https://www.devex.com/newsletters/newswire

In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, journalist and author Roger Thurow shares his decades-long commitment to addressing global hunger and malnutrition. With 30 years at The Wall Street Journal, including 20 years as a foreign correspondent in Europe and Africa, Thurow has consistently spotlighted issues of poverty, food insecurity, and the systemic injustices that perpetuate them. He reflects on his body of work, including The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change, The First 1,000 Days: A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children – And the World, and his most recent book, Against the Grain: A Deep Dive into Global Hunger. Through these works, Thurow examines how hunger persists in a world of plenty and highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and hope.   The conversation explores Thurow's idea of hunger as a “disease of the soul,” framing it not just as a humanitarian crisis but as a moral failing in societies with the resources to prevent it. Drawing from his extensive reporting in Africa and beyond, Thurow discusses the power of storytelling in mobilizing action and shifting narratives around hunger and poverty. He emphasizes the critical role of smallholder farmers, the importance of nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child's life, and the broader social consequences of malnutrition. Thurow also speaks about the urgent need for what he calls the “clamor”—the collective outrage and demand for change that has historically fueled social movements. Without this global outcry, he warns, hunger risks remaining an invisible crisis, and those most affected will continue to suffer in silence. His call to action is clear: to raise voices loud enough to shatter complacency and ignite meaningful, lasting change.   Listener Engagement: Discover more about Roger via his LinkedIn profile and Instagram. Share your thoughts on this episode via walktalklisten. Your feedback is invaluable to us. Explore the songs selected by Roger and other guests on our #walktalklisten playlist here. Follow Us: Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast and Maurice by liking and following Maurice on Blue Sky, Facebook and Instagram. Visit our website at 100mile.org for more episodes and information about our initiatives. Check out the special WTL series "Enough for All," featuring Church World Service (CWS) and the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

Dani kicks off a new year of Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg by sitting down with Kim Severson, an award-winning national food correspondent for the New York Times, to talk about what to expect for food and agriculture systems in 2025. They discuss what's happening to portion sizes in restaurants as GLP-1s like Ozempic become more popular; how the changing political landscape in the U.S. may impact everything from agricultural research to the future of journalism; and the foods and flavors that Severson expects to see more of, including why 2025 is the year of sauce. Plus, a few of Food Talk's guests from 2024 return to the podcast to share their hopes for food and agriculture systems in the new year. Hear from Saru Jayaraman of One Fair Wage, Edie Mukiibi of Slow Food International, author and journalist Roger Thurow, Dr. Michael Kotutwa Johnson of the University of Arizona, Anna Lappé of the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, and Regina Harmon of Food Recovery Network. While you're listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” wherever you consume your podcasts.

Policy Dialogue/Series/Special Event Against the grain: Could farmers feed the world and heal the planet? Co-organized by IFPRI and The CGIAR Initiative on Nature-Positive Solutions Virtual Event August 27, 2024 Humanity relies on agriculture to provide nourishment, yet there is an urgent need to reduce the agricultural sector's environmental footprint. Meeting these two goals is crucial for both people and the planet to thrive. Please join us for a conversation featuring Roger Thurow, award-winning author and journalist, whose recently released book argues it is possible for farmers to meet these two critical objectives. This seminar will discuss the importance of heeding the wisdom and experiences of the world's smallholder, Indigenous, and family farmers, who are facing the effects of climate change and environmental degradation firsthand as they endeavor to earn a living and feed their families and communities. Perspectives from farmers will highlight how the practices of agroforestry, agroecology, and regenerative agriculture can provide food to nourish humanity while also protecting the environment. The seminar will also discuss how science and research, including the work of CGIAR, and investment and financing has contributed to enhancing the work of these farmers and transforming food systems for people and the planet. Welcome Remarks Charlotte Hebebrand, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, IFPRI Speakers Roger Thurow, Award-winning author and journalist; Former Senior Fellow, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs Jackson Kinyanjui Koimbori, Senior Circular Economy and Climate Change Coordinator, Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Wei Zhang, Senior Research Fellow, Natural Resources and Resilience Unit, IFPRI; Co-lead of the CGIAR Research Initiative on Low-Emission Food Systems (Mitigate+) Evalyne Okoth, Farmer, The CGIAR Initiative on Nature-Positive Solutions, Nyando, Kenya Jonathan Mockshell, Senior Agricultural Economist, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT Closing Remarks Carlo Fadda, Director, Agrobiodiversity, Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture, Alliance of Bioversity & CIAT; Lead, Nature-Positive Solutions Research Initiative Moderator Charlotte Hebebrand, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, IFPRI Links: Purchase the book:https://www.amazon.com/Against-Grain-Farmers-Transforming-Agriculture/dp/1572843403 More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/against-the-grain-could-farmers-feed-the-world-and-heal-the-planet/ Subscribe IFPRI Insights newsletter and event announcements at www.ifpri.org/content/newsletter-subscription

On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” author and journalist Roger Thurow talks about his new book Against the Grain: How Farmers Around the Globe Are Transforming Agriculture to Nourish the World and Heal the Planet. During the conversation, they discuss the link between the environmental and hunger crises, how farmers around the world are turning to practices that heal the soil and restore biodiversity, and becoming comfortable with new relationships that will put the Earth back in balance. While you're listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” wherever you consume your podcasts.

Former Wall Street Journal foreign correspondent, Roger Thurow, explains how farmers around the globe are transforming agriculture. Then, New York Times bestselling author, Amy Stewart, pens a tribute to a group of nature lovers making their lives, and the world, more beautiful one tree at a time in her book, “The Tree Collectors.”

Nearly one in every four children worldwide is affected by malnutrition. Roger Thurow, senior fellow and author of The First 1,000 Days, joins Deep Dish to explore the impact of good nutrition for mothers and children. He provides ten-year updates on the communities in India, Uganda, and Guatemala featured in his book, explores the importance of good nutrition on growth and development, and considers the vital question: what might a child have accomplished for all of us were they not malnourished and stunted in their first 1,000 days?   This episode is brought to you by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America.   Reading List: Beating the Odds: The Mothers and Children of the 1,000 Days Movement, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Roger Thurow, March 9, 2023  The First 1,000 Days: A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children—And the World, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Roger Thurow, May 3, 2016  Lost Chance at Greatness: Hagirso's Interactive Story, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Roger Thurow  Student Voices Call for Culturally Appropriate Food in Schools, Agri-pulse Communications, Roger Thurow, September 21, 2022 

In the second of our episodes featuring writer Roger Thurow, we hear about what inspired his most recent book, 'The First 1000 Days'. What exactly is this crucial period of life - and what is its impact on the rest of a child's life?Malnutrition is a terrible burden to bear, but as Thurow warns, it ultimately affects us all. Further reading and listening:Roger Thurow | The Chicago Council on Global AffairsListen to our podcast featuring child nutrition expert Lora Iannotti from Season 2 of The Boma hereScript written by David Aronson

Roger Thurow is a senior fellow for global agriculture and food policy for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He writes about many of the same issues that animate the work at the International Livestock Research Institute - nutrition, development, hunger, and aid for subsistence farmers. As a writer, Thurow conveys what the lives of the poor are like in vivid, granular detail. We hear from him about what inspired him to focus on these issues - and how he has seen the lives of smallholder farmers change for the better.Further readingRoger Thurow | The Chicago Council on Global AffairsOne Acre Fund

Roger Thurow joined the Chicago Council on Global Affairs as senior fellow on global food and agriculture in January 2010 after three decades at The Wall Street Journal. For 20 years, he was a Journal foreign correspondent based in Europe and Africa. In 2003, he and Journal colleague Scott Kilman wrote a series of stories on famine in Africa that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting. Their reporting on humanitarian and development issues was also honored by the United Nations. Thurow and Kilman are authors of the book ENOUGH: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty. In 2009, they were awarded Action Against Hunger's Humanitarian Award. Thurow is also the author of The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change, and his most recent book, The First 1,000 Days: A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children—and the World.Interactive slideshow featuring Hagirso, the young Ethiopian we've been visiting since the famine of 2003 https://ccga.ccgclients.com/hagirso/ ... illustrating the lifelong impact of childhood malnutrition.Link to a short video introducing The First 1,000 Days book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvS6ijzgfgMHere is The First 1,000 Days and Beyond website where we continue to follow some of the moms and children in The First 1,000 Days book http://thurow1000days.org/rogerthurow@gmail.comIntro music: High Life Richard SmithsonCheck out other amazing Savvy guests at: savvybroadcasting.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Schmooze, What They Should Teach at Harvard Business School with Cody Lowry Cody Lowry has been a successful marketer for thirty years, building a multi-million dollar ad agency from scratch. How did he overcome his past to achieve such success? He took on life with a unique perspective, executing bold ideas, making others laugh, and being ever mindful of the little guy. myschmooze@gmail.com The Economic Social Impact of Childhood Hunger on Society with Roger Thurow Roger Thurow joined the Chicago Council on Global Affairs as senior fellow on global food and agriculture in January 2010 after three decades at The Wall Street Journal. For 20 years, he was a Journal foreign correspondent based in Europe and Africa. He's the author of "The First 1,000 Days" and "Beyond" www.thurow1000days.org Why We Should be Concerned with the Current State of Christianity with Pastor Ed Malone Ed Malone has been serving as a pastor for forty-eight years. Along with being a pastor, he enjoys raising Black Angus cattle, carpentry, and writing. Author of three Christian books. We also discuss Ed's latest book: “Three Simple Words” and the current state of Christianity in the United States. www.christscommunity.com and http://www.edmalone.org

In this series I am speaking with Dr. Kate Thornton, Director of Global Education in the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University and the Director of Research and Academic Initiatives for the Hunger Solutions Institute, as well as renowned author and journalist Roger Thurow, who is well known for his work covering global affairs for The Wall Street Journal and for being a Pulitzer Prize Finalist for the series that he copenned on famine in Africa. Contact our speakers through email: Dr. Kate Thornton - brockmk@auburn.edu Roger Thurow - rthurow@thechicagocouncil.org Links to find Roger Thurow's three books on Amazon: Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change The First 1,000 Days Links to films suggest by Roger Thurow and Dr. Kate Thornton during this episode: Hunger In America (1968) A Place at the Table For more information on Auburn University's Hunger Solutions Institute Additionally, more information can be found on the amazing Kirchner Food Fellowship website If you are food insecure or need help finding food resources use the following: Dial 2-1-1 for essential community services. Through this calling center you can be connected to local resources such as food or clothing banks, shelters, rent or utility assistance, as well as work support, access to services in non-english languages, support for older Americans and people with disabilities, children, youth, and family support, and suicide prevention services. Alabama County Food Guide website Also make sure to follow the podcast's Instagram page, @actual_ag! DM us there any questions you may want to have answered in a future episode. If you want, leave me a voice message with your questions about agriculture and they might just be included in an episode!

In this series I am speaking with Dr. Kate Thornton, Director of Global Education in the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University and the Director of Research and Academic Initiatives for the Hunger Solutions Institute, as well as renowned author and journalist Roger Thurow, who is well known for his work covering global affairs for The Wall Street Journal and for being a Pulitzer Prize Finalist for the series that he copenned on famine in Africa. For more information on Auburn University's Hunger Solutions Institute Additionally, more information can be found on the amazing Kirchner Food Fellowship website that Dr. Thornton spoke about Also make sure to follow the podcast's Instagram page, @actual_ag! DM us there any questions you may want to have answered in a future episode. If you want, leave me a voice message with your questions about agriculture and they might just be included in an episode!

On today’s episode, Nicolette and Eric discuss how he nearly lost his eyesight because of type 2 diabetes. Instead of googling ‘how to live with diabetes’ as recommended by doctors, Eric instead did a Google search: ‘how to reverse Diabetes’. This launched Eric into a whole food plant-based journey and he successfully reversed his diabetes completely. Eric is now working with schools and other community groups throughout Brooklyn to support them in learning about plant-based wholefoods as medicine. Tune in now to hear more about the incredible work that Eric is doing to heal the American diet and lifestyle. And definitely pick up a copy of Eric’s book, Healthy At Last: A Plant-Based Approach to Preventing and Reversing Diabetes and Other Chronic Illnesses Eric Adams is the Brooklyn Borough President and on his own, figured out the formula to reverse his diabetes. Since then, he’s been redesigning communities and setting up systems to support his greater community in tackling the chronic disease epidemic in New York. Eric graduated at the top of his class from the New York City Police Academy.  After serving with the New York City Transit Police Department, he transferred to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and retired with the rank of Captain after a 22-year law enforcement career. His next foray into public service came when he was elected to the first of four terms in the New York State Senate in 2006. From this position, he represented a diverse range of neighborhoods across Brooklyn. In 2013, Brooklynites elected Eric as the first person of color to serve as their Borough President where he is currently serving his second term as Brooklyn’s Chief Executive. Find Eric Adams at: Facebook: @healthyatlastbk Instagram: @healthyatlastbk Twitter: @healthyatlastbk Discussed on the PODCAST: Book – Eric Adams, Healthy at Last - https://www.amazon.ca/Healthy-Last-Plant-Based-Preventing-Reversing/dp/1401960561 Dr Caldwell B. Esselstyn - www.dresselstyn.com Dr Neal Bernard - www.wholefoodplantbaseddiet.com Dr Michael Greger – www.Nutriionalfacts.org Bellevue Hospital Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Program – Dr McMacken - https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/bellevue/health-care-services/plant-based-lifestyle-medicine-program/ Book – The First 1000 days, Roger Thurow – https://www.amazon.ca/First-000-Days-Crucial-Children/dp/1610395859 If you are currently battling a Chronic Degenerative Disease, Nicolette is doing one on one consultations again. Go to www.nicolettericher.com to set up an appointment today! Our 22M Bike tour is still happening once the world returns to its new normal. Find out more about and support our 22 Million Campaign here - http://www.richerhealth.ca/ Want to improve your health… Click here to access our FREE resources so you can live your best life! https://nicolettericher.com/free-stuff Find out ways you can work with Nicolette to improve your health here: https://nicolettericher.com/work-with-me Join Nicolette at one of her retreats https://richerhealthretreatcentre.com/ Find out more about our non-profit society Sea to Sky Thrivers - https://seatoskythrivers.com/ Want to know more about Nicolette’s Green Moustache Café’s https://www.greenmoustache.com/ Sign up for the Eat Real to Heal Online Course - https://nicolettericher.com/eat-real-to-heal Buy the Eat Real to Heal Book here: https://www.amazon.ca/Eat-Real-Heal-Medicine-Arthritis/dp/163353782X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1567629190&sr=8-1

Dr. Norman Borlaug was an American agronomist who specialized in wheat breeding. Known as the Father of the Green Revolution, he helped other hunger fighters save hundreds of thousands of lives in Mexico, India, Pakistan, and other countries throughout his long and varied career. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 and founded the World Food Prize to celebrate other food fighters worldwide. This episode we speak with his granddaughter and colleague Julie Borlaug and fellow colleagues Dr. Ronnie Coffman and Dr. Ed Runge to discuss the “Man who Fed the World.” Listen to learn: What are the three major improvements Dr. Borlaug contributed to wheat breeding What role sports played in Dr. Borlaug’s life What was the Green Revolution What obstacles still remain in the realm of hunger fighting If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/ Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe. If you would like to reach out to Julie, you can find her here: julie@inari.com https://twitter.com/JulieBorlaug https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-borlaug-3b7b6710/ If you would like to reach out to Ronnie, you can find him here: wrc2@cornell.edu If you would like to reach out to Ed, you can find him here: e-runge@tamu.edu Resources CEU Quiz: https://www.certifiedcropadviser.org/education/classroom/classes/873 Leon Hesser’s book, The Man Who Fed the World: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/man-who-fed-the-world-leon-hesser/1100451132 Roger Thurow’s book, The Last Hunger Season: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-hunger-season-roger-thurow/1110792507 Roger Thurow’s book, Enough: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/enough-roger-thurow/1116903601?ean=9781586488185 Noel Veitmeyer’s book, Our Daily Bread: https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Bread-Essential-Norman-Borlaug/dp/0578095556 Charles C. Mann’s book, The Wizard and The Prophet: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wizard-and-the-prophet-charles-c-mann/1126242716?ean=9780345802842 PBS Special, The Man Who Tried to Feed the World: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/man-who-tried-to-feed-the-world/ Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation: https://www.normanborlaug.org/ Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture: https://borlaug.tamu.edu/ Borlaug Global Rust Initiative: https://www.globalrust.org/ Borlaug Global Rust Initiative Twitter: @globalrust, https://twitter.com/globalrust Borlaug Global Rust Initiative Facebook: @globalrust: https://www.facebook.com/globalrust World Food Prize: https://www.worldfoodprize.org/ The Rockefeller Foundation: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/ University of Minnesota: https://twin-cities.umn.edu/ Texas A&M University: https://www.tamu.edu/ Cornell Global Development Department Twitter: @CornellGlobal, https://twitter.com/CornellGlobal Cornell Global Development Department Facebook: @CornellGlobal, https://www.facebook.com/CornellGlobalDevelopment/ Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: https://cals.cornell.edu/ Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Twitter: @CornellCALS, https://twitter.com/CornellCALS Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Facebook: @CornellCALS, https://www.facebook.com/CornellCALS Cornell University: https://www.cornell.edu/ Cornell University Twitter: @Cornell, https://twitter.com/Cornell Cornell University Facebook: @Cornell, https://www.facebook.com/Cornell Iowa State University: https://www.iastate.edu/ CIMMYT: https://www.cimmyt.org/ USDA: https://www.usda.gov/ Alliance for Science: https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/ Global Youth Institute: https://www.worldfoodprize.org/en/youth_programs/global_youth_institute/ World Food Program: https://www.wfpusa.org/  World Food Programme: https://www.wfp.org/   Peace Corps: https://www.peacecorps.gov/ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ Alliance to End Hunger: https://alliancetoendhunger.org/ Sponsored by Gasmet Technologies. Gasmet Technologies range of portable analyzers are used for environmental research measuring CO2, CH4, N2O, NH3 & H2O gas fluxes simultaneously at sub-ppm levels. Check out www.gasmet.com for more information and to request a quotation. Field, Lab, Earth is copyrighted to the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

Today on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani interviews Dr. Maureen Miruka, Director for Gender, Youth & Livelihoods at CARE USA and Roger Thurow, Senior Fellow at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Dani and Dr. Miruka discuss women and agriculture and how CARE is invested in programs that empower women. Then, Dani and Roger talk about the breakdown of the United States’ food chain and why global food security persists amid an abundance of food in the U.S. While you’re listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” wherever you consume your podcasts.

In this episode, we talk about Costa Rican food policy, ousted vegans on Instagram, and complex computer simulations exploring the benefits healthy-food subsidies in the US. In Washington DC, Khris chats with special guest, Chicago Council Senior Fellow, Roger Thurow; writer, journalist, podcaster, and global nutrition advocate. You’ll hear Roger’s take on everything from global development to his mother’s German potato salad. Grocery Bag: Computer simulations: fresh fruits and vegetable subsidies in the U.S. https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002761 Rawvana, famous vegan lifestyle coach, caught eating fish https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tanyachen/famous-vegan-youtuber-rawvana-allegedly-caught-eating-fish Costa Rican food tax https://www.costaricantimes.com/food-items-about-to-get-more-expensive-in-costa-rica/65823 Roger Thurow Interview: Roger’s bio: https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/expert/roger-thurow Outrage and Inspire: a podcast by Roger Thurow https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/blog/outrage-and-inspire/outrage-and-inspire-roger-thurow-am-i-about-lose-my-second-child-too The First 1,000 Days: A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children-And the World – Roger Thurow https://www.amazon.com/First-000-Days-Crucial-Children/dp/1610395859 The Chicago Council on Global Affairs: Annual Global Food Security Symposium https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/event-series/global-food-security-symposium

Thank you for listening to this second installment of our February Episode of #TeachAgTalks! Details of this episode: In this episode we were able to hear the second half of a fantastic discussion with Roger Thurow, a former correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and now a senior fellow for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He is also the author of what he deems as the real Hunger Games Trilogy including: ENOUGH: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty, The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change, and his most recent book, The First 1,000 Days: A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children—and the World. He also was the keynote speaker for the 2019 Global Learning in Agriculture Conference (#GLAG19), with the live event hosted at Penn State! We were able to sit down and discuss agricultural development, food insecurity and his personal mantra to "Outrage and Inspire". Thank you for tuning in to this two part installment of #TeachAgTalks! We will see you next month! Be sure to check out teachagpsu.blogspot.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more publications from @TeachAgPSU! Want to see what else is going on in PA Agricultural Education? If you’re not already on the Tuesday Teach Ag Topics email blast send us an email at teachag@psu.edu. #TeachAgTalks is supported by the Center for Professional Personnel Development in Agricultural Education. The Center is dedicated to the empowerment of all educators to advance the food, fiber and natural resources industry through student success! Theme Music Adapted From: Android Sock Hop Kevin MacLeod USUAN1700060 Kevin-9-1 – Android-sock-hop License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Thank you for listening to this first installment of our February Episode of #TeachAgTalks! Details of this episode: In this episode we were able to hear the first half of an interview with Roger Thurow, a former correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and now a senior fellow for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He is also the author of what he deems as the real Hunger Games Trilogy including: ENOUGH: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty, The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change, and his most recent book, The First 1,000 Days: A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children—and the World. He also was the keynote speaker for the 2019 Global Learning in Agriculture Conference (#GLAG19), with the live event hosted at Penn State! To hear the second part of this interview, make sure to check in to the next episode of #TeachAgTalks! Be sure to check out teachagpsu.blogspot.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more publications from @TeachAgPSU! Want to see what else is going on in PA Agricultural Education? If you’re not already on the Tuesday Teach Ag Topics email blast send us an email at teachag@psu.edu. #TeachAgTalks is supported by the Center for Professional Personnel Development in Agricultural Education. The Center is dedicated to the empowerment of all educators to advance the food, fiber and natural resources industry through student success! Theme Music Adapted From: Android Sock Hop Kevin MacLeod USUAN1700060 https://soundcloud.com/kevin-9-1/android-sock-hop License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Roger Thurow recounts the story of mothers in northern Uganda. 

Roger Thurow tells the story of a child named Hagirso to describe the lasting damage of hunger and stunting.

In the lead up to the 2017 Global Food Security Symposium, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs is collaborating to produce Food Security, a podcast examining nutrition, hunger, and food security around the world. This is the second of three episodes showcasing work from journalists whose projects tie into the big picture of global agriculture and food security. In this episode, host Roger Thurow interviews Jenni Duggan, whose project “Syrian Seeds Sow Hope for Global Food Security” where she tells the story of a research center in Lebanon, whose collection of seeds were rushed out of Syria during hostilities and are of vital importance for global food security in a changing climate. If you like the show, mark your calendar for the March 29-30 live streams of the 2017 Global Food Security Symposium.

In the lead up to the 2017 Global Food Security Symposium, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs is collaborating to produce Food Security, a podcast examining nutrition, hunger, and food security around the world. This is the second of three episodes showcasing work from journalists whose projects tie into the big picture of global agriculture and food security. In this episode, host Roger Thurow interviews Karim Chrobog, whose project “Wasted” compares the world's largest food recycler, South Korea, with the world's largest food waster, the United States. If you like the show, mark your calendar for the March 30 live stream of the 2017 Global Food Security Symposium.

In the lead up to the 2017 Global Food Security Symposium, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs collaborated to produce Food Security, a podcast examining nutrition, hunger, and food security around the world. This is the first of three episodes showcasing work from journalists whose projects tie into the big picture of global agriculture and food security. Roger Thurow interviews Lisa Palmer, who has covered the threat of global environmental change and its impact on our ability to feed a growing population in her project Hot, Hungry Planet. If you like the show, join us in Washington, D.C. March 29th-30th for the 2017 Global Food Security Symposium. Learn more and register at http://thechicagocouncil.org/globalfoodsecurity2017

Roger and I talk about his new book The First 1000 Days, “stupid poverty”, malnutrition, journalism and “gray matter” as infrastructure. More about Roger here at Outrage and Inspire. For more information about his book “The First 1000 Days” go here. The First 1000 Days initiative is here. Biography Roger Thurow joined The Chicago Council on Global Affairs as senior fellow for global food and agricultural in January 2010 after three decades at The Wall Street Journal. For 20 years, he served as a Journal foreign correspondent, based in Europe and Africa. His coverage of global affairs spanned the Cold War, the reunification of Germany, the release of Nelson Mandela, the end of apartheid, the wars in the former Yugoslavia and the humanitarian crises of the first decade of this century – along with 10 Olympic Games. In 2003, he and Journal colleague Scott Kilman wrote a series of stories on famine in Africa that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting. Thurow and Kilman are authors of the book,ENOUGH: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty. In 2009, they were awarded Action Against Hunger’s Humanitarian Award. In May 2012, Thurow published his second book, The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change. His new book, The First 1,000 Days: A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children—And the World, was published in May this year.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike and Peggy welcome artist Mary Ellen Croteau, Food Tank president and founder Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank Summit participant Roger Thurow, Kay McKeen from SCARCE and Erlene Howard from Collective Resource.

Jeanne talks with author, journalist Roger Thurow about how hunger and malnutrition robs mothers and children of their chance to reach their full potential. He writes about women in the U.S. as well as developing country to tell the stories of how hunger affects women all over the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roger Thurow is a senior fellow in global food and agriculture for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Previously he spent 30 years at The Wall Street Journal, 20 of them as a foreign correspondent based in Europe and Africa. In 2003, he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for coauthoring a series on famine in Africa, and was honored by the United Nations for his work. Thurow frequently speaks on agricultural development and is the author of several books including The Last Hunger Season. His newest book, The First 1,000 Days, was published in May 2016.

Today, one in every four children under the age of five in the world—nearly 170 million in total—is physically or mentally stunted. In the past few years, devastating food crises and new research on the economic and social costs of childhood hunger have inspired an international movement to end malnutrition in the first 1,000 days, from conception to a child's second birthday. Proper nutrition during these 1,000 days can profoundly influence an individual's ability to grow, learn, and work, and determine a society's long-term health and prosperity. Through compelling stories of new mothers and babies in Uganda, India, Guatemala, and Chicago, award-winning journalist and anti-hunger advocate, Roger Thurow, brings the 1,000 days to life and illuminates the science, politics, and progress of the movement to end childhood malnutrition. Thurow, a senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, discusses his new book, The First Thousand Days, with international development experts Tom Arnold and Catherine Bertini.

We're joined today by Roger Thurow, an award-winning journalist and author who has traveled across the globe reporting on food security, agriculture and humanitarian issues. We spoke to Roger about his experience in the field, how 9/11 led him to cover global hunger issues, and his motto: “Outrage and inspire.”  Music Featured: Modest Mouse, "Float On"       

Sri Spicka, Paul McNamara, Roger Thurow, Chris Keil

Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman talk about their book Enough: Why The World’s Poorest Starve In An Age of Plenty. Download transcript (pdf)

Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman talk about their book Enough: Why The World’s Poorest Starve In An Age of Plenty. Download transcript (pdf)

A talk by journalist and author Roger Thurow. For more than thirty years, humankind has known how to grow enough food to end chronic hunger worldwide. Yet while the "Green Revolution" succeeded in South America and Asia, it never got to Africa. Now, an impending global food crisis threatens to make things worse. In the west we think of famine as a natural disaster, brought about by drought; or as the legacy of brutal dictators. But in this powerful investigative narrative, Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman argue that in the past few decades, American, British, and European policies conspired to keep Africa hungry and unable to feed itself. As a new generation of activists work to keep famine from spreading, Enough sheds light on a humanitarian issue of utmost urgency. From the World Beyond the Headlines lecture series. Cosponsored by the Program on the Global Environment.

A talk by journalist and author Roger Thurow. For more than thirty years, humankind has known how to grow enough food to end chronic hunger worldwide. Yet while the "Green Revolution" succeeded in South America and Asia, it never got to Africa. Now, an impending global food crisis threatens to make things worse. In the west we think of famine as a natural disaster, brought about by drought; or as the legacy of brutal dictators. But in this powerful investigative narrative, Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman argue that in the past few decades, American, British, and European policies conspired to keep Africa hungry and unable to feed itself. As a new generation of activists work to keep famine from spreading, Enough sheds light on a humanitarian issue of utmost urgency. From the World Beyond the Headlines lecture series. Cosponsored by the Program on the Global Environment.

A talk by journalist and author Roger Thurow. For more than thirty years, humankind has known how to grow enough food to end chronic hunger worldwide. Yet while the "Green Revolution" succeeded in South America and Asia, it never got to Africa. Now, an impending global food crisis threatens to make things worse. In the west we think of famine as a natural disaster, brought about by drought; or as the legacy of brutal dictators. But in this powerful investigative narrative, Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman argue that in the past few decades, American, British, and European policies conspired to keep Africa hungry and unable to feed itself. As a new generation of activists work to keep famine from spreading, Enough sheds light on a humanitarian issue of utmost urgency. From the World Beyond the Headlines lecture series. Cosponsored by the Program on the Global Environment.

For more than thirty years, humankind has known how to grow enough food to end chronic hunger worldwide. Yet more than 9 million people die each year of hunger, malnutrition, and related diseases—most of them in Africa and most of them children. Roger Thurow joins the Council for a look at the geopolitics that allow some countries to prosper while others starve. Looking at Africa, he examines how subsidies and food aid are going awry, and how many well-intentioned strategies contribute to keeping the poor hungry and unable to feed themselves. Thurow has been a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal for twenty years and has reported from more than sixty countries.