
World Food Prize Awarded to Roots of Peace Founder
- foodfightadmin
- May 11, 2023
- Global Hunger
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California peace activist Heidi Kühn has been awarded the prestigious 2023 World Food Prize for her remarkable work transforming war torn regions by replacing land mines with grape vines, fruit trees, and vegetables. The Des Moines, Iowa based foundation recognized Kühn, the founder of Roots of Peace, during a ceremony held in Washington. Over the years, her nonprofit organization has successfully cleared thousands of mines and provided assistance to farmers in multiple countries. In the near term, Kühn plans to scale their operations to Ukraine.
Kühn, 65, revealed the idea for her organization emerged after hosting an event advocating for the eradication of land mines at her home in San Rafael, California. Reflecting on her journey, she described it as a vision of turning blood-soaked fields into thriving vineyards and transforming hatred into love. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Terry Branstad, the World Food Prize Foundation president and former U.S. ambassador to China, were among the distinguished attendees who announced Kühn as the laureate of the $250,000 award. The formal prize presentation will take place in October in Des Moines, Iowa.
Branstad, in his announcement, praised Kühn‘s work and emphasized the crucial role of agriculture in the recovery from conflict, towards the restoration of peace. Kühn‘s motivation stemmed from her battle with cancer at the age of 30 while simultaneously running a TV production company and raising three young children. She survived her illness and made a vow to utilize her life for something meaningful. Princess Diana’s efforts to ban landmines, coupled with the realization that there were an estimated 60 million of them worldwide, inspired Kühn to take action.
Starting with modest efforts in Croatia, Kühn collaborated with vintners in California’s Napa Valley to initiate a project that has since scaled to Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Israel, Iraq, Palestinian areas, and Vietnam. In addition to mine clearance, the organization conducts market assessments to help farmers generate income from the newly liberated land. Notably, Roots of Peace played a pivotal role in Vietnam, where they facilitated the planting of over a million pepper trees, resulting in a high-grade pepper harvest that is now exported to the United States.
Although Kühn‘s organization has secured funding from government and private sources, she acknowledged that her journey from raising four children to leading an international mine-clearing organization remains an unusual and sometimes surreal experience. The World Food Prize, established in 1986 by Iowa native Norman Borlaug, Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 1970, has recognized 52 individuals for their outstanding contributions to improving the quality, quantity, and accessibility of the global food supply. Kühn joins this esteemed group of individuals for her extraordinary efforts in promoting peace and sustainable agriculture.