Danforth Center President Giles Oldroyd to Speak at 2026 Borlaug Dialogue
Board Director Cary Fowler, 2024 World Food Prize Laureate, also among confirmed speakers.
ST. LOUIS, MO (May 15, 2026)—Giles Oldroyd, president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, will speak at the 2026 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, scheduled Oct. 20-22 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The annual gathering convenes scientists, policymakers, farmers, business leaders and innovators working to advance global food security.
This year's Dialogue convenes under the theme Before Hunger Wins, marking the 40th anniversary of the World Food Prize. Oldroyd, named a 2024 Top Agri-food Pioneer by the World Food Prize Foundation, joins a speaker roster that includes Danforth Center Board Director Cary Fowler, the 2024 World Food Prize Laureate and speaker at the Danforth Center’s 2025 Seeds of Change event.
Danforth Center President Dr. Giles Oldroyd has had a distinguished career in service to food security in sub Saharan Africa and around the world. He was named a Top Agri-Food Pioneer by the World Food Prize Foundation in 2024 and will speak at this year's Borlaug Dialogue.
“Forty years after the World Food Prize was established, hunger remains one of the most urgent and solvable problems we face,” said Giles Oldroyd, PhD, Danforth Center president. “The Borlaug Dialogue is where that urgency gets translated into action, and I look forward to contributing to those conversations alongside so many leaders who are driving real progress in the field.”
“The opportunity for Giles and Dr. Fowler to engage on a global stage like the Borlaug Dialogue underscores not only the extraordinary leadership we are bringing, but also the power of partnership in advancing solutions to urgent global challenges,” said Penny Pennington, chair of the Danforth Center Board of Directors. “Their presence at this convening—one as our president, one as a World Food Prize laureate and trusted board voice—represents the depth of the Danforth Center's commitment to deliver real-world impact to transform food security, strengthen communities and create a more sustainable future."
Dr. Cary Fowler speaking at the Danforth Center's 2025 Seeds of Change. Dr. Fowler is a Danforth Center Board Director and the 2024 World Food Prize recipient. He is also appearing at the 2026 Borlaug Dialogue.
The Danforth Center will also exhibit at the event, providing attendees an opportunity to learn about the Center's research and technology for crop improvement, agricultural sustainability, and food security.
About the Borlaug Dialogue
At the Borlaug Dialogue, the most critical conversations are taking place. Leaders and innovators are charting solutions, sharing knowledge and inspiring the next generation of hunger fighters. It is where ideas become commitments and commitments become action. Rooted in the legacy of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug and the founding vision of the World Food Prize, the Borlaug Dialogue is not just a convening. It is a beacon, an inspiration to people who will bring arid lands to life, break cycles of hunger and poverty and beat down the barriers to our most basic needs. In the words of Dr. Borlaug, “Food is the moral right of all who are born unto this world.” Registration at worldfoodprize.org.
About the Danforth Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is the largest independent nonprofit dedicated to plant science in the world. With a mission to improve the human condition through plant science, the Center conducts plant science research to feed people and improve human health, preserve and renew the environment, and enhance our region as a world center for plant science. For more information, visit danforthcenter.org
Media Contact: Kristina DeYong | Public Information Officer, Danforth Center | kdeyong@danforthcenter.org