Emma Murphy Completes Iowa World Food Conference

From Wednesday, October 12th, to Sunday, October 16th, Emma Murphy attended the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute Conference.

Held in Iowa, the conference unites youth from across the world in learning about agrarian and humanitarian crises currently afflicting the international community.

Following a successful presentation at Cornell University on the Sudan water crisis, Emma was chosen to represent New York State at the conference. She flew with her mentor, Mrs. Lori Andersen, to Iowa; she was promptly sorted into a group with students from Michigan, Mexico, India, Iowa, and Georgia. She listened to speeches by ambassadors and presidents, helped prepare 24,000 nutritional meals for the Haitian Relief Network, and spent time discussing agrarian issues with her peers and several distinguished judges.

On Friday night, Emma participated in the Oxfam Hunger Banquet, where students and teachers were served and seated based on international income statistics. In other words, twenty percent of the students and teachers were given four-course meals at tables because only twenty percent of the world makes above $8,000 and can afford to eat every day. Thirty percent of the students and teachers were given rice and beans, and they sat in chairs; men were served before women. They represent the thirty percent of the world that makes between $1,200 and $7,999. Finally, fifty percent of the students sat on the floor and were served leftover rice at the end of the meal; they represented the fifty percent of the world that makes less than $1,200. Emma commented that the experience “definitely made me rethink my habits when it comes to disposing of food, and what to do with waste.”

The conference appears to have had a profound effect on Emma’s life. She has chosen to study Global Resource Systems and Agronomy at Iowa State University, alongside several of her group-mates. She explains that “You can’t participate in something like this and then just go home to sit back and wait for someone else to do something.” Emma would also like to thank her mentor, Mrs. Andersen, for all of her assistance and willingness to embrace the experience. Congratulations Emma!