“John Kufuor of Ghana and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil won the $250,000 World Food Prize for cutting hunger in half while serving as president of their nations, the prize organizers announced on Tuesday,” Reuters reports. “It was the first time the award, created 25 years ago by Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Bourlag, recognized the seminal role of national leaders in fighting hunger” (6/22).

“As much as the scientists need to work at it, and as much as we need support from so many agricultural experts, at the end of the day political leadership at the highest levels makes the biggest difference,” USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah said during a ceremony at the State Department, VOA News reports (Baragona, 6/21). Shah also “announced Feed the Future’s ‘Borlaug 21st Century Leadership’ program, a $32.5 million investment to help shape the next generation of leaders in agriculture,” according to a press release from USAID (6/21).