Food insecurity is a growing issue around the world, and ISU students are tackling the issue head on to help increase food production and bring an end to world hunger.

Ten students from around the nation were chosen as emerging leaders by Land O’Lakes, an agribusiness and food cooperative, to work for the next year to increase sustainability in America and in other countries around the world. Among those 10 students were three from Iowa State — Addison Bidwell, junior in agronomy, Leah Ellensohn, sophomore in agronomy, and Megan Schnell, sophomore in biological systems engineering.

These fellowship students will work closely with Land O’Lakes during the next year, working on different action plans and traveling to Washington D.C. and Africa. Each student is a part of a team that will develop plans for Land O’Lakes to make an impact on worldwide food security, which is measure of a person’s ability to reliably get food. A person is food secure if he or she does not have to worry about getting food. 

The application for this fellowship included a 200-word essay about a student’s involvement and education and a one-minute video describing a plan the student has in mind for increasing food security. Each student’s plan was unique to his or her own ideas and skill sets.

Schnell’s plan focused on aquaculture, the impact it could have on communities and how Schnell could help expand aquaculture programs to communities around the world.

Bidwell’s plan covered how to maintain sustainable agriculture once it had already been established. Bidwell said many of the plans that are taken internationally fail after only a couple years.

“My plan isn’t to just impose on their way of life; it’s to advance and incorporate sustainability into it,” Bidwell said.

The winners of this year’s Land O’Lakes fellowship were announced by the company’s CEO at the World Food Prize conference, which took place in Des Moines last week. The event included panels that discussed concerns about food security and other topics around the world. 

Bidwell, Ellensohn and Schnell said they are excited to work with the other seven winners, who are known as emerging leaders, from different schools. The winners include engineering, agriculture and business majors.

“Everyone has different viewpoints, we all come from very diverse backgrounds, but all 10 of us clicked instantly, and I know we can work together as a team because we have every background possible,” Schnell said.

The overall goal for this unique fellowship is to determine what Land O’Lakes can do for food security here and around the world by examining every angle possible. This includes looking at the aspects of agriculture, finances, engineering and policy making. The fellowship offers travel to Washington D.C. to see the policy-making side in America and a trip to Africa to gain an international perspective.

“I’m excited to be a part of this company, to see the aspects of it and to travel internationally for the first time,” Ellensohn said. “It’s outside of my comfort zone, but that’s OK.”

ISU students will also do outreach programs here on campus. Schnell said the goal of these programs is to make students aware of the issue of food security. Outreach efforts will include making posters and possibly holding a canned food drive.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to work with other students and solve complex problems in our world,” Schnell said. “This is a chance to not only learn and help ourselves but to help other people around the world. It’s important to outreach our program to inform people about this very real issue.”