In conjunction with the awarding of the 2008 World Food Prize and the Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium, William Penn University will host a guest lecture by Dr. Roberto Rodrigues, an international leader in agribusiness.
      Rodrigues will speak on Tuesday, October 14, at 2:00 p.m. at the George Daily Auditorium in Oskaloosa, and community members are encouraged to attend. A reception for the distinguished guest will follow.
      Dr. Rodrigues, former Brazilian Minister of Agriculture and Supply, is a current co-chairman of the Interamerican Ethanol Coalition and coordinator of the Getulio Vargas Foundation Agrobusiness Center. He is an agricultural engineer and producer by training, following in the steps of his father and grandfather. His sons have also continued the family tradition. 
      Minister Rodrigues is a strong supporter of the cooperative movement and has chaired the Brazilian Cooperatives Organization and the World Committee on Agricultural Cooperatives. He also chaired the International Cooperative Alliance, and in that capacity traveled to 80 countries.
       Rodrigues served as president of the prestigious Brazilian Rural Society and the Brazilian Agribusiness Association. He was a chairman of the National Agribusiness Forum and has been on several national advisory committees, such as the Agricultural Policy Council, the Monetary Council, and the Foreign Trade Council. He is also a professor at the São Paulo State University in Jaboticabal, holding the Chair of Rural Economics.
      The World Food Prize is the foremost international award recognizing—without regard to race, religion, nationality, or political beliefs—the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. The award was established in 1986 by Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, an Iowa native and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work in world agriculture. His vision for the WFP was not only to honor those who made significant and measurable contributions to improving the world's food supply, but also to establish role models who would inspire others in efforts to feed the world.
      William Penn University has hosted a World Food Prize lecture annually since 2002, when Norman Borlaug was the university’s guest. Borlaug is known as the father of the Green Revolution that increased crop yields and ended hunger in many nations. He is credited with having saved more lives than any other person who ever lived. He is also one of the few people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.