Saving the world with soybeans

Jared Hagert,Agweek
Published: 11/02/2009

FARGO, N.D. — A new world record was set this year. It’s a milestone that no one wanted to achieve — a historic one in six people in the world is malnourished. Oct. 16 was World Food Day — a reminder that answers and action are needed against global hunger. It also can be a reminder of the importance of North Dakota soybeans as part of the solution.

Many North Dakota soybean farmers have recognized that we aren’t just harvesting a crop as our combines rolled across fields. We are bringing in a unique and important source of protein that the world needs more than ever to fight malnutrition, make a nourishing meal to help school children learn, and a whole lot more. That’s why I have contributed the value of an acre of soybeans to the World Soy Foundation Acre Challenge.

Soybean farmers across the nation have committed to the Acre Challenge. The World Soy Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to bringing nutrition to life. The World Soy Foundation can put the value of one acre of soybeans to work against hunger. Forty bushels of soybeans, the approximate national average yield, will make 18,000 rations of soy protein to children and adults in locations ranging from Africa to Latin America to Asia.

The North Dakota soybean industry also has rallied to the cause and supported the World Soy Foundation. Eight member companies of the Northern Food Grade Soybean Association donated 20.4 metric tons of their product to support the World Soy Foundation’s work in Guatemala. That partnership with the Guatemala City Metropoli Rotary Club helped feed thousands of children.

Together, we can make a difference. We can increase the numbers of children who get a protein-rich meal at school. That meal is a powerful incentive for children to attend school and is important to their ability to concentrate and learn. We can add soy protein to the diets of people suffering with HIV and AIDS to help them continue to work and care for their families. We can assist more orphanages and other programs with equipment that will let them produce soyfoods for children as well as have some left over to sell.

For these reasons and many more, I urge everyone to join me in support of the World Soy Foundation. Together, we can nourish thousands more. Together, we can be part of the solution.