2025 Top Agri-Food Pioneers announced including 39 pioneers

From precision breeding in Burkina Faso to AI-powered livestock tracking in Indonesia, 39 individuals from around the globe have been recognized for their groundbreaking work in the food and agriculture space. The World Food Prize Foundation on Tuesday revealed its 2025 Top Agri-Food Pioneers list, celebrating a diverse cohort of changemakers advancing solutions to the world’s most pressing food challenges.

Now in its second year, the TAP list spans 27 countries and one territory, honoring scientists, farmers, policy advisors, entrepreneurs, and humanitarians ranging in age from 20 to 79. This year’s announcement marks the 39th anniversary of the Foundation, with honorees set to be recognized during the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue from October 21–23 in Des Moines, Iowa.

“The 2025 TAP list showcases the extraordinary diversity, talent and resolve of individuals working across borders and disciplines to build a more sustainable and just global food system,” said Mashal Husain, President of the World Food Prize Foundation. “In a world facing urgent and interwoven crises, these honorees are fearless changemakers driving impact where it matters most — and offering real hope for the future.”

Among the 2025 honorees are several standouts leading innovation in biotechnology, food storage, climate resilience, and digital agriculture:

• Jean Baptiste De La Salle Tignegre of Burkina Faso helped develop the Pod Borer-Resistant cowpea, the first biotech food crop to be commercialized in Africa.
• Editha Mshiu of Tanzania, CEO of Freshpack Technologies, designed a smart-fabric cooling box that extends vegetable shelf life by 50%, benefiting smallholder farmers, especially women.
• Sandi Pamungkas of Indonesia, just 20 years old, founded MooApps to digitally transform livestock management using AI and IoT.
• Emily Weeks of the United States has led multi-billion-dollar public-private investments in sustainable infrastructure through her policy work at USAID.
• Peter Alastair Hicks, a 79-year-old food scientist with a career spanning six decades, has improved food processing and storage across Asia and the Pacific.

“I am elated and deeply honored to be inducted as a Top Agri-food Pioneer by the World Food Prize Foundation, a global beacon in food security and better livelihoods for farmers,” said Hugo Campos, Deputy Director General for Science & Innovation at the International Potato Center. “This recognition fuels my personal zeal to collaborate with the Foundation and others in advancing Dr. Norman Borlaug’s legacy — through extending the Green Revolution to more crops and solving the wicked problem of food and climate security for the benefit of farmers and urban communities.”

The World Food Prize was founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug to recognize those who improve the quality, quantity, or availability of food globally. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded the prestigious Prize to 55 individuals and continues to elevate new voices in the global food systems conversation through the TAP list.

A full list of the 2025 Top Agri-Food Pioneers is available here.