Leading climatologist, agronomist and former farmer Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig has been named the 2022 World Food Prize Laureate for her pioneering work in modeling the impact of climate change on food production worldwide. She was recognized for leading the global scientific collaboration that produced the methodology and data used by decision-makers around the world.

Awarded by the World Food Prize Foundation, the $250,000 prize honours Dr. Rosenzweig’s achievements as the founder of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP), a globally integrated transdisciplinary network of climate and food system modelers. AgMIP is dedicated to advancing methods for improving predictions of the future performance of agricultural and food systems in the face of climate change, providing the evidence base for effective food system transformation. Her leadership of AgMIP has directly helped decision-makers in more than 90 countries enhance their resilience to climate change.

Dr. Rosenzweig, senior research scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and adjunct senior research scientist at the Columbia Climate School, spent four decades cultivating the understanding of the biophysical and socio-economic impacts of the interaction between climate and food systems via rigorous observational and modeling research approaches.

“I am honored to receive the World Food Prize this year, as food systems are emerging at the forefront of climate change action,” said Dr. Rosenzweig. “Climate change cannot be restrained without attention to food system emissions, and food security for all cannot be provided without resilience to increasing climate extremes… As we move into a crucial decade of action on climate change, food needs to be ‘at the table.’”

Source:  World Food Prize May 6, 2022 news release