Episode 46: "Everything Changed Overnight." WFP USA CEO on Navigating a Global Crisis

On this episode of Hacking Hunger, we spoke to Jonathan Rivers, who's team at the U.N. World Food Programme uses mobile technology to monitor food security in real time. He describes how this technology works, and the critical role it plays in emergency response.

A passion project that began one summer on a fishing boat, The Borgen Project is now a nationwide campaign with volunteers in 931 cities. It advocates, mobilizes and educates to improve the living conditions of people living on less than a dollar a day.   On this episode of Hacking Hunger, we talk Clint Borgen, founder and CEO, to ask him more about how an idea on a fishing boat evolved into a successful anti-poverty movement. 

Two years ago, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2417, a resolution recognizing the link between hunger and war. But two years later, too little has changed. For this episode, we sat down with Matthew Hollingworth, United Nations World Food Programme's country director in South Sudan to reflect on the significance of the resolution and discuss the impact that the new coronavirus pandemic might have on peace and security globally.  

How much of an impact on developing economies will COVID-19 really have? Why will food systems change prevent dire impacts from happening in the future? On this episode of Hacking Hunger, we talk to Johan Swinnen, a top economist and currently director general of The International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, DC.   

Three months after Barron Segar joined WFP USA as president and CEO, disaster struck. COVID-19 hit and uprooted life as we knew, forcing Barron and WFP USA leadership to reimagine many of their plans. Barron is no stranger to crisis, so we sat down with him to ask about his background, goals and leading in the time of COVID-19.

As the COVID-19 spreads, innovation and technology is needed more to reach people in need. In this episode of Hacking Hunger, Bernhard Kowatsch, head of WFP's Innovation Accelerator, explains how the program is working to support WFP's pandemic response.

Danielle Nierenberg is a world-renowned researcher, speaker and advocate, she's spent her career fighting for food-systems change and is an expert on all things food and ag. On this episode, we talk to Danielle about her background, her current organization, Food Tank, and how COVID-19 will affect food systems going forward.

Every major outbreak in recent memory—Ebola, SARS, MERS—has had both direct and indirect negative impacts on food security. On this episode, we speak to Chase Sova, our senior director of policy and research, to learn what the experts are saying about the likelihood and nature of such impacts from COVID-19.

Hunger is cruel to everyone, but it's not completely blind. Women – especially in times of war, are more at risk to the suffering it bestows. Women are 60 percent more likely to suffer from hunger and its consequences. They eat last and least and are often forced to drop out of school or marry early when there is not enough. Yemen is no exception to this rule, and as the nation's conflict drags into its fifth year, women find themselves in increasingly difficult circumstances. But women are resilient, so despite the suffering, they find ways to remain hopeful and strong. On this episode of Hacking Hunger, we spoke with Annabel Symington, head of communications for WFP in Yemen. She's been working in Yemen for the past year, and offered us insights into the unique challenges, stories and strength of women living through this war.

Rick Steves is no stranger to exploration. The renown travel expert has built his career around investigating the nooks and crannies of Europe and sharing his discoveries with curious travelers. Recently, however, Rick ventured beyond Europe to explore one of the most pressing problems of our day: the problem of global hunger.  On this episode of Hacking Hunger, we caught up with Rick to discuss what this project taught him about the challenges and innovative solutions to solving global hunger and the inspiring people and organizations (including WFP) he met along the way.