Cultivating Tomorrow’s Leaders. Building a Food-Secure World.
Results of the 2024–2025 Global Talent Trends study found that recent college graduates rank lower in vital leadership skills, including communication, collaboration, strategic and critical thinking, and building relationships. This rend is also manifesting itself in the food and agriculture domain, in which the education system has been outstanding in producing technical experts in disciplines such as plant breeding, agronomy, entomology, plant pathology, agricultural engineering and others, but lack leadership skills and business acumen to take on complex food, nutrition, and agricultural challenges. The GLAD Academy will bridge this gap by designing and delivering an eight-week custom-made training program to develop global leaders in the footsteps of Norman Borlaug, George Washington Carver, M.S. Swaminathan, and other World Food Prize laureates. These leaders will integrate the key elements in food, nutrition, health, and business as well as the critical importance of maintaining peace and national security through agriculture.
Our Goal
The goal of the Global Leaders in Agricultural Development (GLAD) Academy is to inform, inspire and build the next generation of university seniors, recent graduates and agribusiness entrepreneurs to become engaged as national, regional, and global leaders in confronting the most significant challenge our planet has ever faced – whether we can sustainably produce and distribute sufficient nutritious food for the 9.7 billion people who will inhabit the Earth by 2050.
Our Objectives
- To foster the growth of a globally competitive leadership workforce for the food and agriculture domains
- To train individuals for a range of potential leadership career pathways in food and agriculture, including those in industry, government, education and research, entrepreneurship, commercialization, international development, and philanthropy.
- To equip emerging leaders with the knowledge and tools to navigate and transform complex food and agriculture systems at local, regional, and global levels.
- To create a network of next-generation food system leaders who can collaborate across borders, disciplines, and institutions to drive collective impact.
“The future of agriculture depends not only on innovation, but on the leaders who inspire it.”
An Innovative Eight-Week Leadership Journey
Component 1: The Leadership Curriculum (Six Weeks Online)
A curated digital curriculum offering core leadership theories and practical skill-building.
- Short expert-led video lectures
- Interactive case studies and simulations
- Self-assessments and reflection
- Peer forums and moderated discussion boards
The online curriculum will have six modules (one each week). Learn at your own pace within three months.
- Leadership Principles
- Strategic and Critical Thinking
- Communication and Team Building
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Global Food and Agriculture Systems
- Policy, Ethics, and Sustainability
Component 2: In-Person Immersion (Two Weeks in the United States)
Hosted by leading. universities and private-sector organizations.
- Real-world leadership scenarios
- Engagement with senior leaders
- Site visits to farms, labs, agribusinesses, and institutions
- Live policy and project challenges
GLAD Academy Outcomes (Five Years)
1,000
United States and global leaders trained over five years, with at least 50% from low and middle income countries. (Total will depend on funding procured)
200
Prestigious certificates of achievement awarded annually at the World Food Prize event to participants who successfully completed the eight-week course.
200
Real-world leadership projects launched annually through the immersion component
The program will seed a Global Leaders in Agriculture Development Academy network and learning communication for sustainable impact.
Leadership With a Vision
Professor Manjit K. Misra
Professor of Practice and Fellow, University of Tennessee
Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University
Retired Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
A distinguished agricultural leader, education and global thinker with decades of experience in teaching, research, international development and strategic leadership. Under his guidance, the GLAD Academy will empower the next generation to transform food systems and build a sustainable future for all.
A Powerful Global Consortium
Participating Universities
- The University of Tennessee
- University of Maryland
- University of Florida
- Oregon State University
International Institutions
- Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research
- International Fund for Agricultural Development
- Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
Non-Academic Partners
- The World Food Prize Foundation
- Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities