“Take It To the Farmer”—Rotimi Williams to Speak at 2023 Borlaug Dialogue

Rotimi Williams is slated to speak at the 2023 Borlaug Dialogue on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. He’s addressing the security needs of farmers in Nigeria.

He has discussed this issue in a GFN column:

More police would help. Yet in the place where police are present, crime is still a major problem in Nigeria. In the rural agricultural regions, the police presence is mostly missing. These areas are essentially ungoverned,” discusses Rotimi Williams. “I’ve tried to address the crisis with Resolute 4.0, a mobile-phone app that allows farmers to report secruity threats and help our country move away from conflict and toward conflict resolution. I’m convinced that the app has saved lives and holds the potentila to save more, but the violence has grown too bloody and widespread. Farmer need additional solutions.” Continue reading more here.

The 2023 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue has selected the theme Harnessing Change. On Tuesday, October 24, five GFN members will share their story of harnessing innovation, adaptation, and diversification during “Take It To the Farmer” programming:

Jose Gonzalez Chacon, Colombia
Marcus Holtkoetter, Germany
Kornelis Huizinga, Ukraine
Patience Koku, Nigeria
Rotimi Williams, Nigeria

Event Dates

In-person in Des Moines, Iowa, USA: October 24 – 26, 2023
Virtual Only: October 16 – 20, 2023
Hybrid: October 24 – 26, 2023

Rotimi Williams

Former journalist. His farm is the 2nd largest commercial rice farm in Nigeria by land size; 45,000 hectares; grows rice for millers. He was challenged with instilling peaceful coexistence between his workers and a largely permanent Fulani community. This led to the creation of a tech startup designed to bridge the gap between volatile agricultural communities in rural Nigeria and security agencies.