MFBF Foundation for Agriculture Supports Mississippi Youth Institute Service Project at MSU
By: Sophia Owens
High school students from across Mississippi gathered at Mississippi State University on Feb. 20 for the Mississippi Youth Institute (MYI), a program connected to the World Food Prize Foundation that challenges students to explore solutions to global food security issues.
The day-long event brought together students, educators and agriculture leaders to discuss the complex challenges affecting food systems worldwide. Participants researched global issues related to hunger and agriculture and presented their findings during roundtable discussions with judges and mentors.
Students examined a range of topics linking agriculture, policy and technology to food access. For Pine Grove High School senior Emily Mauney, researching water sanitation in the Cook Islands revealed just how widespread the issue of food insecurity can be.
“We had to choose a country and then a topic and connect it to food insecurity,” Mauney said. “I didn’t realize how big of an issue it was until I actually researched it.”
Farm Bureau Partners in Advocacy program member Jessica Graves of Oktibbeha County served as a judge for the event. She says the institute encourages students to consider food insecurity from both global and local perspectives.
“One of the things that really stands out to me is that Mississippi is known as an agricultural state, yet we still have a food insecurity problem,” Graves said. “Students are able to see global needs from a food security perspective and connect that directly back to what we’re doing here in Mississippi.”
For some participants, MYI also opens doors to future opportunities. Select students may be invited to serve as delegates at the Global Youth Institute in Des Moines, Iowa, where they will represent Mississippi alongside students from across the country.
The event concluded with a hands-on service project that allowed students to put their learning into action. Participants packed 10,000 meals for Mississippians facing hunger through the Mississippi-based nonprofit Extra Table. The meals will be distributed through the Mississippi Food Network to food pantries and feeding programs across the state.
The meal-packing effort was sponsored by Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation’s Foundation for Agriculture and guest speaker Dr. Ryn Laster.
For MFBF’s Foundation for Agriculture, the project aligns closely with its Farmers Feeding the Hungry initiative, which addresses food insecurity through support for the Mississippi Food Network and local food pantries statewide.
“The Mississippi Youth Institute gives students a chance to learn about global food security challenges, but the meal-packing project helps connect those discussions to real needs here at home,” said Jamie Swafford, coordinator for Mississippi Farm Bureau’s Foundation for Agriculture. “Supporting projects like this reflects our Foundation’s commitment to helping feed Mississippians while also encouraging young leaders who are passionate about agriculture and food systems.”
Staff from Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation attended the event throughout the day, engaging with students and assisting in packing meal kits.
The Foundation’s support of the service project reflects its broader mission to strengthen agricultural education and Mississippi’s rural communities. By investing in programs like this, the organization hopes to inspire the next generation of leaders to think critically about the future of agriculture and food systems.
As the students sealed the final boxes of meals destined for families across Mississippi, the day’s discussions came full circle — turning ideas about food security into meaningful action.
