DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa-based group that works to reduce world hunger and gives an annual award honoring individuals for their efforts to improve food availability, announced a change in leadership Tuesday as the group strives to expand its international reach.

Mashal Husain, chief operating officer of the World Food Prize Foundation, will become president, replacing Terry Branstad, former U.S. ambassador to China and governor of Iowa, who will retire, the organization announced in a press release. press.

The Food Prize was founded by Iowa native Normal Borlaug, winner of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the “Green Revolution,” which dramatically increased agricultural production and reduced the threat of famine in much of the world.

Husain, who was born in Pakistan and later lived in Tanzania, Thailand and the Philippines, said her international experience aligned with Borlaug’s work and the foundation’s efforts to expand its efforts in Africa, Asia and in other parts of the world. She has worked at the foundation for 16 years.

“I grew up all over the world and a lot of these places are places where Normal Borlaug spent a lot of his time, so I feel a deep connection to him,” Husain said in an interview. “Having lived all over the world, I have witnessed poverty and hunger. I’ve been surrounded by it since I was little. »

As part of an effort to expand its efforts in other countries, the foundation has created a new executive director position. The new employee will, among other tasks, strengthen ties with international leaders in the fields of agriculture, food security, nutrition and sustainable development.

The organization has also increased its focus on youth education efforts in which high school students, teachers and food experts study issues of global hunger and food security. Events took place in 24 states as well as the Netherlands and Honduras.

Each spring, the World Food Prize awards a $500,000 prize to someone who has contributed to food security. This year, Cary Fowler and Geoffrey Hawtin shared the prize for their work to create a global seed vault built into a mountainside in Norway.

Honorees speak in the fall at a weeklong gathering of lectures, meetings and networking in Des Moines.

The foundation’s work comes as some people are more skeptical about issues related to science and food production, but Husain said their work will further Borlaug’s belief in innovation and promoting big ideas.

“World hunger is not a political issue. It’s a moral right,” Husain said. “Dr. Borlaug always said that food is the moral right of those born into this world.