January 2021
Morgan Norris of Port Charlotte represented young farmers across the United States at the International Young Farmers Forum.
Norris was one of 19 farmers selected by the World Farmers’ Organization to take part in the invitation-only forum, which is a part of the 13th annual Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), held virtually, Jan. 18-22, 2021.
The GFFA brings together international participants representing, business, government and academia to discuss key conference issues in-depth through facilitated panels and forums.
This year’s conference theme addressed the topic: How to Feed the World in Times of Pandemics and Climate Change.
The Young Farmers Forum met via Zoom to collaborate and draw from their own agricultural experiences to address and develop recommendations for the conference topic.
Upon completion of the young farmers’ forum, Norris was one of two participants selected to present the young farmers’ statement to 76 agriculture ministers from around the world at the Conference of Agricultural Ministers on Jan. 19. The statement can be viewed at https://www.gffa-berlin.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/GFFA-2021-Young-Farmer-Statement.pdf.
“This was such an incredible experience,” said Norris. “I never thought I would one day represent agriculture on this global platform. It was humbling to speak on behalf of American agriculture and be part of an international farming network. While we each came from different backgrounds and time zones, we were all one voice for agriculture.”
Morgan is a member of the Desoto/Charlotte County Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee and chair of the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. She resides in Port Charlotte with her husband Brian and two daughters Holland and Addison.