According to AAAE, this Award is bestowed to “a very distinguished group of individuals, who have been recognized for providing enormous scholarly and leadership contributions and extraordinary service to African agricultural development”.
The laudatory speech mentioned that “Prof. Qaim is one of the most influential food systems and development economists of his generation. His research addresses sustainable food systems, agricultural development, and the reduction of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, with extensive fieldwork across Africa and other world regions. Qaim is recognized for his global scholarly leadership, his strong record of training African agricultural economists, and the international academic partnerships with Africa that he initiates and leads.”
Matin Qaim, who is also the President of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE), gave a keynote speech at the Conference on “Effects of Changing Food Environments on Dietary Quality and Nutrition” with a particular focus on urbanizing food environments in Africa.