2025 Iowa Farm Bureau scholarship recipient builds on her farm roots to pursue global food security

Growing up on a diversified family farm in south-central Iowa helped shape Isabell Olsasky’s interest in agriculture and its impact on communities around the world. Today, the Warren County native is building on that foundation through her studies at Iowa State University and research experience in Mexico.

Olsasky was named a 2025 Iowa Farm Bureau scholarship recipient, earning support as she pursues her education and a future focused on sustainable agriculture and global food security.

Her interest in agriculture began while working alongside her dad and grandpa, participating in 4-H and becoming involved in FFA in rural Warren County. Those experiences helped her understand agriculture’s influence on everyday life and sparked a deeper interest in how research and innovation could address global challenges, particularly food insecurity and malnutrition.

Her involvement with the World Food Prize Foundation further shaped that interest. Through the Iowa Youth Institute and Global Youth Institute, Olsasky learned about food insecurity around the world and the importance of developing solutions that meet the needs of local communities. In 2024, she was recognized as a Global Challenge recipient and participated in the Global Youth Institute, opportunities that helped lead to her selection as a 2025 Borlaug-Ruan International Intern.

During the summer of 2025, Olsasky traveled to Texcoco, Mexico, to work at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). There, she conducted research on transdisciplinarity in agricultural research for development, examining how scientific research can be connected with the practical needs of farmers and other agricultural stakeholders.

Her primary project focused on CIMMYT’s Sustainable Agrifood Systems Hub Model, which brings together researchers, farmers, input suppliers, donors and other partners to develop and implement agricultural solutions across different regions of Mexico.

The experience reinforced an important lesson for Olsasky: scientific research alone cannot solve agricultural challenges.

“Scientific discoveries are important, but they must also be accessible, practical, and responsive to the realities farmers face,” she explained.

While at CIMMYT, Olsasky learned from researchers across multiple disciplines, participated in laboratory and field activities, and presented her research to the organization’s Sustainable Agrifood Systems team. Working in an international research environment also challenged her to communicate across language and cultural barriers while growing more confident in her abilities.

Now a second-year student at Iowa State University, Olsasky is double majoring in agronomy and global resource systems, with a minor in nutrition and a certificate in soil science. Her academic interests center on the connections between soil health, sustainable agricultural production and global food security.

Olsasky plans to pursue a master’s degree and eventually a doctorate. Her long-term goal is to work with a humanitarian research organization focused on improving agricultural production, food security and quality of life in economically struggling communities around the world.

She hopes to work directly with farmers, combining laboratory research, fieldwork and collaboration with local communities to develop sustainable, accessible agricultural practices and technologies.

Support from organizations and individuals who invest in young people pursuing careers in agriculture has helped Olsasky recognize the many ways she can make a difference. The Iowa Farm Bureau scholarship is one source of that support, helping her continue her education while managing the financial responsibilities of college.

Ultimately, Olsasky hopes to use her education and research experience to help create a world where people have access to nutritious food and farmers have the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.

For her, agriculture extends far beyond producing crops. It is about people, communities and creating opportunities for a better quality of life.