A new feature film, The Ivy League Farmer, tells the story of a father and son in conflict over the use of modern technologies on the family dairy farm. It’s also a love story that explores a rural community’s concern about local kids not getting enough to eat.

Diamond V recognizes food security as a growing concern worldwide. Today, every 3.6 seconds, somewhere in the world, someone dies of hunger. Seven million children starve to death every year. Another 870 million people suffer from malnutrition.

“In many countries,” says Jeff Cannon, Diamond V President and CEO, “rapid population growth, fragile ecosystems, and limited natural resources impact people’s food supply. In wealthier developing countries, growth in per capita food demand is a factor.”

Food security is an issue in the U.S. too. Even though this country has one of the safest and most affordable food supplies in the world, 15% of Americans suffer from food insecurity. Even in Iowa, one of the top agricultural states, there are communities where 1 in 4 school-age children get their only meal of the day at school. Operation Backpack, organized by volunteers in eastern Iowa, provides kids in need a backpack that contains food for the weekend.

Cannon points out that most of the world’s land suitable for farming is already in production. What this means, he says, is that an estimated 70% of future increases in food production capacity must come from new and improved agricultural technologies.

“One of the major challenges,” Cannon says, “is helping consumers better understand the real choices confronting us now and in the years ahead as we try to produce enough safe, sustainable, affordable food at home and abroad.”

Operation Backpack Initiative, a non-profit Diamond V venture, is taking on that challenge.

Operation Backpack Initiative seeks to increase public understanding of modern agriculture in an entertaining, enjoyable way. The venture’s first project is a feature length film entitled The Ivy League Farmer — a love story that also stars modern agriculture in the fight against food insecurity. Use the password “ivy” to access the trailer.