CMES is proud to announce a collaboration with Heidi Kühn, philanthropist and nominee for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize: the Kühn Initiative for Post-Conflict Development Studies, a research initiative devoted to the study of the economic and agricultural development of societies emerging from military and civil conflict. The Kühn Initiative grows out of Ms. Kühn's experience as founder of Roots of Peace, a charitable organization promoting the transformation of previously landmined areas into productive agriculture, and it aims to foster collaboration between experts in relevant fields and international, charitable, and governmental organizations and groups, in order to contribute to the development of improved resources, best practices, and novel approaches and technologies in supporting peace through agriculture.
A newly installed irrigation canal in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
The Kühn Initiative
The Kühn Initiative supports academic research and outreach programming that focuses on the following areas of priority:
- Developing detailed knowledge of agriculture in post-conflict zones
- Supporting research on economic development in post-conflict societies
- The study of demilitarization and development
- Promoting peace through economic stability and prosperity
These efforts are interdisciplinary, connecting fields such as agricultural science, natural resource management, international development, political science, conflict studies, and area studies, with an emphasis on academic study that meets practical, real-world needs of farmers, activists, charitable foundations, and international aid organizations in relevant areas.
Kühn Initiative Colloquium
To inaugurate the Kühn Initiative, a colloquium will be held on Septemeber 26th, 2025, bringing together leading academic specialists, activists, and policymakers in conversation about post-conflict agricultural development and the importance of rebuilding agriculture in the peace process.
Roots of Peace Campus Chapter and Student Internship
Alongside the Kühn Initiative, a student chapter of Roots of Peace will be established at UC Berkeley, which will serve as an important link between the work of Roots of Peace, the Kühn Initiative, and campus. In addition, a student internship program with Roots of Peace will allow selected students to gain valuable experience in peace activism and international charitable work.
Student Seminars
In conjunction with the establishment of a Roots of Peace campus chapter, Heidi Kühn will lead a series of seminars with students, exploring the work of Roots of Peace and her role as founder and head. Ms. Kühn will share lessons from her extensive experience with running a charitable organization, international aid and development efforts, and peace activism with a small group of students interested in pursuing these paths. The seminars will take place in Spring 2026 (dates TBD).
Faculty Committee
The Kūhn Initiative is led by a committee comprised of UC Berkeley faculty specialists in relevant fields. They are:
Mariane Ferme, Anthropology
David Wells Roland-Holst, Agriculture & Resource Economics/Economics
Julie Shackford-Bradley, Law/Restorative Justice Center
David Zilberman, Agriculture & Resource Economics
External Advisory Board
Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, O.B.E. attorney, actress and politician; former Member of UK Parliament
H.E. Amb. Khalid Al-Ghaith Secretary-General, Higher Committee of Human Fraternity
Ouided Bouchamaoui Professor of Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, NYU Abu Dhabi; Winner of 2015 Nobel Peace Prize
Carol T. Christ Chancellor Emerita, UC Berkeley
George de Lama President, Eisenhower Fellowships
Mark Donfried Founder and Director, Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
Mohd. Herizal Hazri Senior Advisor, Higher Committee of Human Fraternity
Livia Malcangio Director of Institutional Relations and Protocol, Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Laureates for Peace
Saira Awan Malik President, TCS Group
Kenneth Quinn President Emeritus, World Food Prize Foundation
Flavia Taggiasco former CNN Producer and award-winning journalist
About Heidi Kühn
A graduate of UC Berkeley in 1979 with a degree in Political Economics, Heidi Kühn has spent her life cultivating peace where once there was conflict, sowing seeds of hope in the most unlikely of places. She first found her voice in journalism, founding NewsLink International, her own news agency, reporting on glasnost and perestroika from the Soviet Union. Her reporting has appeared on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Nippon TV, and Sky News.
In 1997, having overcome her own battle with cancer, she founded the humanitarian organization Roots of Peace. Its "Mines to Vines" initiative has turned once deadly landscapes into thriving vineyards and orchards. To date, it has restored food security and livelihoods to over a million farmers and families, with over 100,000 landmines removed and seven million fruit trees planted in formerly war-torn regions across ten countries.
Heidi’s mission has drawn support from governments, international organizations, and private enterprises alike. Her life's work has been recognized with numerous honors—among them the University of California at Berkeley's Alumni of the Year Award in 2002, the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2006, and the Jefferson Award for Public Service in 2007. In 2019, she became the first American woman to receive the Mahatma Gandhi Global Family Seva Medal, and in 2023, her efforts were crowned with the prestigious World Food Prize Laureate and the Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice. Heidi has been nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.