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The Food and Agribusiness Institute at the Leavey School of Business sent a team of four MBA students to Buenos Aires, Argentina last month to compete in a student case competition held during the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) annual conference. Team members George Borden, Kelli Bruggeman, Dianna Dai, and Matthew Shahbazian advanced to the finals and took second place in the Graduate Advanced Level of the competition.

The case study, in support of the conference’s theme Sustainable Food Security 2050: Disruptive Innovations, looked to address the malnutrition crisis happening in Indonesia. Each team presented their recommendations on how to bring a protein-rich seed, the Bambara groundnut, to farmers in Indonesia. Twenty-two teams from across the globe participated, representing Australia, Africa, China, Argentina and the United States.

To prepare for this competition SCU's team was enrolled in two LSB graduate classes - Strategy Development in Food & Beverage Industries and Food Industry Management, both taught by Dr. Greg Baker. The team also held multiple practice sessions throughout the academic year and worked with advisors Carol Kelly and Erika French Arnold of the Food and Agribusiness Institute.

IFAMA is a membership organization that brings together the world's leading scholars and students, industry and NGO professionals, and policy makers to improve the strategic focus, transparency, sustainability and responsiveness of the food and agribusiness system. This year marked the 28th IFAMA World Forum, Symposium and Student Case Competition which was held June 23-27, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.