Minnesota-Based Nonprofit Shares Knowledge with Food Businesses in Africa—and UMN Economics Undergraduates
Last week, one of our economics classes was privileged to host Partners in Food Solutions (PFS)—a nonprofit initiated by several food industry leaders, including General Mills and Cargill. PFS supports economic development in Africa by sharing knowledge and best practices with mid-sized food businesses to enhance their productivity and bolster food security. By stepping into our classroom, PFS engaged in a second kind of knowledge sharing, this time with our students. The visit demonstrated the practical application of academic concepts through real-world experience.
“Economic research highlights the importance of knowledge transfer for growth, and it’s brilliant how PFS facilitates this among African firms. Similarly, as a land-grant university, sharing knowledge with the wider world is one of our core missions,” Tom Holmes, the department chair and co-instructor of the class, said. “It’s remarkable to see PFS applying a similar principle, distilling and disseminating knowledge to those who need it most in Africa.” He added, “It’s fitting that the Heller Hurwicz Economics Institute (HHEI), which serves as the department’s primary bridge to the wider world, played a key role in making the visit by PFS happen. In fact, it all started with Mark Schulze, who is both a member of the HHEI board and the CFO of PFS.”
The speakers from PFS were Amanda Traaseth, Director of Operations, and Magdalene Mbaga, Director of Services, Innovation, and Impact. Notably, both are graduates of the University of Minnesota and fondly recalled their time here. They were also gracious enough to express a wish that a course like this had existed during their own student days!
The course, titled Economics at Work: The Wealth of African Nations, is a brand-new initiative developed as a partnership between the Department of Economics and the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Five Federal Reserve Bank economists have taught in the course, along with three UMN Economics faculty members. The course has covered extensive ground, applying tools and methods from economics to provide insights and answer significant questions about the past, present, and future wealth of African nations. This course is part of the new Broadening Excellence in Economics (BEE) initiative by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, which aims to increase the pipeline of individuals entering the economics profession. As a continuation of this initiative, BEE will host a two-week research training program from May 19 to May 30, 2025, at the Minneapolis Fed.
