WASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters) – Norman Borlaug, the U.S. agricultural scientist who received the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for developing high-yielding crops to prevent famine in the developing world, has died at age 95.
Borlaug, hailed as a central figure in the “green revolution” that made more food available to the world’s hungry, died Sept. 12 from cancer complications in Dallas, Texas.
The green revolution, in which crops were developed that delivered better yields than traditional strains, is credited with helping avert massive famines that had been predicted in the developing world in the last half of the 20th century.
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Borlaug served as a distinguished professor of international agriculture at Texas A&M University.
Experts have said his crusade to develop high-yielding, disease-resistant crops saved the lives of millions of people worldwide who otherwise may have been doomed to starvation.
His efforts to develop new crop varieties helped alleviate food shortages in places such as India and Pakistan, helping make developing countries self-sufficient in food production.
Additional recognition
Besides the Nobel prize, Borlaug received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honour of the United States.
“We all eat at least three times a day in privileged nations, and yet we take food for granted,” Borlaug said in a recent interview.
“There has been great progress, and food is more equitably distributed. But hunger is commonplace, and famine appears all too often.”
In 1944, he was assigned the job of organizing and directing the Co-operative Wheat Research and Production Program in Mexico.
This joint undertaking of the Mexican government and the Rockefeller Foundation focused on scientific research in genetics, plant breeding and related fields. Within two decades, he succeeded in finding a high-yielding disease-resistant wheat.
The Iowa-born scientist then worked to put newly developed cereal strains into extensive production.
“It is the hope of the Borlaug family that his life be an example to all,” his children said in a statement released by the university.
“We would like his life to be a model for making a difference in the lives of others and to bring about efforts to end human misery for all mankind.”
