IFAD recalls scientist’s significant contribution to humanity

Rome, 15 September 2009: IFAD today praised the work of Dr Norman Borlaug, who died on Saturday at his home in Dallas at the age of 95. Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his efforts to fight hunger.

Borlaug was a tireless advocate for more investment in agriculture in African countries to enable the continent to achieve the kind of growth and transformation as Asian economies in the 1960s and 1970s. At the African Green Revolution Conference in Oslo in 2007, he appealed to all – including African government ministers – to ensure that such a revolution would take place across the African continent during his lifetime.

Throughout his career, Borlaug helped smallholder farmers in developing countries to realize their potential to contribute to feeding their countries, and used his influence to champion their cause.
High-yielding, disease-resistant wheat varieties that Borlaug developed at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico, went on to transform agricultural practices in Asia and Latin America. He also played a key role in the creation of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.
In the 80’s, Borlaug was President of Sasakawa Africa Association, which worked to establish markets for millet and sorghum in western and central Africa with support from IFAD. In 1986, he helped establish the World Food Prize for food and agriculture which recognizes outstanding contributions to increasing the quantity, quality and availability of world food supplies. 

Borlaug was voted a member of the academies of agricultural science of 11 nations, received 60 honorary doctorate degrees from those countries, and was honoured by farmer and civic associations in 28 countries.

His work lives on in the small villages and towns across the developing world that have benefited from his knowledge, and in the research institutes and science laboratories that are fundamental to combating hunger and poverty.

Press release No.: IFAD/39/09

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The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) works with poor rural people to enable them to grow and sell more food, increase their incomes, and determine the direction of their own lives. Since 1978, IFAD has invested over US$11 billion in grants and low-interest loans to developing countries, empowering some 340 million people to break out of poverty. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized UN agency based in Rome – the UN’s food and agricultural hub. It is a unique partnership of 165 members from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), other developing countries and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).