Friend of Farmers World Over Dies
Norman Borlaug was bigger than life, yet he seemed like the guy next door. It is little wonder he "connected" with everyone he met, from heads of state to heads of farms--from the U.S. to central Africa. He was never happier than when he was next to a farmer in a field, bending over to sample roots or scratch at the parched earth. Truly the Father of the Green Revolution, he changed the lives of many.
Borlaug passed away Sept. 12 at the age of 95.
Top Producer 1991 feature story "The Grain Brain"
Farm Journal September 2007
Only five people in history have ever won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal: Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Elie Wiesel and, now, Norman Borlaug. The agronomist is widely credited for saving the lives of 1 billion people worldwide. In the mid-20th century, Borlaug developed semi-dwarf, disease-resistant wheat varieties and led the introduction of these high-yielding varieties combined with modern production techniques in Mexico, Pakistan and India. The collective increases in yield, which greatly improved food security in these countries, have been labeled the Green Revolution. More recently, he has helped apply these methods of increasing food production in Asia and Africa. Borlaug is an advocate for the use of his methods and biotechnology to decrease world famine. In 1986, he established the World Food Prize to recognize individuals who have improved the quality, quantity or availability of food around the globe.
Global Community Mourns Loss of Nobel Peace Laureate Norman E. Borlaug, Texas A&M University