Big Wigs & Great Gigs
Norman Borlaug: Father of the Green Revolution
The man known as the Father of the Green Revolution, the late Norman Borlaug, has been credited with bringing agricultural innovations such as high-yield crop varieties to the world, saving millions of people from starvation.
Norman Borlaug, an agricultural scientist of many achievements, has been noted for being the Father of the Green Revolution. His most well-known agricultural innovations are contributions that he made to the area of high-yield crops. His efforts led to an increase in the number of high-yield varieties that could be grown to prevent world hunger. It has been stated by agricultural experts that his efforts saved over a billion lives that otherwise would have been lost due to starvation.
“His efforts saved over a billion lives that would have been lost due to starvation.”
Additionally, Norman Borlaug has been credited with helping to bring many agricultural innovations to the developing world where hunger has been a problem for decades. These innovations have led to increased agricultural growth, providing food for millions of people. Borlaug’s efforts helped in preventing global famine during the latter half of the twentieth century. In fact, he has been honoured for his efforts in this area by the Nobel committee.
The Green Revolution is the period between 1960 and 1990 that led to an increase in food production, which more than doubled due to new crop varieties that were introduced thanks to the efforts of Borlaug. Grain varieties were one of those crops most improved by his efforts.
Born in Iowa, Borlaug spent time in several locations throughout his life. His efforts took him to Mexico where he worked on innovative practices to produce varieties of wheat that were disease-resistant. This led to greater quantities of grain for consumption by the masses. His efforts have taken him on many journeys, all of them directed at increasing the food supply for the world.
Norman Borlaug fought to bring about circumstances that would prevent world hunger around the world, especially in developing countries. His efforts have been credited with helping to save hundreds of millions of lives. He received the Nobel Prize for his work in this area. Borlaug won this notable award for his actions in combating world hunger.
After a long and tiring battle with cancer, he died on September 12, 2009 at his home.
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For More Information
The Nobel Foundation
A repository of information on all Nobel Prizes awarded since 1901 including biographies, lectures, interviews and more.
CSIRO Book Sample: “The Coming Famine: The Global Food Crisis and What We can Do About It” by Julian Cribb
The world is at risk of suffering from a severe food shortage which threatens to hit by the middle of the century. With famines, wars, huge population shifts and death the risks, the world must take action now to avoid this global catastrophe. This book is written for non-experts in the field to understand waht needs to be done and why.
www.csiro.au