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Borlaug, Father of the Green Revolution, dies

By DAVE BLOWER JR.
Farm World Editor

DALLAS, Texas — Norman E. Borlaug, 95, known widely as the “Father of the Green Revolution” died shortly before 11 p.m. on Sept. 12 at his home in Dallas.

Borlaug received the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for developing high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat used to prevent famine in developing countries throughout the world. In 2007, Borlaug received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor of the United States. This was the most recent of a long list of major awards and honors throughout his career.

He was one of only five people in history to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal – an honor shared by Nelson Mandela, Elie Wiesel, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr.

Borlaug was dedicated to using science to combat world hunger. He was Distinguished Professor of International Agriculture at Texas A&M University. The agricultural community at large recognized the significance of Borlaug’s work.

“Dr. Norman Borlaug was simply one of the world’s best,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, a fellow Iowan. “A determined, dedicated, but humble man who believed we had the collective duty and knowledge to eradicate hunger worldwide. His efforts saved millions of lives and inspired thousands to dedicate their lives to doing the same.

“The World Food Prize, which he founded, will continue to acknowledge those who carry on the work of providing food to feed the world. Dr. Borlaug will be missed.”

Additionally, he had many friends among those in the biotechnology field, according to Jim Greenwood, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).

“Borlaug’s development of high-yield and disease-resistant wheat varieties bore results in Mexico, Pakistan and India that stretched the imagination of viable agriculture in developing countries,” he said. “Recently, Borlaug worked to apply farming practices and methods of increasing food production to Asia and Africa, and he has continued to advocate for the use of biotechnology to combat world famine.

“As the global population continued to increase and farmers in developing countries continued to face challenges like climate change, plant diseases and pests, the need to address global food poverty became more and more a passion for Dr. Borlaug.
“Farmers who now provide more with less and a world that can better feed itself, are forever in the debt of Norman Borlaug,” Greenwood said.

Borlaug devoted his life to ensuring food security for what he termed “the forgotten world” – mostly developing nations, where “most of the people, comprising more than 50 percent of the total world population, live in poverty, with hunger as a constant companion.”

When he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, then-President Gerald Ford stated that Borlaug’s work “has pushed back the shadow of hunger on this planet and given us precious time to force its final retreat.”

At Texas A&M in 2006, the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture was named in his honor. The institute strives to continue his legacy by promoting science-based solutions for the world’s agriculture and food problems. The Borlaug Institute is working in some of the world’s most challenging agricultural development environments such as Afghanistan, Guatemala, Ethiopia and Iraq.

In a recent interview, Borlaug said, “We all eat at least three times a day in privileged nations, and yet we take food for granted. There has been great progress, and food is more equitably distributed. But hunger is commonplace and famine appears all too often.”
Borlaug was born March 25, 1914, near Cresco, Iowa, and he had fond memories of his rural Midwestern youth.

“Whatever I’ve been able to do in life for good ... in large part goes back to the experience of growing up on the soil, (on) a very small farm in Howard County, Iowa,” he told the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), an Iowa-based nonprofit organization.

In 1985, Borlaug established the World Food Prize, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, awarded annually to people who have made outstanding contributions to food and agriculture throughout the world. In addition, several acres of his Iowa boyhood farm have been dedicated to the education of new generations of agricultural scientists.

Borlaug was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret. He is survived by daughter Jeanie Borlaug Laube and her husband, Rex, and son William Gibson Borlaug and his wife, Barbie. He also is survived by grandson William Richard Rhoda and wife, Stephanie, and four granddaughters: Tiffany Borlaug Rubi and husband, John, Julie Borlaug Larson and husband, Dave, Jennifer Rhoda Marsh and husband, Dan, and Natalie Howe Borlaug; and great-grandchildren Kyle Rhoda, Matthew Rhoda, Nicholas Rhoda, Anne Borlaug Rubi, Peter Dierks Rubi and Luke Borlaug Larson. A memorial service at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, is pending.

The family has requested memorials to the Borlaug International Scholars Fund in lieu of flowers. Checks should be made payable to “Texas A&M Foundation” and may be mailed to: Texas A&M Foundation, 401 George Bush Dr., College Station, TX 77840-2811.
Please indicate in the memo line “Borlaug International Scholars Fund.” This fund will allow students from developing countries to pursue graduate studies or short-term experiential learning activities at Texas A&M or other U.S. land grant universities.

9/17/2009