Farewell To The Father Of The Green Revolution: Dr Norman Borlaug

Farewell To The Father Of The Green Revolution: Dr Norman Borlaug

The international development community was saddened to hear of the passing of Dr Norman Borlaug on Saturday night following complications with cancer. Dr Borlaug was 95.

Dr Borlaug dedicated his life to fighting hunger in the developed world. He was awarded the Nobel prize in 1970 for his work developing high-yielding, disease resistant seed varieties to provide food for those most vulnerable in the developing world. The Green Revolution, as it is known, is thought to have saved hundreds of millions of lives.

He was a tireless advocate of smallholder agricultural development around the globe. Despite the huge advances he led and championed, he was forever vigilant. As he said in his acceptance speech for the Nobel prize: "...It is true that the tide of the battle against hunger has changed for the better...but ebb tide could soon set in, if we become complacent..."

The best way to commemorate Dr Borlaug's contribution is to re-commit ourselves to the task of increasing agricultural productivity in developing countries.

Dr Borlaug is survived by his son Bill, his daughter Norma Jean and his five
grandchildren.




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SOURCE: AusAID