Norman Borlaug

Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist and plant pathologist widely known as the father of the Green Revolution. After earning a PhD in plant pathology and genetics from the University of Minnesota in 1942, he spent most of his career in Mexico, beginning in 1944 with the Cooperative Wheat Research Program and later directing the International Wheat Improvement Program at CIMMYT, where he developed high-yielding, disease-resistant semi-dwarf wheat varieties. His work made Mexico self-sufficient in wheat by 1963, and when the new varieties were introduced to Pakistan and India between 1965 and 1970, wheat yields in those countries nearly doubled, dramatically improving food security across South Asia. He was awarded the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to the Green Revolution and is credited with helping prevent starvation for more than a billion people worldwide, one of only a handful of people to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.