The Father of the Green Revolution

I was saddened Sunday morning to read that Norman Borlaug died Saturday, September 12, 2009. I had the pleasure to hear him speak several times during my days as an Agronomy student. And although I did not realize it the first time I saw him, I now know what an amazing man he was and how many people live because he lived. I read his article/obituary last night and another tribute article this morning. Educated through the 8th grade in a one-room school house in Iowa, this man went on to save what some estimate to be more than 1 billion lives. As a crop breeder, he developed varieties that were disease resistant and shorter to prevent lodging. He helped feed the world - a true humanitarian. I provided links below to the 2 articles I read if you are interested. And here a few snippets that I took from them. May he rest in peace.

His successes in the 1960s came just as books like The Population Bomb were warning readers that mass starvation was inevitable. "Three or four decades ago, when we were trying to move technology into India, Pakistan and China, they said nothing could be done to save these people, that the population had to die off," he said in 2004. Borlaug often said wheat was only a vehicle for his real interest, which was to improve people's lives."We must recognize the fact that adequate food is only the first requisite for life," he said in his Nobel acceptance speech. "For a decent and humane life we must also provide an opportunity for good education, remunerative employment, comfortable housing, good clothing and effective and compassionate medical care."

In 1960, the world produced 692 million tons of grain for 2.2 billion people. By 1992, largely as a result of Borlaug's pioneering techniques, it was producing 1.9 billion tons for 5.6 billion people -- using only 1 percent more land.

He remained active well into his 90s, campaigning for the use of biotechnology to fight hunger and working on a project to fight poverty and starvation in Africa by teaching new drought-resistant farming methods.

Nobel winner Borlaug dies at home in Dallas

Borlaug remembered for his inspiration, dedication