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JIMMY CARTER, GEORGE MCGOVERN AND SCIENTISTS
CELEBRATE 'FATHER OF THE GREEN REVOLUTION'
Humanitarian Norman Borlaug to Turn 90
Norman
Borlaug Articles, Interviews, Photos, Links and More
PRESS CONTACT: DR. C.S. PRAKASH, PHONE + 1 334-444-7884
Auburn, Alabama; March 24 -- Jimmy Carter, George McGovern and many scientists
are joining the AgBioWorld Foundation in celebrating the 90th birthday
of humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug on Thursday.
"The passion that drives Dr. Borlaug's life is an inspiration for
all of us to follow," said Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United
States, Chair of The
Carter Center and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. "It
has been an honor to collaborate with Dr. Borlaug. He is a true humanitarian
and a dear friend."
In 1970, Borlaug's dedication to agricultural productivity won him the
Nobel Peace Prize. During the 1940s, Dr. Borlaug bred new wheat varieties
in Mexico, which more than doubled the country's yields. Later, he worked
in India, Pakistan, China, the Middle East, South America and Africa and
had similar successes. The crop varieties and the improved farming practices
he helped develop have sparked what is known today as the "Green
Revolution." These improvements are often credited with saving more
than one billion lives.
"Dr. Norman Borlaug was the father of the Green Revolution that
transformed much of the hungry Third World," said former senator
George McGovern. "Dr. Borlaug's scientific leadership not only saved
people from starvation, but the high-yield seeds he bred saved millions
of square miles of wildlife from being plowed down. He is one of the great
men of our age."
"Norman Borlaug is the living embodiment of the human quest for
a hunger free world," said M.S. Swaminathan of the M.S. Swaminathan
Research Foundation in India (www.mssrf.org)
and the scientist most responsible for bringing Borlaug to Asia. "His
life is his message."
"Norman Borlaug is one of the greatest humanitarians who ever lived,"
said C.S. Prakash, president of the AgBioWorld Foundation (www.agbioworld.org)
and professor of plant genetics at Tuskegee University in Alabama. "He
is not only a scientist, but a doer and an activist who believes in the
power of science to better the lives of people everywhere - especially
in the developing world."
"Norman Borlaug's unrivalled contribution to humanity was his demonstration
that genetics has a crucial role in enabling agricultural production to
meet world food demand," observed Malcolm Elliott, Director of the
UK-based Norman Borlaug Institute (www.nbipsr.org).
Despite his age, Borlaug currently serves as a senior consultant to the
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico and
is the Distinguished Professor of International Agriculture at Texas A&M
University. He is also President of the Sasakawa Africa Association, and,
along with Jimmy Carter (www.cartercenter.org),
is a leader of the Sasakawa-Global 2000 agricultural program in sub-Saharan
Africa, which has worked with several million farmers in 15 countries
of sub-Saharan Africa to increase food production.
Norman Borlaug articles,
interviews,
speeches,
photos
and web
links are currently available at www.agbioworld.org,
which today is releasing "The
Norman Borlaug Rap," an educational song honoring
Dr. Borlaug's 90th birthday.
----
The following experts can be contacted by phone for more information
on the life and work of Dr. Borlaug:
-- Emily Howard, The Carter Center, USA (404-420-5126)
-- Dr. Gurdev Khush, World Food Prize Laureate, USA (530-750-2440)
-- Dr. Thomas DeGregori, University of Houston, USA (713-743-3838)
-- Dr. Robert S. Zeigler, CIMMYT, Mexico (+52 55 5804-2004 ext.1312)
-- Prof. Greg Pence, University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA (205 873-0485)
-- Prof. Malcolm Elliott, Borlaug Institute, UK (+44 0116-2362733)
-- Mr. Dennis Avery (CGFI), USA (540-337-6354)
-- Mr. Ron Bailey, Science Correspondent, USA (202-256-6197)
-- Mr. Ted Behrens, Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation, USA (319-277-0684)
The AgBioWorld Foundation (www.agbioworld.org)
is a non-profit organization based in Auburn, Alabama that provides information
to teachers, journalists, policymakers and the general public about developments
in plant science, biotechnology and sustainable agriculture. Email: agbioworld@yahoo.com
The Carter
Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter
and his wife, Rosalynn, in partnership with Emory University, to advance
peace and health worldwide. A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization,
the Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 65 countries
by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic
opportunity; preventing diseases; improving mental health care; and teaching
farmers to increase crop production. To learn more about The Carter Center
and Guinea worm disease, please visit: www.cartercenter.org.
Norman
Borlaug Articles, Interviews, Photos, Links and More
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