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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