Norman Ernest Borlaug ( / ˈ b ɔːr l ɔː ɡ / ; March 25, 1914 – September 12, 2009) [2] was an American agronomist who led initiatives worldwide that contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural production termed the Green Revolution . Borlaug was awarded multiple honors for his work, including the Nobel Peace Prize , the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal .
Borlaug received his B.S. in forestry in 1937 and PhD in plant pathology and genetics from the University of Minnesota in 1942. He took up an agricultural research position with CIMMYT in Mexico, where he developed semi-dwarf, high- yield , disease -resistant wheat varieties . [3] [1] During the mid-20th century, Borlaug led the introduction of these high-yielding varieties combined with modern agricultural production techniques to Mexico, Pakistan, and India. As a result, Mexico became a net exporter of wh
Borlaug was often called "the father of the Green Revolution", [5] [6] and is credited with saving over a billion people worldwide from starvation . [7] [8] [9] [10] According to Jan Douglas, executive assistant to the president of the World Food Prize Foundation , the source of this number is Gregg Easterbrook 's 1997 article "Forgotten Benefactor of Humanity." The article states that the "form of agriculture that Borlaug preaches may have prevented a billion deaths." [11] He was awarded the 1970 Nobel Pea