The World Food Prize is an international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food

Food

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...

 in the world.

The Prize

The prize was created in 1986 by Nobel Peace Prize

Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...

 Laureate Norman Borlaug

Norman Borlaug

Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". Borlaug was one of only six people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal...

 with the help of General Foods

General Foods

General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...

, and since 1990 has been sponsored by businessman and philanthropist John Ruan. The prize recognizes contributions in all fields involved in the world food supply — food

Food science

Food science is a study concerned with all technical aspects of foods, beginning with harvesting or slaughtering, and ending with its cooking and consumption, an ideology commonly referred to as "from field to fork"...

 and agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 science and technology, manufacturing

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...

, marketing

Marketing

Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...

, nutrition

Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....

, economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

, poverty

Poverty

Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...

 alleviation, political leadership and the social sciences. As well as recognizing personal accomplishments, Borlaug saw the prize as a means of establishing role models who would inspire others.

Laureates are honored and officially awarded their prize in Des Moines, Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, in a televised award ceremony held in the House Chamber of the Iowa State Capitol

Iowa State Capitol

The Iowa State Capitol is located in Iowa's capital city, Des Moines, and houses the Iowa Senate, Iowa House of Representatives, the Office of the Governor, and the Offices of the Attorney General, Auditor, Treasurer, and Secretary of State...

. The Award Ceremony coincides with the Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium, known as the "Borlaug Dialogue

Borlaug Dialogue

The Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium, commonly known as the Borlaug Dialogue, is an annual international symposium tackling the topic of "global food security"...

," which addresses an issue related to hunger

Hunger

Hunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.-Malnutrition, famine, starvation:...

 and food security

Food security

Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...

 each year. Past symposia have focused on the promises and challenges presented by biofuels for global development, the dual challenges of malnutrition

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....

 and obesity

Obesity

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...

, water insecurity and its impact on development and stability in the Middle East, and "The Green Revolution

Green Revolution

Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....

 Redux: Can We Replicate the Single Greatest Period of Hunger

Hunger

Hunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.-Malnutrition, famine, starvation:...

 Reduction in All Human History?"

In 2008 The World Food Prize Foundation accepted a $5 million contribution from Monsanto Company to ensure the continuation of the annual World Food Prize International Symposium “Borlaug Dialogue.” The funds support a renewed fundraising campaign to transform the historic Des Moines Public Library

Public Library of Des Moines

The Public Library of Des Moines is an historic building in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States that was built in 1903. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The building ceased to be a library in 2006 and now houses the Norman E...

 building into a public museum to honor Dr. Norman Borlaug and the work of the World Food Prize Laureates.

The 2011 "Borlaug Dialogue" will be held October 12–14. The topic is "The Next Generation: Confronting the Hunger Challenges of Tomorrow."

Laureates

World Food Prize Laureates are formally honored at the World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony annually on or near October 16, United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 World Food Day

World Food Day

World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945...

. The winners receive USD $250,000.

The announcement of the World Food Prize Laureate is made in the late spring or early summer prior to her or his formal recognition in October.

Year	Laureate(s)	Nationality	Achievement
2011	John Agyekum Kufuor and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...		Creating and implementing government policies to alleviate hunger and poverty in their countries
2010	David Beckmann David Beckmann David Beckmann played flute, recorder, and harmonica for the Alan Davis Band. He was also a background vocalist. The band was active from 2001 through 2003....  and Jo Luck Jo Luck Jo Luck is an American former President and CEO of Heifer International, which is famous for winning the World Food Prize in 2010.-President Experience:...		Building Bread for the World Bread for the World Bread for the World is a non-partisan, Christian citizens' movement in the United States to end hunger. The organization describes itself as a collective Christian voice urging nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad...  and Heifer International Heifer International Heifer International is a global nonprofit with the goal of ending poverty and hunger in a sustainable fashion. Established in 1944, Heifer International gives out gifts of livestock, seeds and trees and extensive training to those in need...  into two of the world's foremost grassroots organizations leading the charge to end hunger and poverty around the globe.
2009	Gebisa Ejeta Gebisa Ejeta Gebisa Ejeta is an Oromo American plant breeder, geneticist and Professor at Purdue University. In 2009, he won the World Food Prize for his major contributions in the production of sorghum.- Early years :...		Developing Africa's first sorghum Sorghum Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...  hybrids resistant to drought Drought A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...  and the parasitic witchweed.
2008	Bob Dole Bob Dole Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...  and George McGovern George McGovern George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....		Leading and encouraging a global commitment to school feeding, which has enhanced school attendance and nutrition for millions of the world's poorest children, especially young women and girls.
2007	Dr. Philip E. Nelson Philip E. Nelson Philip E. Nelson is an American food scientist who is best known for his work in bulk aseptic processing and packaging of food and the use of chlorine dioxide gas and hydrogen peroxide liquid to commercially sterilize food products and food contact surfaces.He is Scholle Chair Professor in Food...		Revolutionizing food processing, packaging, transportation, and distribution by perfecting bulk aseptic packaging technology and spreading the technology worldwide.
2006	Edson Lobato Edson Lobato Edson Lobato is a Brazilian soil fertility scientist who received the 2006 World Food Prize for his role in helping transform the Cerrado into productive cropland. Adding to the contributions of fellow 2006 World Food Prize Laureates, Dr. A... , His Excellency Alysson Paolinelli Alysson Paolinelli Alysson Paolinelli is a Brazilian agronomic engineer and public official who received the 2006 World Food Prize for his role in transforming the Cerrado into productive cropland. Paolinelli was Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture from 1974 to 1979.-References:... , Dr. A. Colin McClung A. Colin McClung Dr. A. Colin McClung is an American scientist who received the 2006 World Food Prize for his role in helping transform the Cerrado – a region of vast, once infertile tropical high plains stretching across Brazil – into highly productive cropland...		Pioneering work in soil science and policy implementation that opened the vast Cerrado Cerrado The Cerrado, is a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, particularly in the states of Gioas and Minas Gerais...  region of Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...  to agricultural and food production.
2005	Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta Modadugu Vijay Gupta Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta, a biologist from India was the recipient of the World Food Prize in 2005 for development and dissemination of low-cost techniques for freshwater fish farming by the rural poor.-Biography:...		Development and dissemination of low-cost techniques for freshwater fish farming Fish farming Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. Fish farming involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food. A facility that releases young fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species'...  (using tilapia Tilapia Tilapia , is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia inhabit a variety of fresh water habitats, including shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisan fishing in Africa and the...  species) by the rural poor.
2004	Prof. Yuan Longping Yuan Longping Yuan Longping is a Chinese agricultural scientist and educator, known for developing the first hybrid rice varieties in the 1970s. His "hybrid rice" has since been grown in dozens of countries in Africa, America, and Asia—providing a robust food source in high famine risk areas. He is called "The...		Development of hybrid rice Rice Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...  varieties
	Dr. Monty Jones Monty Jones Dr. Monty Jones is a Sierra Leone creole plant breeder and executive director of Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa...		Development of New Rice for Africa New Rice for Africa New Rice for Africa is an interspecific cultivar of rice developed by the Africa Rice Center to improve the yield of African rice varieties. Although 240 million people in West Africa rely on rice as the primary source of food energy and protein in their diet, the majority of this rice is...  (NERICA), with the potential to increase rice yields in Africa Africa Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area... .
2003	Catherine Bertini Catherine Bertini Catherine Bertini is an American public servant. She was the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program from 1992 to 2002. Currently, she is a Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University...	/	Transforming the World Food Programme World Food Programme The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...  from a development assistance program to the largest and most effective humanitarian food relief organization
2002	Dr. Pedro A. Sanchez	/	Development of methods to restore fertility to degraded soils in Africa and South America South America South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east... .
2001	Dr. Per Pinstrup-Andersen Per Pinstrup-Andersen Dr. Per Pinstrup-Andersen is a Danish economist and policy maker who won the 2001 World Food Prize for personally initiated the research effort which enabled several governments to reform their food subsidy programs and dramatically increase food availability to the severely impoverished.This...		Establishment of "Food For Education" programs in which families receive food subsidies when children stay in school.
2000	Dr. Evangelina Villegas Evangelina Villegas Evangelina Villegas is a Mexican cereal biochemist whose work with maize led to the development of high-quality protein maize . She and her colleague, Dr. Surinder Vasal, shared the 2000 World Food Prize for this achievement.... , Dr. Surinder K. Vasal		Developing high quality protein maize Quality Protein Maize Quality Protein Maize contains nearly twice as much usable protein as other maize grown in the tropics and yields 10% more grain than traditional varieties of maize. It was developed by Dr. Surinder Vasal and Dr. Evangelina Villegas at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in the...  (QPM).
1999	Dr. Walter Plowright Walter Plowright Walter Plowright, CMG, FRS, FRCVS was an English veterinary scientist who devoted his career to the eradication of the cattle plague rinderpest....		Developing a vaccine against the cattle plague rinderpest Rinderpest Rinderpest was an infectious viral disease of cattle, domestic buffalo, and some other species of even-toed ungulates, including buffaloes, large antelopes and deer, giraffes, wildebeests and warthogs. After a global eradication campaign, the last confirmed case of rinderpest was diagnosed in 2001... .
1998	Dr. B.R. Barwale		Founder of independent seed company Mahyco, strengthening seed Seed A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...  supply and distribution throughout India.
1997	Dr. Ray F. Smith, Dr. Perry Adkisson		Developing the concept of Integrated Pest Management Integrated Pest Management Integrated pest management is an ecological approach to agricultural pest control that integrates pesticides/herbicides into a management system incorporating a range of practices for economic control of a pest...  (IPM) which employs various techniques to protect crops from insect damage in an environmentally sustainable manner.
1996	Dr. Henry Beachell Henry Beachell Dr. Henry M. Beachell was an American plant breeder. His research led to the development of hybrid rice cultivars that saved millions of people around the world from starvation.... , Dr. Gurdev Khush Gurdev Khush Dr. Gurdev Singh Khush is an agronomist and geneticist who, along with mentor Dr. Henry Beachell, received the 1996 World Food Prize for unparalleled achievements in enlarging and improving the global supply of rice during a time of exponential population growth.In pursuit of ever-improved rice...		Developing "miracle rice" varieties that doubled rice Rice Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...  production in Asia since their development.
1995	Dr. Hans R. Herren		Developing a pest control program for the cassava Cassava Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...  mealybug Mealybug Mealybugs are insects in the family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm climates. They are considered pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and subtropical trees and also acts as a vector for several plant diseases.-Distribution:Mealybugs... , which could destroy African cassava Cassava Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...  crop.
1994	Dr. Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen received the Nobel Peace Prize...		Founder of the Grameen Bank Grameen Bank The Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans to the impoverished without requiring collateral...  in Bangladesh, developed innovative small loan programs for the poor, providing millions of people access to more food and better nutrition.
1993	His Excellency He Kang		Initiation of reforms while head of the Ministry of Agriculture which made China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...  self-sufficient for food production.
1992	Dr. Edward F. Knipling Edward Knipling Dr. Edward F. Knipling is an American entomologist who, along with his longtime colleague Dr. Raymond C. Bushland, received the 1992 World Food Prize for their collaborative achievements in developing the Sterile insect technique for eradicating or suppressing the threat posed by pests to the... , Dr. Raymond C. Bushland		Developing the sterile insect technique Sterile insect technique The sterile insect technique is a method of biological control, whereby overwhelming numbers of sterile insects are released. The released insects are normally male as it is the female that causes the damage, usually by laying eggs in the crop, or, in the case of mosquitoes, taking a bloodmeal from...  (SIT) to control insect parasites that harm the world's food supply.
1991	Dr. Nevin S. Scrimshaw Nevin Scrimshaw Nevin Stewart Scrimshaw is a food scientist and Institute Professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Scrimshaw was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...		Human nutrition studies that led to the use of protein-rich food products to combat malnutrition in developing countries.
1990	Dr. John Niederhauser John Niederhauser Dr. John S. Niederhauser of the United States was honored with the 1990 World Food Prize for his leadership in advancing wider and more effective production of the potato and its resistance to disease...		Discovering a durable resistance to potato late blight.
1989	Dr. Verghese Kurien Verghese Kurien Verghese Kurien is the founder of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation , an apex cooperative organization that manages the Amul food brand. He is recognised as the man behind the success of the Amul brand.He is credited with being the architect of Operation Flood – the largest dairy...		Turned the milksheds of India into the Amul Amul Amul , formed in 1946, is a dairy cooperative in India. It is a brand name managed by an apex cooperative organisation, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd...  cooperatives that produce, process, and market milk Milk Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...  in the urban centres of that country.
1988	Dr. Robert F. Chandler		Founding leadership of the International Rice Research Institute International Rice Research Institute The International Rice Research Institute is an international NGO. Its headquarters are in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, and it has offices in sixteen countries...  and his dedication to developing tropical rice Rice Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...  varieties that doubled and tripled the yields of traditional varieties.
1987	Prof. M.S. Swaminathan		Introducing high-yielding wheat Wheat Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...  and rice varieties to India starting India's Green Revolution Green Revolution Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s.... .

The Borlaug–Ruan Internship

The Borlaug–Ruan International Internship provides high school students an opportunity for an eight-week hands-on experience, working with world-renowned scientists and policymakers at leading research centers around the world.

The internship was founded in 1994 and has funded over 100 Borlaug–Ruan Interns who have traveled to Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Kenya, Peru, The Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Trinidad.

External links

• The World Food Prize
• Purdue plant breeder, geneticist receives World Food Prize