Norman E Borlaug Award

Norman E Borlaug Award

News: Recently, Indian agriculture scientist Swati Nayak has become the third Indian agriculture scientist to win the prestigious Norman E Borlaug Award for 2023.

What is the Norman E Borlaug award?
• The Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application is a prestigious award presented by the World Food Prize Foundation. It recognizes exceptional, science-based achievement in international agriculture and food production by an individual under the age of 40. The award, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, is presented every October in Des Moines, Iowa.
• The award is named in honor of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, a Nobel laureate known as the chief architect of the Green Revolution. The recipients of this award are selected for their intellectual courage, stamina, and determination in the fight to eliminate global hunger and poverty.

Why was Swati Nayak given Norman E Borlaug Award?
• Swati Nayak is credited with the successful dissemination and adoption of more than 20 climate-resilient and bio-fortified rice varieties.
• Among these are ‘Sahbhagi Dhan’, a drought-tolerant variety suitable for hilly uplands, and ‘BINA Dhan-11’, which is flood-tolerant.