Norman Borlaug, known as the Father of the Green Revolution and a Founding Trustee of ACSH, was a member of the first international agricultural research and production team namely the Cooperative Mexican Ministry of Agriculture Rockefeller Foundation Program whose success gave rise to the sixteen International Agricultural Research Centers currently operating worldwide. The wheat production technology he and his team developed in Mexico was introduced into Pakistan, India, Turkey, China, and several South American countries during the 1960s. He is credited with saving more lives than any person who has ever lived one reliable estimate was that he saved one billion lives.
Borlaug died in 2009, but this year marks his 100th birthday. In order to honor him, lawmakers in Washington, D.C. unveiled a statue of Borlaug, which will reside in the Capitol. We at ACSH can t think of anyone who deserves this honor as much as Borlaug.
On a related note, genetically modified food - one of Dr. Borlaug's greatest passions, given his bent for helping the world's poorest people avoid malnutrition - was the subject of a recent episode of the Simpsons, airing on March 9, 2014. One of the characters finds out that the school cafeteria is using GMOs. Initially she thinks this is a negative thing, but after doing her research, she realizes that GMOs are actually good for the world.
This is a message we at ACSH have been trying to promote with the release of our new agricultural biotechnology publications. Biotech crops could potentially do much to relieve the problem of under-nutrition. Make sure to check out the publications, as well as our video about the topic here!