Borlaug, << BAWR lawg, >> Norman Ernest (1914-2009), an American agricultural scientist, received the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for developing new and higher-yielding varieties of wheat. In 1944, the Rockefeller Foundation sent Borlaug to Mexico to develop varieties that would increase wheat production in tropical regions. By the mid-1960’s, Borlaug’s wheat had greatly increased Mexican harvests. From 1960 to 1963, Borlaug served as the director of the Inter-American Food Crop Program. He was director of wheat programs for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center from 1964 to 1979.
During the 1960’s, India, Pakistan, and other countries began to plant high-yielding varieties of wheat developed by Borlaug. These varieties changed some nations from grain importers into grain exporters and reduced the danger of famine. The improvement in the world’s food supply that resulted from such new varieties of crops is sometimes called the Green Revolution. Borlaug was born on March 25, 1914, in Cresco, Iowa. He died on Sept. 12, 2009. Iowa has placed a statue of Borlaug in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
