Norman Borlaug
1914–2009 — USA
Era: Modern
Brilliance: 9/10 | Stewardship: 9/10 | Composite Index: 81
The Green Revolution. He saved a billion people from famine. A billion.
"You can't build a peaceful world on empty stomachs and human misery."
Biography
Norman Borlaug developed highyielding, diseaseresistant wheat varieties that sparked the Green Revolution, dramatically increasing food production in developing nations. His agricultural innovations prevented mass starvation and earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, with estimates crediting him with saving over one billion lives from famine.
Key Facts
- Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his contributions to world peace through increased food supply
- Developed semi-dwarf wheat varieties that doubled and tripled crop yields in Mexico, India, and Pakistan
- Spent decades working in Mexican wheat fields, often 16 hours a day, to perfect his crop varieties
- His wheat innovations helped India become self-sufficient in grain production by the 1970s
- Remained actively involved in fighting world hunger well into his 90s, working in Africa until near his death
One scientist's wheat saved more lives than any medicine in history.
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