Dr. Pedro Sanchez
2002 World Food Prize Laureate
Pedro A. Sanchez, a native of Cuba, pioneered scientific approaches to increase productivity of tropical soils, which had been long thought to be unsuitable for agriculture. His research helped open millions of hectares of land in Latin America to farming production, and his innovations in agroforestry dramatically improved productivity and ecological sustainability in Africa. By pioneering ways to restore fertility to some of the world’s poorest and most degraded soils, Sanchez has made a major contribution to preserving our delicate ecosystem, while at the same time offering great hope to all those struggling to survive on marginal lands around the world.