#BorlaugBlog
For 30 years, the World Food Prize has worked to build on the legacy of Dr. Norman Borlaug, the man who saved a billion lives, by recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. Our Laureates, our close partners, and our staff work tirelessly to alleviate hunger through innovative approaches, and we hope to share their expertise, research, and personal stories on The Borlaug Blog.
In the Borlaug Blog, we will occasionally post a blog featuring stories, research, and expert opinion from our Laureates, partners, youth representatives and staff. It is our hope that this blog series will create a conversation between farmers, NGOs, CEOs and people across the globe.
By Modadugu Gupta posted on
06/15/2021
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This year, we are celebrating World Oceans Day with the theme “The Oceans: Life and Livelihoods” at a time when the world is ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, negatively impacting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world, especially in developing countries where the majority of the...
By Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted posted on
06/08/2021
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Diverse foods from our oceans and inland waters directly sustain the life and livelihoods of at least 800 million people, half of whom are women. For 3.3 billion of us, these foods are an essential source of micronutrients and essential fatty acids to our diets.
From the coastal fisheries of the...
By Wendy Wintersteen posted on
03/25/2021
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The COVID-19 crisis has compounded and amplified many urgent societal challenges – not the least of which is the critical need to address hunger, poverty, and malnutrition. In February, 24 World Food Prize Laureates released a powerful call to U.S. leadership to take three actions that will move us toward...
By Purvi Mehta posted on
03/24/2021
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Women’s continued role in agriculture is well-marked, well-realised and often underestimated. Close to 48 percent of overall agricultural work in developing countries is done by women. In some sectors, like livestock, this can reach up to 80-90 percent. For example, in India--the world’s largest livestock producer--over 70 percent of livestock...
By Bonnie McClafferty and Caroline Smith DeWaal posted on
03/23/2021
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In late February, twenty-four World Food Prize Laureates penned a letter asking the Biden Administration for help. These internationally recognized and exceptional Laureates are known to have—with stacks of proof—advanced the quantity, quality, availability of, or access to food through creative interventions within the food system. They also have collectively...
By Elsa Murano posted on
03/22/2021
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In May of 2016, I visited a project that the Borlaug Institute was implementing in Guatemala, focused on training coffee farmers in good agricultural practices to help increase their yield while overcoming leaf rust disease and other challenges. The farmer cooperative we worked with was led by a group of...
By Usha Barwale Zehr posted on
03/18/2021
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My mother personified the role women play in addressing hunger and food security. During the 1960s, a time of severe food shortage in India, she prepared roti and dal for a few visitors each day who would come to our home for lunch; it was the only meal they would...
By Joanna Veltri posted on
03/18/2021
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Many of us in the international development policy space spend a tremendous amount of time thinking about gender and how best to support and empower women and girls in the education, employment, financial, social and other spheres. At IFAD, we concertedly support women – farmers, fishers, and entrepreneurs along the...
By Hilary Barry posted on
03/17/2021
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LadyAgri is a non-profit association supporting women in agri-value chains and women-led agri-businesses across Africa and Small Island Developing States. Of these businesses, 75 percent are women-led and 25 percent have strong gender-smart inclusive business models (including women employees, farmers, processors, distributors, customers). LadyAgri also works with policy makers, the...
By Margaret M. Zeigler posted on
03/16/2021
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The Andean region is the center of origin of many nutritious, diverse foods, including native Andean potatoes and grains such as quinoa, now popular in the growing global gastronomic scene. Chefs feature such native foods in creative, colorful dishes in upscale restaurants in the Andes and worldwide. Yet, many consumers...