2008
Hon. Robert Dole
United States
Hon. George McGovern
United States
The inspired, collaborative leadership of former U.S. Senators Robert Dole and George McGovern has encouraged a global commitment to school feeding and enhanced school attendance and nutrition for millions of the world’s poorest children, especially girls.
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2007
Dr. Philip E. Nelson
United States
Dr. Nelson's innovative scientific breakthroughs have revolutionized the food industry, particularly in the area of large-scale storage and transportation of fresh fruit and vegetable products using bulk aseptic food processing. His work, which began with tomatoes and later included a variety of seasonal crops, has made it possible to store foods for long periods of time and be transported around the world without losing nutrional value or taste.
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2006
Edson Lobato
Brazil
Dr. A. Colin McClung
United States
Alysson Paolinelli
Brazil
The 2006 World Food Prize Laureates--Mr. Edson Lobato of Brazil, Dr. A. Colin McClung of the United States, and H.E. Alysson Paolinelli of Brazil-- each played a vital role in transforming the Cerrado – a region of vast, once infertile tropical high plains stretching across Brazil – into highly productive cropland. Though they worked independently of one another, in different decades and in different fields, their collective efforts over the past 50 years have unlocked Brazil’s tremendous potential for food production. Their advancements in soil science and policy leadership made agricultural development possible in the Cerrado, a region named from Portuguese words meaning “closed, inaccessible land.”
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2005
Dr. Modadugu Gupta
India
Dr. Gupta’s achievements in freshwater aquaculture have helped millions of rural farmers overcome severe poverty and nutritional deficiencies. Dr. Gupta developed low-cost technologies to increase fish yields and educated impoverished farmers, specifically women, in freshwater aquaculture practices. His efforts led to a significant rise in the consumption of fish – a vital source of protein and vitamins – in developing countries in Asia and Africa and more effective aquaculture research worldwide.
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2004
Prof. Yuan Longping
China
Dr. Monty Jones
Sierra Leone
Working independently, Professor Yuan Longping and Dr. Monty Jones each made breakthroughs in rice science that saved million of lives. Yuan's work led to the world’s first successful and widely grown hybrid rice varieties, and leading to his acknowledgment as "The Father of Hybrid Rice." Dr. Jones led a pioneering effort at WARDA to develop New Rice for Africa (NERICA), recapturing the genetic potential of ancient African rices and offering hope to millions in West Africa by starting an agricultural transformation there.
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2003
Catherine Bertini
United States
As the United Nations World Food Programme’s Executive Director from 1992 to 2002, Ms. Bertini’s relentless efforts and keen insights transformed that agency from primarily a development assistance organization into the world’s largest and most responsive humanitarian relief organization, delivering life-sustaining food aid to over 700 million people and empowering women and girls in more than 100 countries during her term.
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2002
Dr. Pedro A. Sanchez
United States
By pioneering ways to restore fertility to the poorest and most degraded soils in Latin America and Africa, The 2002 World Food Prize Laureate, Dr. Pedro A. 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.
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2001
Dr. Per Pinstrup Andersen
Denmark
Dr. Pinstrup-Andersen personally initiated the research effort which enabled several governments to reform their food subsidy programs, dramatically increasing food availability to the most poor in each country. This research laid the foundation for the establishment of "Food For Education" programs in which the families receive food subsidies when children stay in school. Driven by a deep desire to alleviate the suffering of malnourished and starving children, Dr. Pinstrup-Andersen initiated a global effort to uplift those most at risk by formulating IFPRI's 2020 Vision Initiative. Over the past decade, the 2020 Vision Initiative has alerted world leaders to potential crises in food security issues, helped reverse the trend of decreasing global developmental assistance, and led to actions which have brought about an important reduction in world hunger and poverty levels.
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2000
Dr. Evangelina Villegas
Mexico
Dr. Surinder K. Vasal
India
Dr. Evangelina Villegas of Mexico and Dr. Surinder K. Vasal of India are the co-recipients of the Millennium World Food Prize. Dr. Villegas, a cereal chemist, and Dr. Vasal, a plant geneticist, are honored for their "Nobel-like" achievements in developing maize containing twice as much usable protein as normal maize. Their innovative teamwork and painstaking scientific research led to the breakthrough discovery of Quality Protein Maize, or QPM.
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1999
Dr. Walter Plowright
United Kingdom
Dr. Walter Plowright was recognized for his development of a vaccine that has resulted in the elimination of rinderpest, commonly known as cattle plague, from most regions of the developing world. His research has provided a practical means to re move a menace dating back 16 centuries.
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1998
B.R. Barwale
India
Mr. Barwale, founder of Mahyco, led the way in the development of the private seed industry in India, which has strengthened the seed supply and dramatically increased the distribution of high-yielding, high-quality varieties of hybrid seeds in the country.
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1997
Dr. Ray F. Smith
United States
Dr. Perry Adkisson
United States
Dr. Smith and Dr. Adkisson developed the concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which employs various techniques to protect crops from insect damage in an environmentally sustainable manner.
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1996
Dr. Henry Beachell
United States
Dr. Gurdev Khush
India
Dr. Beachell and Dr. Khush share credit for their revolutionary work to greatly improve the yield potential of rice. The rice genetic lines and varieties developed under their direction have more than doubled the world's rice production over the last three decades.
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1995
Dr. Hans R. Herren
Switzerland
Dr. Herren developed and implemented the biological control project for the cassava mealybug which had nearly destroyed the entire Africa cassava crop.
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1994
Dr. Muhammad Yunus
Bangladesh
Dr. Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, developed innovative small loan programs for the poor, providing millions of people access to more food and better nutrition.
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1993
He Kang
China
He Kang, former Minister of Agriculture in China, provided the leadership that caused large increases in agricultural output in the early 1980s, making China self-sufficient in basic food for the first time in modern history.
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1992
Dr. Edward F. Knipling
United States
Dr. Raymond Bushland
United States
Dr. Knipling and Dr. Bushland, a team of entomologists, developed the sterile insect technique to control insect parasites that harm the world's food supply.
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1991
Dr. Nevin S. Scrimshaw
United States
Dr. Scrimshaw developed the principle for low-cost, protein-rich food products to combat malnutrition in developing countries.
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1990
Dr. John Niederhauser
United States
Dr. Niederhauser discovered a durable resistance to the potato late blight disease, which boosted the food supply for many nations.
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1989
Dr. Verghese Kurien
India
Dr. Kurien turned the milksheds of India into cooperatives that produce, process, and market milk in the urban centers of that country.
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1988
Dr. Robert F. Chandler
United States
Dr. Chandler was founding director of the International Rice Research Institute, where his leadership helped spur an international network of agricultural research centers.
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1987
Dr. M.S. Swaminathan
India
Dr. Swaminathan, architect of India's "Green Revolution," led the introduction of high-yielding wheat and rice varieties to Indian farmers.
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