BORLAUG AWARD (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci & Tech)

Context: Indian agriculture scientist Swati Nayak won the Borlaug Award recently.

Borlaug Award

• About: The award is given to exceptional scientists under 40 working in the field of food and nutrition security, and hunger eradication.

o It is given in memory of the Nobel awardee and Green Revolution’s chief architect Dr. Norman Borlaug.

• Duration: It is presented every year in October.
• Venue: Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
• Presented by: World Food Prize Foundation.
• Prize: USD 10,000

Norman Ernest Borlaug

• An American agronomist who led initiatives worldwide that contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural production termed the Green Revolution.
• Borlaug was often called “the father of the Green Revolution”.

Swati Nayak’s Contribution

• In Odisha, she introduced the drought-tolerant Shahabhagi Dhan rice variety, leading to significant improvements in rainfed regions.
• This variety quickly became a staple in the dietary and crop rotation practices of every farming household, marking a substantial shift in agriculture.
• She is the South Asia head for Seed System and Product Management at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).