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Name: The Man Who Fed the World
Rating: 4.4 (29 reviews)
Author: Leon Hesser

Leon Hesser

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug and His Battle to End World Hunger

4.4 (29 Bewertungen)

21 Min.

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What’s in it for me? Find out how one man saved a billion people from starvation.

In the 1960s, the issues of famine and mass-scale starvation were prominently discussed around the world. In some countries, the situation was so dire that the international community considered doing nothing, as starvation was seen as something that was “necessary.” At the time, it seemed as if there was simply not enough food to feed the world.

One Iowa-born agricultural scientist felt differently, however, and threw himself at the challenge of increasing wheat crop yields. Thanks to the efforts of Norman Borlaug, wheat yields as well as the grain’s resistance to disease improved so radically that horrors such as “necessary starvation” were averted.

In these blinks, you’ll be captivated by the story of this remarkable man and discover:

why the threat of starvation far outweighs any argument against biotechnology,
why famine on a massive scale is still a lurking danger, and
how lessons from a small farm in Iowa helped to successfully fight world hunger.

Norman Borlaug devoted his head, hands and heart to fighting world hunger.

The most influential figure of the twentieth century came from very humble beginnings. Norman Borlaug was born in 1914 on the Iowa prairie and was educated in a one-room country schoolhouse.

Yet as an adult, he championed the fight against world hunger from the 1930s until his death and profoundly changed the way we think about agriculture.

How did he do this?

The Nobel Prize committee, which awarded Borlaug the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, summed it up best.

“You have made the fight against hunger your lifelong mission, your passionate calling, to which you have devoted your brains, the brains of a first-rate scientist, your hands, the hands of the Iowa farmer, and your open, broad, warm heart.”

Borlaug’s life goal was to fight world hunger, and he pursued this goal with great zeal and optimism.

Optimism was a trait he always carried, even when faced with dire news. For example, in the 1960s when it looked like the world was facing hunger conditions on a near-apocalyptic scale, Borlaug saw a way out, even when no one else did.

Importantly, Borlaug’s optimism was fuelled by his strong belief in human potential.

Borlaug’s childhood experiences also helped form his passion to end world hunger. The rural environment of Iowa imbued him with a strong impulse to help others in need as well as made him a strong believer in the importance of education and hard work.

As his family was poor, Borlaug at an early age learned to work hard and help his family with farming duties. His parents also emphasized the importance of a good education, and though he was not the strongest student, his devotion and dedication made him stand out among his peers.

Borlaug also wrestled in school, and recounted a particularly valuable lesson he learned from his wrestling trainer that he then applied to his later life. He would always fully devote himself to any task; that is, either give your all, or don’t bother trying.

Act now, perfect later: Borlaug took risks to push for immediate solutions to the threat of hunger.

Borlaug was highly committed to his goal of eradicating world hunger, but he was no perfectionist.

Although he wanted to constantly improve on what he viewed as potential solutions to the problem, what motivated him was making an immediate difference – putting his ideas to the test – as the threat of hunger waits for no one.

Society and government need to partner to uproot deeply entrenched agricultural traditions.

Changing agricultural practices that date back decades – or even centuries – is no easy task.

Since most societies have their roots in agriculture, any massive-scale change requires the backing of the whole society. This sort of change can only be achieved through aggressive grassroots campaigning combined with governmental cooperation.

The green revolution sprouted in Mexico then spread, thanks to an international research network.

In the 1940s, the green revolution had its early beginnings in Mexico, where Borlaug was working on high-yielding wheat varieties, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation.

The work was to profoundly change Mexican agriculture. At this time, however, these agricultural changes weren’t yet known as a green revolution, but rather as just a wheat and corn revolution.

Despite criticism, the green revolution made strides toward curing hunger and ensuring peace.

You may be wondering why Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize, considering that his mission was ending hunger, not war.

The argument the Nobel Prize committee used was that by helping avert hunger and famine, Borlaug simultaneously furthered the cause of world peace, as famine can be an incentive for going to war. It was this logic that made Borlaug a Nobel laureate.

To really make a difference, scientists need to leave the lab and get into the fields.

As the Nobel Prize committee stated, Borlaug had the brain of a scientist. But he was also a very practical man who disdained the pride and complacency that he saw in many scientists.

He was constantly worried about new plagues and pests that could wipe out entire crops. He felt strongly that it was the duty of the scientific community to stay one step ahead of such developments, growing alternative crop varieties as contingencies.

Borlaug worked from the ground up, teaching locals and in turn, convincing governments.

Although Borlaug was a man of action, he also knew that he could not do everything by himself. This is why he saw himself primarily as a teacher.

In the field of agricultural science, there has always been a shortage of trained and motivated personnel. Borlaug knew this was a problem he had to address if he truly wanted to effect worldwide change.

The green revolution was only temporary; we need new research and action immediately.

When Borlaug started the green revolution, the danger of famine around the world was very real. And though his work helped avert disaster, it was only a temporary victory and not a permanent solution.

Support for agricultural research has decreased sharply since the late 1980s. Because it takes relatively long to turn any research findings into concrete farming solutions, it could be that we’re already running out of time to address the next hunger crisis. This was a major source of concern for Borlaug.

Borlaug fully supported taking advantage of biotechnology to help fight hunger.

One famously controversial area in agricultural research is the use of biotechnology. But for Borlaug, it was not controversial at all: he was a staunch advocate of using it to feed the world.

Borlaug knew that to feed a growing global population, more food would be needed. Some could come from cultivating crops on previously unused land, such as in Brazil or Russia. These areas can now be exploited for food production, thanks to salt-resistant plants, for example.

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Worum geht es in The Man Who Fed the World?

The Man Who Fed the World tells the story of Norman Borlaug, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and his work in fighting world hunger. The past and future of world agriculture and hunger are examined.

Bestes Zitat aus The Man Who Fed the World

Perfection is a butterfly the academics chase and never catch … We will have to do the best we can with what we have.

—Leon Hesser

Wer The Man Who Fed the World lesen sollte

Anyone curious about how one man saved a billion people from starvation
Anyone interested in how agriculture underwent its own “green revolution”

Über den Autor

Leon Hesser is an agricultural economist and former farmer who coordinated the U.S. program to increase food production worldwide.

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