Borlaug, Norman Ernest [key], 1914–2009, U.S. agronomist, b. near Saude, Iowa, grad. Univ. of Minn. (Ph.D., 1942). He worked as researcher with the E. I. du Pont Company until 1944, when he joined the Rockefeller Foundation in Mexico. He became a director at the foundation and headed a team of scientists from 17 nations working to develop improved of grain harvests. The work Borlaug led or inspired resulted in the Green Revolution, which involved the use of improved wheat seed, new types of higher-yield rice, and more efficient use of fertilizer and water to produce larger food crop yields in many of the less-developed countries of South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Borlaug is credited with Mexico's self-sufficiency in wheat production, and in 1970 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to eradicate hunger and build international prosperity. He founded (1986) the World Food Prize to recognize contributions to fields involved in the world food supply. Borlaug was a professor at Texas A&M Univ. from 1984 until his death.
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