Norman Borlaug, the A&M professor of international agriculture credited with saving millions of lives, will be honored posthumously Tuesday when a statue of Borlaug is installed in the U.S. Capitol to coincide with what would have been his 100th birthday.
Borlaug is best known for perfecting a high-yield variety of wheat that has fed millions in impoverished areas of Mexico, India and Africa. The breakthrough earned Borlaug the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, as well as the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.
William Dugas, acting vice chancellor and dean of the Department of Agriculture, said Borlaug is unique in his worldwide influence as he took on one of agriculture’s
greatest challenges.
“Quite simply, Norman Borlaug’s revolutionary work saved millions of people from starvation,” Dugas said. “Even today, one of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ grand challenges is to feed our world. The work of Dr. Borlaug still inspires us today to take action for better and more plentiful food worldwide.”