16 October 2000

Scientists Honored for Work in Improving Food Supplies

By Judy Aita
Washington File Staff Writer

New York -- At a World Food Day luncheon October 16, the international community honored the 2000 World Food Prize laureates Dr. Evangelina Villegas of Mexico and Dr. Surinder Vasal of India for their development of "miracle maize."

The two scientists took "the two essential amino acids and added it to corn or maize and thus doubled nutritional value, countering the effects of malnutrition which plagues so many parts of the world," said Kenneth Quinn, president of The World Food Prize Foundation. "With this stunning breakthrough achievement almost overnight malnourished children were brought back to health and millions who would have died have had their lives preserved."

"It is for that reason and for that discovery and for that incredible painstaking scientific detective work" that Dr. Villegas and Dr. Vasal, who both work at the International Center for Wheat and Maize Improvement in Mexico, "are this year's recipient of the World Food Prize," Quinn said.

The World Food Prize is the foremost international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.

The prize was conceived by 1970 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug and endowed by U.S. businessman John Ruan.

First presented in 1986, the prize includes a cash award of $250,000 and a sculpture. Each year more than 4,000 institutions and organization around the world are invited to nominate candidates for the prize.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Richard Holbrooke also spoke at the ceremony.

Saying the World Food Prize should have the same stature as the Nobel Peace Prize, Glickman said that those who have dedicated their lives to narrowing the gap between the haves and have-nots must be recognized. "This year's winners are involved in some of humankind's most important work. On this World Food Day it is appropriate we honor and celebrate them," he said.

"One out of every seven on earth live on the brink of starvation....Food is the most basic of human essentials; it is the fundamental building block of a healthy society," the secretary said.

"You cannot have a healthy democracy, a thriving civil society, a respect for the rule of law unless there is enough food for people to eat. You can't have economic growth, business development, a professional class, or entrepreneurs unless people's basic nutritional needs are met. You can't hold down a job, be a good parent or be a productive member of society in any way unless you are working on a reasonably full stomach," he said.

"We know there are many more lives to save with 800 million people on earth chronically hungry and undernourished and malnourished. And if we don't tackle the problem, the global hunger crisis will get worse with the population increasing by a staggering 3 billion people over the next 40 or 50 years," Glickman said.

The secretary said that the scientific community, private volunteer groups, governments, private industries and "ordinary people from around the world" will have to contribute in order to face the monumental challenge of increasing food supplies.

In 1999, the U.S. government shipped 9 million metric tons of food overseas, more than three times higher than what was donated in 1998, he pointed out. "Whenever there was a crisis overseas we were there with humanitarian food and aid and help to get people by."

"Unfortunately, in my judgement, not every nation has been as generous," Glickman said.

The United States accounted for nearly two-thirds of world food assistance in 1999 and while American "are more than happy to do our share, this is not a burden that we can and should carry alone," the secretary said. "I hope that the rest of the developed world steps up to the plate and shows greater leadership when it comes to international food assistance."

Glickman said that food assistance is more than "simply dropping off boatloads of food on Africa shores" but requires making sure that transportation and other necessary infrastructure are in place, and distribution strategies ensure that the food gets into the right hands.

The secretary outlined the new U.S. presidential initiative called "Global Food for Education" which was initiated by former Senators George McGovern and Robert Dole and will attempt to duplicate the success of the U.S. so-called school lunch program.

The Global Food for Education program will attempt to replicate in the developing world what has become one of the most successful domestic social programs in United States since World War II, Glickman said.

"At the heart of this initiative is the understanding that you cannot take step one towards a full productive life unless your basic nutritional needs are met and schools are a good place to have it begin," Glickman said. By feeding children in school, "the program can help nations build the human capital they need to establish a modern economy."

"Our ultimate goal is not to maintain a long-term aid relationship but to help nations feed themselves," he said.

Prior to the gala New York luncheon which was attended by members of the United Nations diplomatic community, an international symposium on "the safety of genetically modified crops and their role in feeding developing countries in the 21st Century" was held at the home of the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa October 12 to 14.

Other World Food Prize laureates include: Dr. Walter Plowright of England who developed a vaccine for cattle plague; B.R. Barwale of India who led the way in the development of the private seed industry in India; Dr. Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh who developed innovative small loan programs for the poor through the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh; and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, architect of India's "Green Revolution."

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