Posted April 21, 2014
The dedication of Dr. Norman Borlaug’s statue in the U.S.
Capitol last month promoted President Obama to praise the important role of
biotechnology in agriculture, according to an article by Agri-Pulse available here. The Des Moines Register also reported on the
story here.
In a letter to Julie Borlaug, available here, the President
celebrated her grandfather’s life dedicated to alleviating world hunger and
malnutrition by breeding better varieties of wheat and working with farmers,
scientists, politicians and others to improve agricultural methods.
Obama wrote, “I share his belief that investment in
enhanced biotechnology is an essential component of the solution to some of our
planet’s most pressing agricultural problems…Through our regional climate
change hubs, we will use the sorts of technologies pioneered by your
grandfather to help farmers and ranchers face the climate challenges ahead.”
Borlaug, known as the “Father of the Green Revolution”
was the only American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal and the National Medal of Science.
Julie Borlaug, assistant director for external
relations at the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, said, “This
is a huge endorsement of the importance of agriculture research and
biotechnology…My grandfather would have been grateful and appreciative of the
president’s focus on agriculture and climate change in an effort to feed the 9
billion people expected to live on this planet by 2050.”
For more information on biotechnology, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
