Mexico
August 28, 2013
Source: CIMMYT Blog
On 25 March 1914, a man who would change the face of agriculture around the world was born. Dr. Norman Borlaug, tireless hunger fighter and one of only six people to have won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Nobel Peace Prize, would celebrate his 100th birthday next year.
To celebrate his life and legacy and inspire a new generation to carry on his work, CIMMYT is holding Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security at the Universidad de La Salle, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, from 25-28 March 2014. Dr. Borlaug’s 100th birthday presents an opportunity to not only celebrate his legacy, but also discuss the present and launch a new agricultural renaissance.
The summit will bring together thought leaders, policymakers, and representatives of leading agricultural research-for-development organizations, both public and private. This premier gathering brings together science, policy, and business from developed and emerging markets to illustrate wheat’s potential. Borlaug100 participants will visit the Campo Experimental de Norman E. Borlaug (CENEB) and celebrate Dr. Borlaug’s 100th birthday with a traditional carne asada—as Dr. Borlaug loved—on 25 March. The birthday celebrations will be followed by a conference at the Universidad de La Salle (26-28 March) during which participants will hear inspiring and insightful talks about the history and future of wheat as a crop.
Keynote speakers for the main event are Howard Buffett (confirmed), Sir Gordon Conway (requested), and Dr. Jim Yong Kim (requested); other confirmed speakers include Louise Fresco, Catherine Bertini, Per Pinstrup-Andersen, Robert Paarlberg, Rachel Laudan, and Ronnie Coffman. These events will be preceded by the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative Technical Workshop during 23-24 March. Registration for the event will open in September.
For more information and updates, visit the newly launched Borlaug100 website. We would like to thank Jenny Nelson and Petr Kosina, the main organizers of the event, for their hard work!