Dr. Parveen Kumar
World Food Prize an annual recognition for individuals who have made remarkable and tangible efforts in ensuring food and nutritional security of the peoples all around the world by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world. It is also called the Nobel Prize in Food and Agriculture. Since 1987, the prize has been awarded annually. The award, a brainchild of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug, emphasizes the importance of a nutritious and sustainable food supply for all people. Borlaug saw the prize as a means of establishing role models who would inspire others.
About World Food Prize
The World Food Prize is the foremost international honor recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. It is an annual award that recognizes contributions in any field involved in the world food supply including plant, animal and soil science; food science and technology; nutrition, rural development, etc. It is open for any individual without regard to race, religion, nationality or political beliefs. In addition to the cash award of $2, 50, 000, the laureate receives a sculpture designed by the noted artist and designer, Saul Bass. The Prize is presented each October on or around UN World Food Day (16th October). It is presented by the World Food Prize Foundation which has over 80 companies, individuals, etc. as donors.
History of the World Food Prize
In 1985, Norman Borlaug met with the chief executive of General Foods Corporation, James Fergusen and expressed his long standing desire for the establishment of a major prize for agriculture. The idea of a prize was met favorably by the Senior General Foods Management, but they expanded the scope of the prize to include all of the links of the food chain from farm to table. General Foods Corporation organized a prize management structure and in 1986 announced the founding of the General Foods World Food Prize. This prize was funded solely by the General Foods Fund for the first four years of its existence and partially funded by the General Foods Fund and other contributors in the fifth year. Since 1990, the World Food Prize has been sponsored by businessman and philanthropist, John Ruan. The World Food Prize Laureates are honored and officially awarded their prize in Des Moines, Iowa, in a televised award ceremony held in the House Chamber of the Iowa State Capitol.
The Award Ceremony coincides with the Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium, known as the Borlaug Dialogue, which addresses an issue related to hunger and food security each year. In 2008, the World Food Prize Foundation received a $5 million contribution from Monsanto to ensure the continuation of the annual World Food Prize International Symposium ‘Borlaug Dialogue’.
Indians World Food Prize Laureates :
In 1987, the living legend of Indian Agriculture M. S. Swaminathan received the prize for his contribution in introducing high yielding wheat and rice varieties to India resulting in green revolution. This green revolution made the country a bread basket. In 1989, Dr. Varghese Kurien the founder of operation flood movement which made the country largest producer of milk in the world received the prestigious prize. In 1996, the award was given to Dr. Gurdev Khush along with Dr, Henry Beachell of United States for developing miracle rice varieties that doubled rice production in Asia. In 1998, Dr. B. R. Barwale founder of Mahyco seeds received the award for strengthening seed supply and distribution to the masses throughout India. In the year 2000, Dr. Surinder K. Vasal along with Dr. Evangelina of Mexico were conferred this prize for developing High Quality Protein Maize (QPM). In 2005, Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta was bestowed this prize for development and dissemination of low cost techniques for fresh water fish farming using Tilapia species by rural poor. The ‘World Food Prize’ for the year 20210 was awarded to the son of soil, a Soil Scientist, Dr. Rattan Lal. An alumnus of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and a renowned agricultural soil scientist from Ohio State University (OSU), Dr. Lal has also many first to his credit.
World Food Prize 2021
The World Food Prize 2021 has been awarded to a 71 years old Dr Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, an aquaculturist for her groundbreaking research into the nutritional value of small native fish species in Bangladesh and Cambodia. She has been named the 2021 World Food Prize Laureate. Dr Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, a global nutrition expert has Indian descent and has worked extensively in developing holistic, nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquaculture and food systems. Thilsted, who is a native of Trinidad and Tobago and a citizen of Denmark, was born in 1949 in the Caribbean island of Trinidad in the small village of Reform. Most of the inhabitants, including her family, were descendants of Indian Hindu Migrants brought to Trinidad to engage in agricultural sector. Nutrition-sensitive approaches place nutrition and public health at the core of how food is produced, processed, transported, priced, distributed and consumed. Thilsted expanded the evolution of food systems from feeding” to “nourishing” hundreds of millions of people who depend on fish and other aquatic foods as an integral part of their food and nutrition security, livelihoods and culture, it said.
Thilsted’s trailblazing research on small native fish species in Bangladesh led to the development of nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquatic food systems at all levels, from the farm to food processing to final consumers, resulting in improved diets for millions of the most vulnerable people in Asia and Africa, according to an information available from the World Food Prize website. Thilsted global lead for nutrition and food health ‘WorldFish’ has brought together interdisciplinary and international collaborators and drove transformations in aquatic food systems to deliver improved nutrition resilient ecosystems and secure livelihoods for millions of vulnerable across the globe.
(The author is a Scientist at KVK-Leh, SKUAST-K)
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