【 The 8th Niigata International Food Award Winners 】｜Grand Prix｜ Dr. Guntur Venkata Subbarao
Senior Researcher, Crop, Livestock and Environment Division,
Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences(JIRCAS) ／ India
Award Citation ：Nitrogen fertilizers become sources of greenhouse gas emissions
through nitrification activities in the soil. Dr. Subbarao was the first to
discover "Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI)," which inhibits these
activities by suppressing substances released from plant roots.
Furthermore, he has contributed to reducing environmental impact bycommercializing BNI-enhanced wheat, which maintains a conventional
yield while using fewer nitrogen fertilizers.

｜Grand Prix｜ Ms. Kate Kelland
Chief Scientific Writer at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness
Innovations (CEPI)
Former Global Health and Science Correspondent at Reuters／ United Kingdom
Award Citation ：Ms. Kelland’s investigative reporting revealed the misconduct of aninternational organization concerning the assessment of the"carcinogenicity" of the most widely used herbicide in the world. In an
era where misinformation spreads rapidly, her work demonstrated tothe world the necessity and importance of providing appropriate
information based on scientific evidence regarding food and health.

｜Sano Touzaburo Special Prize｜ Dr. HATCHO Nobumasa
President, Agricultural Development Consultants Association
Professor Emeritus, Kindai University ／ Japan

Award Citation ：To secure and improve the efficiency of water resource utilization inagriculture, Mr. Hatcho developed the Scheme Irrigation Management
Information System for integrated system management andimprovement of irrigation water management, which contributes toagricultural development, especially in developing countries.

【 The 8th Niigata International Food Award Winners 】｜21st Century hope Prize｜ Dr. BEPPU Shigeru
Deputy Chairman and Director of the Japan Disaster Food Society／ Japan
Award Citation ：By researching the actual conditions of disaster victims, Dr. Beppu
proposed maintaining a "rolling stock," which ensures food supplies
similar to everyday meals during disasters, instead of conventional"emergency food." He established a new category called "disasterfood" and founded the Japan Disaster Food Society. He is also
working on creating an international certification system.

｜Prize for Bright Future of Niigata｜ Ms. ARAYA Rieko
Agricultural Produce Ritz Co., Ltd. President and CEO ／ Japan
Award Citation ：As a new farmer, Ms. Araya started a business producing andprocessing sweet potatoes. As a sixth industry planner, she supports
new farmers, runs farm restaurants, promotes agriculture-welfare
collaboration, and accepts agricultural interns, contributing to therevitalization of the local community.

｜Prize for Bright Future of Niigata｜ Dr. MITSUI Toshiaki
National University Corporation Niigata University, Institute for Social
Innovation and Cooperation・Professor ／ Japan
Award Citation ：To address the significant decline in rice quality and yield due toabnormally high temperatures and droughts caused by global warming,
Dr. Mitsui developed "Koshihikari Niigata University NU1," a hightemperature tolerant variety of rice, which holds great promise andhas the potential to make a significant contribution to the future ofrice farming in Niigata Prefecture.