III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 273 

Commemorating Dr. Norman Borlaug, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, 

Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and founder 

of the World Food Prize. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 

Mr. HARKIN (for himself, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mrs. LINCOLN, Mr. CHAMBLISS, 

Mr. LUGAR, Mr. LEAHY, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. BROWN, 

Mr. CONRAD, Mr. FRANKEN, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. BAUCUS, Mr. CASEY, 

Ms. STABENOW, Mr. BENNET, Mr. JOHANNS, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. NELSON of Nebraska, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. THUNE, and Mrs. GILLIBRAND) 

submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating Dr. Norman Borlaug, recipient of the Nobel 

Peace Prize, Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential 

Medal of Freedom, and founder of the World Food Prize. 

Whereas Dr. Norman E. Borlaug was born on March 25, 

1914, of Norwegian parents on a farm in Cresco, Iowa, 

and was educated in a 1-room school house throughout 

grades 1 through 8; 

Whereas Dr. Borlaug attended the University of Minnesota, 

where he earned a Ph.D. degree in Plant Pathology; 


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•SRES 273 ATS 

Whereas, beginning in 1944, Dr. Borlaug spent 2 decades in 

rural Mexico working to assist the poorest farmers 

through a pioneering Rockefeller Foundation program; 

Whereas Dr. Borlaug’s research and innovative ‘‘shuttle 

breeding’’ in Mexico enabled him to develop a new approach to agriculture and a new disease-resistant variety 

of wheat with triple the output of grain; 

Whereas this breakthrough achievement in plant production 

enabled Mexico to become self-sufficient in wheat by 

1956, and concurrently raised the living standard for 

thousands of poor Mexican farmers; 

Whereas Dr. Borlaug was asked by the United Nations to 

travel to India and Pakistan in the 1960s, as South-Asia 

and the Middle East faced an imminent widespread famine, where he eventually helped convince those 2 warring 

governments to adopt his new seeds and new approach to 

agriculture to address this critical problem; 

Whereas, Dr. Borlaug brought miracle wheat to India and 

Pakistan, which helped both countries become self-sufficient in wheat production, thus saving hundreds of millions of people from hunger, famine, and death; 

Whereas Dr. Borlaug and his team trained young scientists 

from Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, and 

Afghanistan in this same new approach to agriculture, 

which introduced new seeds but also put emphasis on the 

use of fertilizer and irrigation, thus increasing yields significantly in those countries as well; 

Whereas Dr. Borlaug’s approach to wheat was adapted by research scientists working in rice, which spread the Green 

Revolution to Asia, feeding and saving millions of people 

from hunger and starvation; 


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•SRES 273 ATS 

Whereas Dr. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 

1970 as the ‘‘Father of the Green Revolution’’ and is 

only 1 of 5 people to have ever received the Nobel Peace 

Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Congressional 

Gold Medal; 

Whereas Dr. Borlaug headed the Sasakawa Global 2000 program to bring the Green Revolution to 10 countries in 

Africa, and traveled the world to educate the next generation of scientists on the importance of producing new 

breakthrough achievements in food production; 

Whereas Dr. Borlaug tirelessly promoted the potential that 

biotechnology offers for feeding the world, while also preserving biodiversity, in the 21st century when the global 

population is projected to rise to 9,000,000,000 people; 

Whereas Dr. Borlaug continued his role as an educator as a 

Distinguished Professor at Texas A&M University, while 

also working at the International Center for the Improvement of Wheat and Maize in Mexico; 

Whereas Dr. Borlaug founded the World Food Prize, called 

by several world leaders ‘‘The Nobel Prize for Food and 

Agriculture’’, which is awarded in Iowa each October so 

as to recognize and inspire Nobel-like achievements in increasing the quality, quantity, and availability of food in 

the world; 

Whereas the Senate designated October 16 as World Food 

Prize Day in America in honor of Dr. Borlaug; and 

Whereas it is written of Dr. Borlaug that throughout all of 

his work he saved 1,000,000,000 lives, thus making him 

widely known as saving more lives than any other person 

in human history: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 


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1 (1) the Senate has received with profound sor2 row and deep regret the announcement of the pass3 ing of Dr. Norman Borlaug; and 

4 (2) the Senate directs the Secretary of the Sen5 ate to transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to 

6 the family of the deceased. 

Æ 


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