by Ben Nuelle World of Agriculture 6-29-16
For the first time ever four people share the World Food Prize.
The World Food Prize Foundation announced the winners of the 2016 World Food Prize Tuesday at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC.
Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, President of the World Food Prize Foundation.
?The 2016 World Food Prize Laureates are: Dr. Maria Andrade, Dr. Robert Mwanga, Dr. Jan Low, and Dr. Howarth Bouis.?
Quinn says three of the new laureates are being honored for their achievement of developing the orange fleshed sweet potato.
?Their plant breeding in Mozambique and Uganda led to the production of multiple vitamin A sweet potato varieties and their implementation of education and extension efforts in 10 African countries have encouraged farmers and convinced farmers to plant and consumers to purchase and children and adults to eat this nutritionally fortified food.?
One laureate pioneered the implementation of a multi-institutional approach to bio fortification as a global plant breeding strategy.
?As a result of his leadership, crop such as iron and zinc fortified beans, rice, wheat, pearl millet, and vitamin A enriched Cassava, maize, and sweet potatoes have been tested or released in forty countries world-wide.?
The Honorable Gayle E. Smith, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development presented keynote remarks. The World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue takes place October 12- 14th in downtown Des Moines.
