Government Investment in Norman Borlaug and its Bountiful Return

While some fear that government programs are nothing but boondoggles of bureaucracy, it’s instructive to consider the case of Dr. Norman Borlaug and the vital role our governments played in his world-changing work.

Millions upon millions of people owe their lives to this man, who passed away quietly on September 12^th and yet this winner of the Nobel Peace Prize (1970) remains unknown to the vast majority of the American people.

The prelude to his earth-shaking work was an education at a public university, made financially possible by our federal government’s New Deal programs. Dr. Borlaug received his Bachelor’s of Science in Forestry and his Master’s and Ph. D. in Plant Pathology from the University of Minnesota. It was at Minnesota where he cultivated his passion for defeating "wheat rust," the disease most responsible for decimating wheat crops. He paid for his education via federal work programs like the National Youth Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps, culminating in a job with U.S. Forest Service.

After a brief stint with Du Pont during the last years of World War Two, the Rockefeller Foundation chose this Iowa native to head-up their agricultural research project in Mexico. There Borlaug developed a high-yield, disease resistant strain of dwarf wheat.  He then traveled the countryside in Mexico, India, Pakistan, and other starving nations, teaching local farmers how to grow his innovative strains and working with governments on the adequate distribution of food and supplies.

 His efforts allowed countries simultaneously experiencing famine and population explosions to become net grain exporters and prevent starvation on a catastrophic scale. As a result, Borlaug (1914-2009) has been credited by many in the scientific community and elsewhere for saving more lives than anyone in history. His work continued until his death as an advocate in Africa and a professor at Texas A&M.

The Borlaug story demonstrates how fantastic achievements become possible when the public, non-profit and private sector combine their efforts. Without support from the Rockefeller Foundation, Du Pont, and many other organizations, the research and activities of Dr. Borlaug may never have come to fruition. But without the lessons learned at the public University of Minnesota, an education supported by government programs, “The Man Who Fed the World” may never have succeeded.

(Image courtesy of the University of Minnesota: http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/Alumnus_Norman_Borlaug_receives_National_Medal_of_Science.html)  

-- Drew Henry, Research and Communications Intern

Read more about Norman Borlaug:  

New York Times Obituary  

Full biography and list of honors   

1970 Nobel Prize Presentation Speech

Hesser, Leon. The Man Who Fed the World: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug and his battle to end world hunger. Durban House Publishing Company. Dallas, Texas: 2006.