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An alumnus of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and a renowned agricultural soil scientist from Ohio State University (OSU), Dr Rattan Lal (76), has been declared the winner of the World Food Prize 2020.
The announcement was made by World Food Prize Foundation president Barbara Stinson in an online ceremony from Washington.
PAU may be the only institution in the world to have two alumni as World Food Laureates.
The honour was earlier won by PAU alumnus Dr Gurdev Singh Khush, a plant breeder and pioneer in rice genetics. He had won this award in 1996 for his excellence in developing new rice varieties and ushering green revolution in rice farming.
Dr Lal’s research in the 1990s revealed that restoring degraded soils through increasing soil carbon and organic matter not only improved soil health, but helped combat rising carbon dioxide levels in the air by sequestering atmospheric carbon.
He provided leadership to a range of soil restoration projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America, integrating no-till farming and use of cover crops, mulching and agro-forestry to protect soil, conserve water and return back nutrients, carbon and organic matter in the soil.
Additionally, Dr Lal’s research seeks wider use of soil conservation measures focused on soil health in developed countries.
Dr Lal was born in Karyal in erstwhile Punjab (now in Pakistan). He was conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Science by PAU in 2001.
WORLD FOOD PRIZE
The World Food Prize is an international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world.
The World Food Prize was created by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug in 1986 to recognise scientists and others who have improved the quality and availability of food. The foundation that awards the $250,000 prize is based in Des Moines. This award is considered to be the Nobel Prize in Agriculture.
Since 1987, the prize has been awarded annually to recognize contributions in any field involved in the world food supply: Animal Science/Aqua Culture, Soil Science/Water/Conservation, Nutrition/Health, Plant Science/Seed Science, Plant Pathology/Crop Protection, Food Technology/Food Safety, Policy/Research/Extension, Infrastructure/Emergency Relief, & Poverty Alleviation/Hunger.
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