Friday, November 27, 2009

Norman Borlaug

One of the greatest men of the last century has passed away: Norman Borlaug.

Although his was not a household name, he deserved everyone's respect, thanks and admiration. All he did was save untold millions of lives.

"Norman E. Borlaug saved more lives than any man in human history," said Josette Sheeran, executive director of the UN's World Food Program.

As the population of the world exploded, food production was lagging; that is, until Norman Borlaug created the "green revolution," vastly improving crop yields and staving off starvation for so many in the last half of the 20th century.

Of course, nit-pickers existed; he was criticized for his use of fertilizers and chemcicals but the proof was in the pudding; people that were expected to die, survived. His genius in increasing yields was a gift; the population explosion that necessitated his innovations was not his fault. The alternative was mass famine.

It could truly be said that Norman Borlaug did the best he could possibly do. He will be missed but not forgotten.

No comments: