On May 9, the World Food Prize committee announced the winners of the World Food Prize. They are Dr. Geoffrey Hawtin of the United Kingdom and Dr. Cary Fowler of the United States.
The World Food Prize, known as the “Nobel Prize for Agriculture and Nutrition,” is the foremost international honor recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.
Dr. Hawtin and Dr. Fowler are being honored in recognition of their extraordinary leadership in preserving and protecting the world’s heritage of crop biodiversity and mobilizing this critical resource to defend against threats to global food security.
Notably, both men were instrumental in establishing the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, built for the purpose of serving as the world’s long-term secure backup repository for crop diversity. “The seeds that are in there represent the history of agriculture,” said Dr. Fowler. “So, what they really represent is the experiences that our crops have had over twelve to fifteen thousand years.”
“Today … the World Food Prize Foundation is recognizing two more giants, outstanding leaders – Dr. Geoff Hawtin, Dr. Cary Fowler – who played a critical role in preserving crop diversity, in part by supporting seed banks around the world,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“That includes the work that they did to create the very first global seed vault. Nearly two decades since it opened, this repository has grown to hold seeds of more than 1 million crop varieties and more than 6,000 major species.”
“Every one of them is a crucial building block for improving global food security,” said Secretary Blinken.
“A single plant – like sorghum – can have hundreds of thousands of varieties. And when one strain is in danger – from a pest infestation, a warming climate – farmers can use another type with genetic adaptations to help it survive. And scientists can breed those varieties to create more resilient crops, produce bigger yields – feed more people,” he said.
“But that is only possible with crop diversity, if a variety with a vital gene hasn’t gone extinct by the time that we need it most.”
“Through their extraordinary work,” said Secretary Blinken, “Geoff and Cary have not only helped protect these plants; they’ve also brought the global community together to strengthen the foundation of our agriculture.”
