Land-grant universities honored with Borlaug Medallion
In recognition of the many contributions that land-grant universities like N.C. State University have made to improving food production, the World Food Prize has awarded its Borlaug Medallion to U.S. land-grant universities. This year, as N.C. State celebrates its 125th anniversary, land-grant universities across the country also are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act of 1862 that started the land-grant system.
The Borlaug Medallion was presented to the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities in Washington, DC, on June 26. The award is named for Dr. Norman Borlaug, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and founder of the World Food Prize, who is recognized as the “Father of the Green Revolution.” Borlaug is the namesake of an annual lecture sponsored by N.C. State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Natural Resources.
“Land-grant institutions have played a critical role in inspiring multiple generations to attain the highest levels of education and scientific research; fostering the most prolific era of agricultural production ever recorded in human history; and providing a model for emulation around the world as we endeavor to eliminate the scourge of hunger from the face of the earth,” said Kenneth M. Quinn, president of the World Food Prize.
Quinn presented the award to Scott Angle, chairman of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly and dean of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Land-grant universities were founded to provide education in agriculture and the mechanic arts to the masses. Throughout the 20th century, advances in agricultural production methods, pest and disease management, as well as improved yields, were largely the result of research and outreach efforts of the land-grant system.
“We honor and celebrate our past, but do so while looking forward to a great future,” said Dean Johnny Wynne of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “As a national and international leader in research, teaching and extension, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences continues to address statewide, national and global challenges such as food security, human health and nutrition, environment and energy sustainability and economic development.”
Today, land-grant universities continue their role of enhancing food production through research, teaching and extension efforts. With the world’s population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, the role of land-grants continues to be relevant in helping find ways to feed the world’s growing population.
To read more news from N.C. State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, visit www.cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/news-center.
To learn more about the Borlaug Medallion, visit: www.worldfoodprize.org/borlaugmedallion.
