Foreword [Volume 14 No. 4 (2014)]
Remembering Dr. Norman Earnest Borlaug, born a century ago on March 25 1914 and died on September 12, 2009 at age 95
As mentioned in issue 63 of AJFAND, this issue is dedicated to Dr Norman Borlaug, whose centenary of birth celebrations in Africa run next week in Uganda. Popularly known as the father of the green revolution and a man who saved a billion lives, Dr Borlaug started his work in Africa in 1986 at the age of 72, following the Ethiopian famine that killed more than one million people and was President of Sasakawa Africa Association (which he helped to found) until his death. I had known of him, seen him from a distance but first shook his hand and chatted with him in 2006 at the African Fertilizer Summit held in Abuja that year; that was his last visit to the African continent as his health was failing already by then. Towards the end of his life, the Nobel Laureate was aware that something else was again needed to get the world seriously thinking about world hunger. In this issue, you will find plenty to read about this truly unique scientist, and humanist. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.
We have a fairly rich issue, with 12 peer reviewed articles, plenty to read about Dr Norman Borlaug, and interesting reprints on food, hunger, agriculture and related topics.
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 On a farm in Africa. No one could keep him away from smallholder farmers!He was aware of their enormous potential to feed the world |
With African students in 2003
Ultimate recognition by his own people…his statue prepared by his home state of Iowa sits in the Capital of USA, Washington DC. |
Below are some major upcoming events:
4th RUFORUM Biennial Conference, Grand VIP Hotel, in Maputo, Mozambique, 21-25 July 2014
IUFoST Congress in Montreal, Canada, 17- 21 August 2014
The Africa Green Revolution Forum by AGRA, Addis Ababa, 2-4 September 2014
Pre-Congress Workshop (WCPHN),
The Republic of Gambia, 5-7 November 2014
III World Congress of Public Health Nutrition
Nov 9-12, 2014 in Canary Islands
ICN-2, Rome, Italy, 19-21 November
Enjoy
Ruth Oniang’o
Editor-in-Chief
