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USAID Supported Scientist Wins World Food Prize

Dr. Gebisa Ejeta Credit - www.worldfoodprize.org

On Thursday June 11, 2009 Dr. Gebisa Ejeta, Distinguished Professor of Agronomy at Purdue University, was announced as the recipient of the 2009 World Food Prize, worth $250,000.

Speaking at the Award Ceremony, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared: “This year, the World Food Prize is awarded to a man whose work is not confined to a single field, but covers several: in the science of plant genetics, to the creation of thriving local markets, to the training of famers in new agricultural techniques.” (See the Secretary’s full remarks) Dr. Ejeta will receive the World Food Prize on October 15, 2009, at the Iowa State Capitol.

Dr. Ejeta is honored with this prestigious award principally for work funded by the USAID-supported Sorghum, Millet, and Other Grains Collaborative Research Support Program (SMOG) and its predecessor programs. He is also a member of the Science Council of the USAID-supported Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). He is credited with successfully developing drought and parasitic weed-resistant sorghum varieties. These improved varieties are widely grown in East and West Africa, yield three to four times more than local varieties, and have enhanced the food supply of hundreds of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.

At Purdue, Dr. Ejeta has led a comprehensive sorghum research program covering enhanced nutritional quality, resistance to diseases, parasitic weeds, drought and cold tolerance, and more recently bio-energy and feed-stocks. His research findings have advanced the knowledge base of the genetics and physiology of the major stresses afflicting sorghum including drought, plant diseases, and parasitic weeds.

Originally from Ethiopia, Dr. Ejeta received his Masters and PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics in 1976 and 1978, respectively from Purdue University and his B.S. in Plant Science from Alemaya College in Ethiopia in 1973; all three degrees were financially supported by USAID programs.

For more information, please see the World Food Prize website: www.worldfoodprize.org.

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