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Sowing the Seeds of Cultural Diplomacy

World Food Prize and Humanities Iowa Partner to sponsor the Governor's Lecture Series

With the support of Humanities Iowa, Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, a native of Cresco Iowa and the recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize, gave the inaugural "Governor's Lecture" at The World Food Prize International Symposium on October 14, 2004.

Now an annual event, the Governor's Lecture is a feature of the International Symposium which takes place each October as part of the presentation of the $250,000 World Food Prize—known informally as the "Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture."

This year's event was held October 18 to 20 in Des Moines with the theme of "The Green Revolution Redux: Can We Replicate the Single Greatest Period of Food Production in Human History?"

As part of its commitment to the Governor's Lecture, Humanities Iowa sponsored Dr. M. S. Swaminathan's visit to Des Moines this year to participate in the International Symposium. Dr. Swaminathan, the first World Food Prize Laureate, is a plant geneticist who has helped produce higher-yielding rice and wheat varieties that have helped to increase crop production in countries around the world. He spoke about the role of historic figures, such as Mahatma Gandhi and other religious leaders, in inspiring the Green Revolution by calling for the alleviation of widespread hunger. He also talked about the links between Gandhi and the great Iowa scientist George Washington Carver.

Dr. Swaminathan, of India, is currently the President of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, the UNESCO Chair in Ecotechnology for the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, and the Chairman of the National Commission on Farmers for the Government of India. Previously he was the Chairman of the UN Science Advisory committee, served as Independent chairman for the FAO Council and President of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

He has received 50 honorary doctorate degrees and is a fellow of many of the top scientific academies around the world. He has been honored with the International Award by the International Association of Women, the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership and the Albert Einstein World Science Award.

For an audio transcript of Dr. Swaminathan's Governor's Addess, go to http://www.worldfoodprize.org/symposium/2006/transcripts.htm

Dr. M. S. Swaminathan

Other speakers at the 2006 event included:

Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, United States
1970 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Honorary advisor, U.S. - India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative

Dr. Pedro Sanchez, Cuba/United States
Director of Tropical Agriculture, Earth Institute at Columbia University; Co-Chair, UN Millennium Project Task Force on Hunger

Dr. Hans Herren, Switzerland
President, Millennium Institute; Co-Chair, International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development

Dr. Robert Watson, United Kingdom
Chief Scientist, The World Bank; Co-Chair, International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development

Hon. Peter McPherson, United States
Founding Co-Chair, The Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa; President, National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges

Dr. Mark McLellan, United States
Dean of Research, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science; Former President, Institute of Food Technologists

Dr. Chen Zhangliang, China
President, Chinese Agricultural University; Director, National Genetic Engineering Laboratory

Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Egypt
Vice President (ret.) , World Bank Director, Library of Alexandria

Dr. Calestous Juma, Kenya
Director, Harvard University Science Technology and Globalization Project; Chair, UN Millennium Project Task Force on Innovation

Dr. Jennifer Thomson, South Africa
Professor of Microbiology, University of Cape Town; Chair, African Agricultural Technology Foundation

Sir Gordon Conway, United Kingdom
Chief Scientific Advisor, Department for International Development; President (ret.) Rockefeller Foundation

Hon. Catherine Bertini, United States
Former UN Under-Secretary-General for Management; Former Executive Director, World Food Programme

Dr. Robert Gates, United States
President, Texas A&M University; Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency

Dr. Michael Osterholm, United States
Director, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy; Associate Director, National Center for Food Protection and Defense

For more information visit the World Food Prize web site at http://www.worldfoodprize.org/symposium/2006.htm