Award winner Bram Govaerts. TWITTER
A Belgium-born scientist living in Mexico has been awarded the 2014 Norman Borlaug award, which recognizes agricultural leaders under 40 years of age.
Bram Govaerts is in charge of a Mexican government initiative known as the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro), a project that is helping thousands of subsistence farmers get better yields.
It focuses on technological innovation in small-scale farming of maize and wheat while minimizing harmful environmental effects. Govaerts has focused on improving long-term soil quality by leaving surface residues on the land and reducing tillage, while at the same diversifying the crops.
Yields are said to be up on average by 30-40% for crops using rain-fed irrigation, while production costs for irrigated crops fell 10%.
Under the project, known as Take It to the Farmer, producers on more than 94,000 hectares have switched to MasAgro’s sustainable technologies, while those on another 600,000 hectares are receiving training and information to improve practices and techniques.
The award, which comes with $10,000 in cash, is administered by the World Food Prize, whose president said Govaerts used creative and innovative technological approaches in applying science to improve farming systems. Using cell phone technology, social media, YouTube videos and events has led to “impressive achievements” in the adoption of his technologies by farmers, along with government policy changes.
Govaerts’ project falls under the umbrella of the International Center for the Improvement of Maize and Wheat (CIMMYT), based in Texcoco. Another CIMMYT scientist is also a prize winner this year. Sanjaya Rajaram, a Mexican citizen who was born in India, was named this year’s winner of the World Food Prize itself for his successful efforts at cross-breeding winter and spring wheat varieties and developing plants with higher yields.
Both winners will receive their awards at an international event in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 15.
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