The Man Who Fed the World: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug and His Battle to End World Hunger
About
An authorized 297-page hardcover biography by agricultural economist Leon Hesser, a friend and colleague of Borlaug, with a foreword by President Jimmy Carter. It traces Borlaug from a Depression-era Iowa farm through his 1940s fieldwork in Mexico developing disease-resistant wheat, to averting famine in Pakistan and India, and winning the Nobel Peace Prize. It blends historical context, personal accounts, and the science of the Green Revolution.
Why it’s great
How does one scientist end up credited with saving more lives than almost anyone in history? This biography traces Norman Borlaug from a Depression-era Iowa farm to the wheat fields of Mexico, where his disease-resistant crops launched the Green Revolution and helped hold off famine in Pakistan and India. Written by a colleague who knew him and introduced by President Jimmy Carter, it weaves together real science, global history, and one stubbornly humble personality. A strong pick for students drawn to how research, agriculture, and persistence can reshape the world.
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