Presentation delivered by Dr. Thomas A. Lumpkin (CIMMYT Director General) at Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security. March 25 - 28, 2014, Ciudad Obregon, Mexico

1. Norm and I

2. President Manuel Ávila Camacho Vice President Henry A. Wallace

3. Borlaug began his work in Mexico in 1944, advised by two great
plant pathologists, Prof. Stakman and George Harrar
1. Strengths of Borlaug’s Mexican wheat program: Rust resistance

4. Elvin Charles Stakman

5. 1. Strengths of Borlaug’s Mexican
wheat program: Rust resistance

6. YELLOW RUST-6
March 1-15, 1968
In 1946-47 and
1956-57 India
suffered severe
stem rust
epidemics
1. Strengths of Borlaug’s Mexican wheat program: Rust
resistance

7. “the grain rust
and bad weather,
the 1954 harvest
has shrunk to an
estimated 370
million bushels—
36% below 1953
and 44% below
1952.”
Time Sept 13, 1954

8. The dwarf wheat “Norin-10” developed by Gonjiro Inazuka in 1935, and
“Gaines” developed by Orville Vogel in 1953 provided the traits for high
yield response to fertilizers
2. Strengths of Borlaug’s Mexican wheat program: Dwarfing genes

9. 2. Strengths of Borlaug’s Mexican wheat program:
Dwarfing genes

10. Crossing
Shuttle breeding in Mexico, two crops per year
Evaluation in Mexico and hot spot sites worldwide
3. Strengths of Borlaug’s Mexican wheat program: Shuttle
breeding

11. Swaminathan had
been looking for dwarf
wheat breeding lines in
early 1960s and received
lines from USDA.
He arranged for Borlaug
to visit in 1963.
Borlaug learned about
the concern of less straw
from dwarf wheats.

12. Borlaug said of Dr. Swaminathan: "The
green revolution has been a team effort and
much of the credit for its spectacular
development must go to Indian officials,
organizations, scientists and farmers.
However, to you, Dr. Swaminathan, a great
deal of the credit must go for first
recognizing the potential value of the
Mexican dwarfs. Had this not occurred, it is
quite possible that there would not have
been a green revolution in Asia".

13. Dear Tom,
My thoughts are with you and with everyone in CIMMYT
on the occasion of the Birth Centenary of Norman
Borlaug. The “we shall overcome spirit” of Borlaug will
guide us in ensuring that wheat production continues to
grow and that no child, woman or man goes to bed
hungry. I am glad that you are commemorating the birth
centenary in an appropriate manner. I am only sorry I am
not able to be there on this occasion when we are
celebrating the life and work of one of the greatest
humanbeings ever born on this Earth.
With warm personal regards,
Yours sincerely, M S Swaminathan

14. Borlaug set to work promoting the Mexican wheats and
agronomic practices, winning many to the cause.

15. Subramaniam, Min. of Ag., and
Narisiman, Sec. of Ag., made the bold
decision during time of famine in 1965
to import 300 tons of Mexican dwarf
wheat seed and in 1966, 18,000 tons.
Glenn Anderson, India Program Officer
and S.P. Kohli, All India Wheat Program
Coordinator in 1965 discovered and
corrected for poor germination rate.

16. Always wanting to go to the countryside and meet farmers

17. “If you can talk with crowds
and keep your virtue… (Kipling)

18. …Or walk with Kings—nor
lose the common touch”

19. Or receive the highest
honors of every sort.

20. Honorary degrees and convocations, Punjab Agricultural University 1987

21. Highest awards
Ambassador of India
to Mexico,
Presented the Padma
Vibhushan Award
from the
Government of India
in the presence of
CIMMYT DG Masa
Iwanaga
23 August 2006

22. US Congressional Gold Medal

23. Borlaug established the World Food
Prize, 1986

24. ICARDA Site identification team, 1975: Dr Norman Borlaug, Official from Syrian
Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Bob Havener, Dr Jit Srivastiva and Mr Faek Bahady
He helped to launch other institutes

25. Institutes have been named after him

26. Primary schools,
research labs and
buildings have
been named after
him.

27. Family – source of strength and pride

28. Students like Ronnie Coffman 2008, in Obregon

29. Scientists who apprenticed like Sanjaya Rajaram

30. Colleagues who complemented like Evangelina Villegas

31. He inspired Christopher Dowswell

32. He inspired
Osman Abdalla,
Bob Havener and
others in 2008 at
the CWANA
regional planning
meeting

33. As always, he impressed and made friends everywhere

34. He encouraged
Ethiopian
wheat
researchers,
2005 at the
National Wheat
Research
Center

35. He launched the Global Rust Initiative

36. Encouraged biotechnology with Swapan Datta at IRRI

37. Borlaug has been the subject of many artists

38. The famous 1963
image of Norman
Borlaug recording
data in wheat
breeding plots at
Ciudad Obregón,
Mexico is used as
a model

39. Patronado/CIMMYT and then Iowa used the 1963 image

40. The rich, famous and powerful invest in his legacy

41. Green Revolution countries hold him in the highest esteem

42. And I made a promise to him

43. American Farm Families
Henry Borlaug Family - Iowa Adam Preszler Family – South Dakota

44. He was featured in LIFE Magazine

45. My maternal
grandfather was
shown in Life
Magazine in1937

46. Norman E. Borlaug Family, 1914 -2009 Alma (Preszler) Lumpkin, 1914- 20??
He and my mother were born 5 months apart

47. Today we celebrate his 100 Year Birthday Anniversary