NOBEL PRIZE WINNER NORMAN BORLAUG DIES AT 95

SCIENTIST NORMAN BORLAUG, FATHER OF THE
"GREEN REVOLUTION" DIED SATURDAY IN TEXAS

DALLAS (AP) – Agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug, the father of the "green revolution" who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in combating world hunger and saving hundreds of millions of lives, died Saturday in Texas, a Texas A&M University spokeswoman said. He was 95. Borlaug died at his home in Dallas from complications of cancer. The Nobel committee honored Borlaug in 1970 for his contributions to high-yield crop varieties and bringing other agricultural innovations to the developing world. Many experts credit the green revolution with averting global famine during the second half of the 20th century and saving perhaps 1 billion lives. Thanks to the green revolution, world food production more than doubled between 1960 and 1990.

In Pakistan and India, two of the nations that benefited most from the new crop varieties, grain yields more than quadrupled over the period. A 2006 book about Borlaug is titled "The Man Who Fed the World." Borlaug began the work that led to his Nobel in Mexico at the end of World War II. There he used innovative breeding techniques to produce disease-resistant varieties of wheat that produced much more grain than traditional strains. He and others later took those varieties and similarly improved strains of rice and corn to Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa. Equal parts scientist and humanitarian, he realized improved crop varieties and pressed governments for farmer-friendly economic policies and improved infrastructure to make markets accessible.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

There are many traditionally pious activities in human society, such as altruism, philanthropy, nationalism, internationalism, charity, sacrifice, penance, and even meditation in trance, and all of them can be fully beneficial only when they lead to the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The perfection of any activity - social, political, religious or philanthropic - is to satisfy the Supreme Lord. ... One's only concern should be to satisfy the Lord by one's activities. If the Lord is satisfied by an action, whatever it may be, then it is successful. Otherwise, it is simply a waste of time. That is the standard of all sacrifice, penance, austerity, mystic trance and other good and pious work.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
"El Srimad Bhagavatam - Comentario en Canto 3 - Cap. 9 - Verso 41"