Dr. Daniel Hillel Named 2012 World Food Prize LaureateDr, Daniel Hillel, a scientist from Israel, is the 2012 World Food Prize Laureate. The announcement was made by Amb. Kenneth M. Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, for his pioneering and innovative work of bringing water to crops in the arid and dry-land regions through the micro-irrigation technology. The event was hosted at the State Department by Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs in the presence of Jonathan Shrier, the State Department's Acting Special Representative for Global Food Security. Dr. Hillel got drawn to the critical issue of agriculture and water scarcity in the highlands of the Negev Desert. He revolutionized a new method of irrigation applying water in small but continuous amounts directly to roots instead of the previous method of applying large amounts of water in brief periodic episodes. Dr. Hillel's water distribution technology cut the amount of water needed to nourish crops, maintaining their consistent health and resulting in higher crop yields to feed more people. This concept promoted by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has spread around the world and is now being used on more than 6 million hectares worldwide. The World Food Prize will be awarded at the 26th Annual Laureate Award Ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol on October 18, in conjunction with the Borlaug Dialogue international symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, themed "Partnership and Priorities: Transforming the Global Food Security Agenda." See the original news at http://www.worldfoodprize.org/index.cfm?nodeID=24667&audienceID=1&action=display&newsID=18914
This article is part of the Crop Biotech Update, a weekly summary of world developments in agri-biotech for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Aquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA) View Crop Biotech Update (
June 15, 2012
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