Dr. Daniel Hillel named 2012 World Food Prize laureate
The 2012 World Food Prize will be awarded to Dr Daniel Hillel for conceiving and implementing a radically new mode of bringing water to crops i­­n arid and dry land regions — »micro-irrigation«. Dr Hillel’s pioneering scientific work in Israel revolutionized food production, first in the Middle East, and then in other regions around the world over the past five decades. His work laid the foundation for maximizing efficient water usage in agriculture, increasing crop yields, and minimizing environmental degradation.

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An Israeli scientist who pioneered a radically innovative way of bringing water to crops in arid and dry-land regions was named the winner of the 2012 World Food Prize in a ceremony Mid-June at the U.S. State Department, at which Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered the keynote address.

»Water has been a very big topic of concern here in the State Department«, Clinton said. »We have tried to focus our government’s attention and the world’s attention on the importance of getting ahead of what will be a devastating water crisis if we are not smarter and more purposeful in addressing the problems now. It’s especially fitting that we honor today someone who has made such contributions because he understood the critical role that water plays in agriculture and the importance of getting every last drop used efficiently.«

Amb. Kenneth M. Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, announced the name of the recipient, who will be formally presented with the $250,000 award in October.

Dr Hillel’s pioneering work in the Middle East has revolutionized food production in that region and around the world. He laid the foundation for maximizing efficient water usage in agriculture through a method known as micro-irrigation, which has impacted millions of lives.

Confronting hunger can bring diverse people together across even the broadest political, ethnic, religious or diplomatic differences. Dr Hillel’s work and motivation has been to bridge such divisions and to promote peace and understanding in the Middle East by advancing a breakthrough achievement addressing a problem that so many countries share in common: water scarcity. »It is significant that Dr. Hillel’s nomination for the World Food Prize contained letters of support from individuals and organizations in Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates«, said Mr Quinn.

Dr. Hillel’s water management concepts – promoted by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization – have spread around the world and are now used on more than 6 million hectares worldwide. By integrating complex scientific principles, designing practical applications and achieving wide outreach to farmers, communities, researchers and agricultural policymakers in more than 30 countries, Dr. Hillel has impacted the lives of millions.

Dr. Hillel released the following statement regarding his selection: »My joy and gratitude at being granted the World Food Prize this year is tempered by the realization that the work this award recognizes is far from complete. The task of improving the sustainable management of the Earth's finite and vulnerable soil, water, and energy resources for the benefit of humanity while sustaining the natural biotic community and its overall environmental integrity is an ongoing and increasingly urgent challenge for our generation and for future generations. Meeting this challenge will require enhanced global cooperation and integrated scientific research. It is a task, indeed a collective responsibility, that we cannot shirk and must indeed broaden and intensify.«

The announcement was hosted at the State Department by Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, and also included Jonathan Shrier, the State Department's Acting Special Representative for Global Food Security.

The World Food Prize was founded in 1986 by Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. Since then, The World Food Prize has honored outstanding individuals who have made vital contributions to improving the quality, quantity or availability of food throughout the world. Laureates have been recognized from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Denmark, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mexico, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United Nations and the United States.

 

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