The World Food Prize for the year 2020 was awarded to renowned Indian-American soil scientist Rattan Lal, for developing and adopting a soil-centric approach to increase food production, an effort that will help in conserving natural resources and mitigating climate change. Rattan Lal, an Indian native and American citizen, will receive a monetary contribution of $2.5 lakh award that honors his contribution throughout his career. His illustrious career over 50 years and across four continents is dedicated to promoting innovative soil saving techniques that benefit over 500 million small farmers.
The technique holds support for the improvement in food and nutritional security of more than two billion people and saves hundreds of millions of hectares of natural tropical ecosystems.
Lal studied at Panjab Agriculture University (PAU) and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in the 1960s. He is the recipient of the MS Swaminathan Award and the Norman Borlaug Award.
Receiving the World Food Prize, Lal said that it reminded him of gratitude, privilege, and honor of working for farmers around the world. He said, “Still, the urgent work of feeding humanity is not over till every person has access to nutritious food grown on the healthy soil and clean environment.” Lal is currently serving as Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science and Director of Carbon Management and Sequestration Centre at the Ohio State University (OHU).