Drs. Maria Andrade, Robert Mwanga, Jan Low and Howarth Bouis have been honored with the 2016 World Food Prize.  Their names were announced today at a ceremony at the U.S. State Department where USAID administrator Gayle Smith gave the keynote address.

“These four extraordinary World Food Prize Laureates have proven that science matters, and that when matched with dedication, it can change people’s lives,” said Administrator Gayle Smith. “USAID and our Feed the Future partners are proud to join with renowned research organizations to support critical advances in global food security and nutrition.”

The World Food Prize is the most prominent global award for individuals whose breakthrough achievements alleviate hunger and promote global food security. This year’s $250,000 prize will be divided equally between the four recipients. The prize rewards their work in countering world hunger and malnutrition through biofortification, the process of breeding critical vitamins and micronutrients into staple crops.

Dr. Maria Andrade, Dr. Robert Mwanga and Dr. Jan Low are all three being honored for their work with the orange-fleshed sweet potato.  Their success at breeding a Vitamin A-enriched sweet potato is the single most successful example of biofortification.

Dr. Hwarth Bouis is the founder of HarvestPlus at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).  His leadership has resulted in crops like iron and zinc fortified beans, rice wheat and pearl millet, as well as Vitamin A-enriched cassava, maize and orange-fleshed sweet potato.

The combined efforts of the four winners have impacted the globe, with more than 10 million people positively touched by biofortified crops.

Visit www.worldfoodprize.org for more information.