PAU alumnus Dr Rattan Lal wins World Food Prize
WASHINGTON : Indian-American soil scientist Dr Rattan Lal, 75, an alumnus of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, has won the prestigious World Food Prize, considered to be equivalent to a Nobel Prize in agriculture, in recognition of his contribution to increase the global food supply by helping small farmers improve their soil’s health. Dr Lal is a distinguished professor in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) at the Ohio State University.
WASHINGTON: Indian-American soil scientist Dr Rattan Lal, an alumnus of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, has won the prestigious World Food Prize, considered to be equivalent to a Nobel Prize in agriculture, in recognition of his contribution to increase the global food supply by helping small farmers improve their soil’s health.
Dr Lal, 75, in his career spanning more than five decades and four continents, has promoted innovative soil-saving techniques benefiting the livelihoods of more than 500 million small farmers, improving the food and nutritional security of more than two billion people and saving hundreds of millions of hectares of natural tropical ecosystems, the World Food Prize Foundation said in a statement on Thursday.
“Dr Rattan Lal, a native of Punjab and a citizen of the United States, will receive the 2020 World Food Prize for developing and mainstreaming a soil-centric approach to increasing food production that restores and conserves natural resources and mitigates climate change,” the Iowabased foundation said.
“Soil science has been recognised by this award. I feel very happy about it,” he said in an interview.
The first recipient of this prestigious award in 1987 was Indian agricultural scientist Dr MS Swaminathan, the father of India’s Green Revolution, Dr Lal said.
RESTORING, MANAGING SOIL HEALTH
In a country like India, he said, soil is prone to degradation because of harsh climate and other factors. “So this award to a soil scientist highlights the importance of restoring and managing soil health. We need to give more attention to Dharti Mata (mother earth). Our shastras and puranas also indicated that we must pay respect to Dharti Mata. So this award means a lot to me,” he said.
“Every year, we are astounded by the quality of nominations for the prize, but Dr Lal’s stellar work on management and conservation of agriculture’s most cherished natural resource, the soil, set him apart,” said Gebisa Ejeta, chair of the World Food Prize Selection Committee and 2009 recipient of the award.
Dr Lal is a distinguished professor in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) at the Ohio State University.
PAU ALUMNI ASSN CONGRATULATES HIM
The Alumni Association of Punjab Agricultural University, on behalf of vice-chancellor BS Dhillon, faculty, staff and students of the university, congratulated Dr Rattan Lal for the prestigious award bestowed upon him. “The association feels proud of him for bringing laurels to his alma mater and wishes Dr Lal many more years of service to humanity,” professor and dean Surinder S Kukal said in a release.
Over the past five decades, Dr Lal has reduced hunger by pioneering agricultural methods across the globe that not only restore degraded soil but also reduce global warming, the university said in a statement.
“It is a privilege and honour to be of service to the many small farmers from around the world because I was one of them. They are stewards of the land,” said Dr Lal, who is the founding director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center in Ohio. He said he would donate the award money of USD 250,000 (₹1.9 crore) for soil research and education.
‘STOP CROP RESIDUE BURNING IN PUNJAB, HARYANA’
Dr Lal said his soil organic matter content in the surface layer should from 2-3%. But soil in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, central India and southern parts contain maybe 0.5% or maybe 0.2%. “They are severely depleted, degraded. Consequently, not only is the productivity and yields low but the efficiency of inputs such as fertiliser and irrigation are also low. When crops are grown on unhealthy soil, the quality of the food and nutritional quality is also poor.
He called for the immediate stopping of burning of crop residue in states such as Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. “Taking everything away from land is not good. Whatever you take from the earth, you must return it,” he added.
SOIL PROTECTION POLICY NEEDED
Brick-making, which is fast depleting soil, is another concern for Dr Lal. “India should have a soil protection policy,” he said, adding that a certain part of agricultural land cannot be taken out for brick making.
He also called for rewarding farmers who help in protecting the soil by not burning crops, more use of compost and manure.
“We should have a soil health assessment report every five years. How is soil changing and we should protect farmland against patterns such as urbanisation, brick making,” he said.
(With input from Ludhiana)
› So this award to a soil scientist highlights the importance of restoring soil health. We need to give more focus to mother earth. This award means a lot to me.
DR RATTAN LAL, soil scientist