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Norman Borlaug was a plant scientist who saved millions of lives.

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Dr. Borlaug was born on March 25, 1914 in Iowa. He was raised on a farm and asked a lot of questions.

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He asked questions like, “Why is the grass so green in some areas and not in other areas?”

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His grandfather encouraged him to continue his education. He went to the University of Minnesota during the Great Depression.

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During the Great Depression, some people in the United States were on the verge of starvation.

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Dr. Borlaug began to understand the importance of increasing food production.

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When he graduated, Dr. Borlaug had many job offers but he eventually decided to go to Mexico and help farmers increase food production.

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In Mexico, Dr. Borlaug developed better seeds to increase food production. He saved many lives.

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His ideas about using science and technology to increase food production spread to India.

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Food production increased in India.

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In 1970, Dr. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work.

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Using science and technology to increase food production is known as the Green Revolution.

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But Dr. Borlaug understood that while food production could be increased, population still had to be reduced.

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But as the Nobel committee said in presenting Dr. Borlaug with the Nobel Peace Prize, “More than any other single person of this age, he has helped provide bread for a hungry world.”