WFP winner focuses on education

16/10/2009

The winner of this year's World Food Prize (WFP) has highlighted the important role that education plays in making a difference to people's lives.

Gebisa Ejeta walked away with this year's prize for his work to improve the production of sorghum.

The scientist, who was born in Ethiopia, has been working at Purdue University.

According to VOA News, the scientist told how his mother was aware that through education one can access a better life. And he has himself been working to help others out of poverty through developing new varieties of sorghum.

Dr Ejeta has developed a variety of the plant that can withstand attacks from the parasitic week Striga, which can ruin crops in sub-Saharan Africa.

Besides this, the new variety of the plant can withstand drought, making it more hardy in the growing conditions of sub-Saharan Africa.

The World Food Prize winner was announced in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 15th.