Dr. Norman Borlaug won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his work preventing mass hunger and starvation in Mexico, India, and Pakistan.  He saw that food insecurity was a principle cause of violence and civil unrest and that peace could be secured through agricultural development.

The Norman Borlaug Foundation continues that legacy by promoting farm extension, agricultural science, academics, and community outreach to impact world hunger.  Such examples could be funding research for improving the nutritional quality or yield productivity of horticultural crops, promoting youth leadership programs to think differently about agriculture and food systems, improving food safety systems for market access by smallholder farmers, or providing short-term training opportunities for leaders in the fields of agriculture and rural development.

We believe (following the example of Dr. Borlaug) that the best investments to achieve food security are in motivating and equipping the future leaders of agriculture.  To this end, our programs prioritize youth leadership development, training, and experiential learning.  

We believe that agricultural science is the single most important tool for achieving food security.  This includes the innovation of agricultural science, the management of agricultural science and the extension of agricultural science.

Finally, we believe that both the public sector and the private sector are required to drive innovations in agricultural science and impacting food security.  The private sector is a powerful tool for focusing investments through agricultural value chains.  The public sector is a powerful tool for mobilization of institutions.  Through many collaborations, farmers, communities, and nations achieve food security through social and economic development.

The Norman Borlaug Foundation is committed to excellence in the following areas of international development:

• Rural and Agricultural Youth Leadership Development. Building on the above priorities, we advocate, support, and lead programs that equip our future leaders in agricultural science, production, and business.
• Impact Investment Advisory Services for Agricultural Development. Knowing the power of private-sector growth, we target investment opportunities that drive economic opportunity for achieving social progress.
• Agricultural and Natural Resources Economic Policy Support. Recognizing importance of government leadership, we support institutions with data, models, and policy actions for achieving economic and social development impact.