Over the past few years, especially since the war in Ukraine, we have seen a lot of countries go back to ancestral grains native to their lands and alternatives to wheat. In Africa, it has been sorghum, millet, fonio, sweet potatoes, cassava, and so much more: How Africa Copes with the War in Ukraine : Alternatives to Wheat and How Africa Copes with The War in Ukraine: Alternatives to Wheat – Ancient Grains? Sorghum is one of those plants, and this week Ethiopian-born scientist Gebisa Ejeta has been honored with the National Medal of Science, the highest state honor attainable by scientists in the United States. His work focuses on sorghum, and he has developed a sorghum hybrid that is resistant to drought and parasites. We applaud Gebisa Ejeta for his contributions. Excerpts below are from the BBC. Please also read from the announcement from Purdue University where he is a faculty.
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Ethiopian-born scientist Gebisa Ejeta has received the National Medal of Science, the highest state honour attainable by scientists in the United States.
US President Joe Biden said he awarded Mr Ejeta the medal for his “outstanding contributions to the science of plant genetics“.
Mr Ejeta is acclaimed as one of the world’s leading plant geneticists. He specialises in the study of sorghum, a popular source of food in Africa.
In 2009, Mr Ejeta won the prestigious World Food Prize for developing a sorghum hybrid that is resistant to both drought and the parasitic weed Striga, which commonly invades farms in Africa.
Sorghum is the fifth-most important cereal crop globally – after maize, wheat, rice and barley. It is also the second-most important cereal in Africa and has been embraced as a staple by several countries on the continent, particularly those prone to drought.
… Mr Ejeta, who holds American nationality, was one of nine leading US scientists awarded at the White House by President Biden on Tuesday.
“By developing sorghum strains that withstand droughts and parasites, he has improved food security for millions,” President Biden said at the award ceremony.
“His advocacy for science, policy, and institutions as key to economic development has lifted the fortunes of farmers and strengthened the souls of nations,” he added.
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