Indian scientist Swati Nayak named World Food Prize’s Norman E Borlaug Award winner

Washington, September 21

Dr Swati Nayak, an Indian scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), has been named the 2023 recipient of the prestigious Norman E Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, with the World Food Prize Foundation describing her as an “outstanding young scientist.”

Nayak is the South Asia Lead for Seed System and Product Management at the IRRI in New Delhi.

Endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, the award recognises Nayak for her innovative approach to engaging smallholder farmers in demand-driven rice seed systems, from testing and deployment to equitable access and adoption of climate-resilient and nutritious rice varieties, a release from the World Food Prize Foundation said in a tweet on platform X on Wednesday.

The award is given to exceptional scientists under 40 and someone who works in the field of food and nutrition security, hunger eradication in memory of the Nobel awardee and Green Revolution’s chief architect Dr Norman Borlaug.

Based in Delhi, the scientist from Odisha, Nayak will formally receive the Borlaug Field Award during a ceremony at the 2023 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue October 24-26 in Des Moines, Iowa (US), the release said.

“This moment is a new beginning and a great opportunity to further strengthen my efforts, voice and impact as a field scientist,” said Nayak. “I look forward to working relentlessly, and ensuring that novel technologies, knowledge and resources reach the farmers faster, while ensuring equity and inclusivity. I am deeply grateful to the World Food Prize Foundation for this honour which echoes our joint pledge to build a resilient food system and a better world for all.”

Nayak received a Ph.D. in Competitive Intelligence & Strategic Management for Agricultural Extension Management Strategy at Amity University (2017-2022), a Master in Rural Management at the Institute of Rural Management Anand (2008-2010) and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture at Acharya NG Ranga Agriculture University (2003-2007).

Nayak dedicated herself to closing the gap between scientific knowledge and its practical applications for farmers and her grassroots experience paved the way for her to be appointed to lead the first-ever dedicated initiative for women farmers approved by the Indian cabinet, the release said.

“She crafted a comprehensive blueprint for the programme, collaborating with 10 Indian states to establish a national programme from scratch. Her work laid the foundation for the programme to benefit four million women farmers to date,” it added.

“Dr Swati Nayak is an outstanding young scientist who exhibits the traits underlying Norman Borlaug’s success,” said Mashal Husain, Chief Operating Officer, World Food Prize Foundation. “Together with her team, she created innovative, participatory solutions to the daunting challenge of feeding and nourishing a rapidly growing global population amid climate change, through the rapid scaling up of improved rice varieties, seed systems innovations, and climate-smart technologies around the world.”

Nayak, who had joined the IRRI in 2013, has provided pivotal leadership in numerous global flagship programmes on rice and rice-based food systems. She is also the Global Lead for Rice and Co-lead for Cereal Seed Systems under the key initiative SeedEqual of CGIAR, a worldwide research partnership focused on agricultural food systems, the release pointed out.

Nayak has organised more than 10,000 extensive on-farm tests for more than 500 rice varieties, working with thousands of smallholder farmers for these meticulously run trials across diverse ecosystems in different countries across Asia and Africa. “From this massive effort, she disseminated more than 20 promising climate-resilient and bio-fortified rice varieties,” the World Food Prize Foundation said.

Meanwhile, in India, after the award was announced to Nayak, she was congratulated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Odisha Governor Professor Ganeshi Lala, and Union Cabinet Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who hails from Odisha.

“Many congratulations to Indian scientist Dr. Swati Nayak for receiving the prestigious Norman Borlaug Field Award 2023 @WorldFoodPrize. Compliment her work using tech to bring tangible benefits to farmers, and promoting sustainable agriculture,” Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu posted on X.