Ethiopian-born scientist, Gebisa Ejeta on Thursday received the National Medal of Science which is the highest state honour attainable by scientists in the United States.
US President Joe Biden explained that 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.
Africa Today News, New York recalls that 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.
In the world, sorghum ranks fifth in importance among cereal crops, behind maize, wheat, rice, and barley.
It is also the second-most significant crop in Africa and is widely accepted as a staple in many of the continent’s nations, especially those that are vulnerable to drought.
Mr. Ejeta was raised in a thatched, one-room home in a village in central Ethiopia, not far from Addis Ababa, the country’s capital.
He could only attend classes on the weekends and had to travel 20 km (12 miles) to a nearby town due to limited access to education.
His childhood, which was plagued by hunger and food scarcity, has heavily influenced his scientific research over the years, fuelling him in his pursuit to improve food security.
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He mentioned experiencing hunger as a child in one of his interviews with the BBC.
“When I went to school away from home invariably I was hungry. In fact recalling grade school, I can count the number of days where I had breakfast.”
He added that going to school in the morning “with an empty stomach is a challenge. So I have experienced hunger on a regular basis.”
The president of Purdue University in the US state of Indiana, where Mr Ejeta works as a professor and leads global food security programmes, celebrated the award, hailing Mr Ejeta as “a role model of perseverance” and “one of the most impactful geneticists in the world”.
“Our university celebrates another prestigious and richly deserved honour,” said Purdue University president Mung Chiang.
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.
The National Medal of Science has been awarded by US presidents since 1959 to “individuals deserving of special recognition for their outstanding contributions” in various science-related fields.
Mr Ejeta also received the National Hero Award from the Ethiopian government shortly after he won the World Food Prize in 2009, the highest national honour bestowed on Ethiopian citizens.
He was also appointed to the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development in 2011 by then US President Barack Obama.