Uzbek and U.S. Scientists Honored with the 10th World Agriculture Prize

Nanjing, China (ANTARA/Xinhua-AsiaNet)- Recently, the 10th World Agriculture Prize (WAP), jointly organized by Nanjing Agricultural University and the Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for the Agricultural and Life Sciences (GCHERA), was announced in Nanjing, China. The award was jointly bestowed upon Ibrokhim Y. Abdurakhmonov, a scientist from Uzbekistan, and Jorge Dubcovsky, a professor at the University of California, Davis, in the United States. Each laureate received a prize of US$100,000.

Abdurakhmonov, currently serving as Uzbekistan's Minister of Agriculture, is a leading figure in cotton genomics in Central Asia. He pioneered the development of the Porloq series, the world's first commercially available cotton varieties developed using RNA interference (RNAi) technology. Cultivated across more than 410,000 hectares, these varieties have helped over 15,000 farming households increase their yields and incomes. His groundbreaking work offers a replicable model for advancing climate-smart agriculture in regions around the world grappling with drought and soil salinization.

Dubcovsky is a world-renowned wheat geneticist whose research has led to the cloning of key genes that enhance protein, iron, and zinc content in wheat, as well as genes conferring resistance to the devastating Ug99 stem rust pathogen. His discoveries have contributed to the improvement of wheat varieties grown across 60 percent of the wheat-growing areas in the United States. Through biofortification initiatives, his work has also benefited smallholder farmers in Africa and South Asia, helping to combat hidden hunger and malnutrition on a global scale.

The NANJING CONSENSUS - Advancing Sustainable Agrifood Systems Transformation through Agricultural Education, Research and Innovation over the Next Decade was officially released at the award ceremony. It draws on the perspectives of past laureates and fellow scientists and calls on agricultural universities and research institutions, including those within the GCHERA community, to advance five priorities over the next decade, in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the long-term development of agriculture to feed a growing world population in a sustainable environment.

Established in 2012 by Nanjing Agricultural University, the World Agriculture Prize recognizes outstanding contributions to agriculture and the life sciences worldwide. Alongside the award ceremony, the annual meeting of the Asian Alliance for Agricultural Education and Science was also held, bringing together experts from dozens of countries to exchange ideas on food security and the resilience of agricultural ecosystems. Together, these efforts seek to strengthen international collaboration and advance a more sustainable future for global agriculture.