This article is cross-posted from the University of Greenwich website. Dr. Howarth Bouis, founder and Ambassador-at-large of HarvestPlus , was honored by the university today (Thursday 27 July) for his pioneering work in biofortification.
In a ceremony at Rochester Cathedral, he will receive the degree of Honorary Doctor of Science (HonDSc). This accolade recognizes his dedication, commitment and pioneering work to end global “hidden hunger” through biofortification, which is the conventional breeding of crops with higher levels of essential micronutrients.
Dr. Bouis was awarded the 2016 World Food Prize (the Nobel Prize of Food) for his work in biofortification. Alongside colleagues from the International Potato Centre, Dr. Bouis has used the sweet potato and other staple crops to improve the health of over 25 million people.
Dr. Bouis pioneered the concept of biofortification in the early 1990s and has devoted his entire career to turning this idea into a global movement to reach smallholder farming families globally.
The university’s Natural Resources Institute has collaborated with HarvestPlus since 2006, and they were key partners in the “Reaching End Users” project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.