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York Lecturer Series

November 13, 2003
York Lecturer Biographical Sketch:

Pedro A. Sanchez
Director of Tropical Agriculture and Senior Research Scholar at the
Earth Institute of Columbia University

"Ending Hunger in Africa: What Needs to be Done"

Dr. Pedro A. Sanchez

 Dr. Pedro Sanchez, the 2002 World Food Prize laureate, is Director of Tropical Agriculture and Senior Research Scholar at the Earth Institute of Columbia University in New York City. He also serves as coordinator of the Hunger Task Force of the United Nations' Millennium Development Project. Sanchez served as Director General of the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya from 1991-2001. He is also Professor Emeritus of Soil Science and Forestry at North Carolina State University, and was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

A native of Cuba, Sanchez received his BS, MS and PhD degrees from Cornell University, and joined the faculty of North Carolina State University in 1968. His professional career has been dedicated to improving the management of tropical soils through integrated natural resource management approaches to achieve food security and reduce rural poverty while protecting and enhancing the environment. Sanchez has lived in the Philippines (working at the International Rice Research Institute), Peru (working at the National Research Institutes), Colombia (working at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture) and Kenya.

Sanchez is author of Properties and Management of Soils of the Tropics (rated among the top 10 best-selling books in soil science worldwide), and author of over 200 scientific publications. He is currently writing the second edition of this book. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America. He has received decorations from the governments of Colombia and Peru and was awarded the International Soil Science Award and the International Service in Agronomy Award. In February 2001 the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium awarded him a Doctor Honoris Causa degree for his work on tropical soils in Africa. In August 2001 Sanchez was anointed a Luo Elder with the name of Odera Kang'o by the Luo community of Western Kenya, in recognition for his assistance in eliminating hunger from many villages in the region.
 

 

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