As a young boy in a small farming village in the Indian state of Uttar Pardesh, Sanjaya Rajaram and his family grew wheat, rice and corn on a small 15 acre plot.

Little did he know he would eventually collude with Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug and see his 480 wheat-varieties grown on over 143 million acres worldwide.

Rajaram, the 2014 World Food Prize Laureate, visited Iowa State Monday night as part of World Food Prize Week to be the keynote speaker in the 13th annual Norman Borlaug Lecture.

Rajaram, now a citizen of Mexico, began working with Borlaug in 1969 in the experimental wheat fields of El Batán, Toluca and Ciudad Obregón in Mexico. Rajaram said his years working with Borlaug taught him invaluable lessons.

“Norman inspired by working hard, by talking to the people and by getting in the mud,” Rajaram said. “He believed 100 percent in doing what ever you wanted to do regardless of what people say.”

Borlaug, a native of Cresco, Iowa, is best known for his development of Dwarf Wheat and developing shuttle breeding. Dwarf Wheat has the advantage of remaining upright under the weight of the grain. 

Shuttle breeding, growing two successive plantings each year, instead of one, cut the time of breeding new varieties in half.

Rajaram also worked with Borlaug in helping to launch CIMMYT, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in 1973.

Don Beitz, distinguished professor in animal science and chair of the nutritional science council, pointed out the elite company Borlaug stands with.

“[Borlaug] recieved a Nobel Peace Prize, a Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Beitz said. “An honor only four other people have recieved. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Elie Wiesel.

With all the accolades Borlaug received, Rajaram said it was his adherence to the basics that made him special.

“The basic background of his philosophy was shuttle breeding, sound testing, hard work and sweat.” Rajaram said.

While Borlaug may be world famous, his respect for Rajaram was evident. In 1972 he handed over control of his wheat-breeding team to Rajaram and in 2007 Borlaug called Rajaram, “The greatest present day wheat scientist in the world.”

ISU President Steven Leath said this year’s Borlaug Lecture had a special meaning.

“This particular [lecture] means a lot actually,” Leath said. “I actually did some work at CIMMYT in some of the locations Dr. Rajaram and Dr. Borlaug worked at.”

Leath added that it was a great honor to have the World Food Prize Laureate on campus and he is pleased students have the opportunity to be exposed to the top agricultural scientists in the world.

In a lighter moment, Rajaram recalled Borlaug’s love of food.

“He was the one man who could eat eggs everyday, eat steak everyday and still be OK,” Rajaram said. “I wouldn’t survive that.”