Pedro Sanchez
Encyclopedia
Pedro Sanchez is the Director of the Tropical Agriculture and the Rural Environment Program, Senior Research Scholar, and Director of the Millennium Villages Project at the Earth Institute at Columbia University
. Sanchez was Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya
from 1991-2001, and served as Co-chair of the UN Millennium Project Hunger Task Force. 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 in soil science
from Cornell University
, and joined the faculty of North Carolina State University in 1968. His professional career has been dedicated to help eliminate world hunger and absolute rural poverty while protecting and enhancing the tropical environment. Sanchez has lived in the Philippines
(working at the International Rice Research Institute), Peru
(working at the Peruvian National Research Institute), Colombia
(working at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture) and Kenya. He is the author of “Properties and Management of Soils of the Tropics” (rated among the top 10 best-selling books in soil science worldwide), co-author of “Halving Hunger: It can be done” and author of over 250 scientific publications.
He is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy
, the Soil Science Society of America
, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, and has received the International Soil Science Award, the International Service in Agronomy Award and the Crop Science Society of America Presidential Award. He serves on the Board of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the National Academy of Sciences
and the Board of Directors of Millennium Promise. Sanchez has received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from the Catholic University of Leuven
, Belgium
, the University of Guelph
, Canada
and The Ohio State University
, USA. He has received decorations from the governments of Colombia and Peru, and was anointed Luo Elder with the name of Odera Akang’o by the Luo community of Western Kenya. Sanchez is the 2002 World Food Prize
laureate and a 2004 MacArthur Fellow
. He received the Charles A. Black Award from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology
, (presented to a food or agricultural scientist actively engaged in research, who has made significant scientific contributions to science) and was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2008.
In 2011, Sanchez and his wife, Cheryl Palm, set up the Sanchez-Palm Girls Scholarship Fund for secondary-school-aged girls in poor, rural parts of Africa. The fund will support the ability of African girls to attend secondary schools (high schools) and also improve those schools with computers and internet availability. Said Sanchez, "Cheryl and I are proud to play a part in advancing girls education, because we know an educated girl can have a profound impact on the development of a community."
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Sanchez was Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
from 1991-2001, and served as Co-chair of the UN Millennium Project Hunger Task Force. He is also Professor Emeritus of Soil Science and Forestry at North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
, and was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
A native of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Sanchez received his BS, MS and PhD degrees in soil science
Soil science
Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils.Sometimes terms which...
from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, and joined the faculty of North Carolina State University in 1968. His professional career has been dedicated to help eliminate world hunger and absolute rural poverty while protecting and enhancing the tropical environment. Sanchez has lived in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(working at the International Rice Research Institute), Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
(working at the Peruvian National Research Institute), Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
(working at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture) and Kenya. He is the author of “Properties and Management of Soils of the Tropics” (rated among the top 10 best-selling books in soil science worldwide), co-author of “Halving Hunger: It can be done” and author of over 250 scientific publications.
He is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy
American Society of Agronomy
The American Society of Agronomy is a scientific and professional society of agronomists and scientists of related disciplines, principally in the United States but with a large number of non-U.S. members as well...
, the Soil Science Society of America
Soil Science Society of America
The Soil Science Society of America , is a scientific and professional society of soil scientists, principally in the U.S. but with a large number of non-U.S. members as well...
, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, and has received the International Soil Science Award, the International Service in Agronomy Award and the Crop Science Society of America Presidential Award. He serves on the Board of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
and the Board of Directors of Millennium Promise. Sanchez has received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from the Catholic University of Leuven
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and The Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, USA. He has received decorations from the governments of Colombia and Peru, and was anointed Luo Elder with the name of Odera Akang’o by the Luo community of Western Kenya. Sanchez is the 2002 World Food Prize
World Food Prize
The World Food Prize is an international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.-The Prize:...
laureate and a 2004 MacArthur Fellow
MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
. He received the Charles A. Black Award from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology
CAST
-Organizations:* CAST, the maker of CAST Application Intelligence Platform* Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville...
, (presented to a food or agricultural scientist actively engaged in research, who has made significant scientific contributions to science) and was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2008.
In 2011, Sanchez and his wife, Cheryl Palm, set up the Sanchez-Palm Girls Scholarship Fund for secondary-school-aged girls in poor, rural parts of Africa. The fund will support the ability of African girls to attend secondary schools (high schools) and also improve those schools with computers and internet availability. Said Sanchez, "Cheryl and I are proud to play a part in advancing girls education, because we know an educated girl can have a profound impact on the development of a community."
Further reading
- McMurray, Emmily J., ed. Notable 20th Century Scientists. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc. 1995