Dr. Pedro Sanchez, the director of tropical agriculture at Lamont’s Earth Institute was recently recognized by the global charity Heifer International as a Hero of Humanity for his important research into ways to restore fertility to marginal soils. According to Heifer’s President, Jo Luck, Sanchez’s research means that many farmers in destitute areas are able to convert dusty, steep or otherwise unusable plots into rich, productive land. Dr. Sanchez is also project leader of the Millennium Project Hunger Task Force. In 2002, he received the World Food Prize, and the next year, was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Award.”

To learn more about Dr. Sanchez, visit www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/tropag

To learn more about Heifer International, visit www.heifer.org