IFA Science Awards

Young Female Scientist Noting Results Of Experiment In A Lab
Every year, IFA invites individual scientists to apply for two awards that recognize excellence in plant nutrition science, innovation and extension for sustainable development.
The two award categories are:
  • The IFA Norman Borlaug Plant Nutrition Award, which recognizes a large portfolio of research achievements, demonstrating that the individual candidate has made significant contributions to knowledge as well as concrete solutions.
  • The IFA Emerging Scholar Award, which recognizes an individual’s portfolio of research that suggests the candidate will make significant contributions in the future.

The judges for each award will consider the nominations in the context of the “New Paradigm for Plant Nutrition” (read here) as developed by the Scientific Panel on Responsible Plant Nutrition.

The application deadline is usually mid-September. Read for further details and for information on past winners.

IFA Norman Borlaug Plant Nutrition Award Winner: Dr. Fang-jie Zhao

The 2022 IFA Norman Borlaug Plant Nutrition Award recipient is Dr. Fang-jie Zhao, Professor at Nanjing Agricultural University, China, for his over 30 years of extensive research on crop productivity and quality, soil health and human nutrition.

Dr. Zhao’s research has focused on improving crop productivity and quality – through establishing the effects of sulphur fertilizers on the yield and quality of crops – which has contributed to both sulphur fertilizer use recommendations and improved benefits from its use. He has made noteworthy contributions to improving human nutrition and health through biofortification of essential micronutrients and minimizing accumulation of toxic trace elements in food crops.

His more recent focus is on safeguarding food from soil contamination – which is the understanding of how crops take up arsenic and cadmium from the soil – and developing practical solutions to reduce their uptake.

2022 IFA Emerging Scholar Award Joint Winner: Dr. Xia Emma Lian

Dr. Xia Liang’s research interests are assessing the nitrogen footprint across agricultural production, supply and consumption and advancing its proper management.

Her “5 Ps” principles – Production, People, Planet, Policy and Partnerships – shapes guidelines for sustainable nitrogen management and allow multidimensional evaluation of nitrogen management, highlight specific areas for improvement, support the design of policies and direct future research.

2022 IFA Emerging Scholar Award Joint Winner: Jean Martial Johnson

Jean-Martial Johnson’s work contributed to the development of innovation in soil properties and nutrients – including the digital map of Africa at 30 m spatial resolution; RiceAdvice – used by stakeholders addressing plant nutrition challenges in sub-Saharan Africa.

His collection and analysis of rice plant and soil samples in major rice-growing environments – across 20 sub-Saharan Africa countries – resulted in the development of four large datasets consisting of soil fertility properties, macro- and micronutrients in straw and grain, yield gap, and nutrient omission trials.

IFA Science Awards Past Winners.

All winners of the IFA Norman Borlaug Award are eligible to sit on the panel of recipients.

The panel has been established to recommend ways to make the Award an ever more effective tool for promoting ongoing research to improve efficient and environmentally friendly plant nutrition.

By Year
Dr. Maarten Everaert
2021

Dr. Maarten Everaert

KU Leuven – Division Soil and Water Management

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Dr. Pauline Welikhe
2021

Dr. Pauline Welikhe

Research Scientist at Phospholutions

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Dr. Patrick Brown
2021

Dr. Patrick Brown

University of California-Davis

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Dr. Andrew Sharpley
2019

Dr. Andrew Sharpley

Distinguished Professor of Soils and Water quality for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

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Weifeng Zhang
2018

Weifeng Zhang

Professor China Agricultural University

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Heitor Cantarella
2017

Heitor Cantarella

Director of the Soil and Environmental Resources Center of the Agronomic Institute of Campinas in Brazil

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Tekalign Mamo
2016

Tekalign Mamo

Distinguished soil scientist and former Ethiopian State Minister of Agriculture

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Michael McLaughlin
2015

Michael McLaughlin

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia

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Xuhua Zhong
2014

Xuhua Zhong

Rice Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China

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Abdul Rashid
2013

Abdul Rashid

Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Pakistan

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Rikin Gandhi
2012

Rikin Gandhi

Digital Green, a non-governmental organization

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Greta Gabinete
2012

Greta Gabinete

Research and Development Center, West Visayas State University, Philippines

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Roland Buresh
2011

Roland Buresh

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines

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Jiyun Jin
2010

Jiyun Jin

Soil and Fertilizer Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI), China

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André Bationo
2009

André Bationo

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Ghana

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Achim Dobermann
2008

Achim Dobermann

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines

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Fusuo Zhang
2007

Fusuo Zhang

College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, China

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John Ryan
2006

John Ryan

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Syria

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Ismail Çakmak
2005

Ismail Çakmak

Sabanci University in Istanbul, Turkey

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Kenneth G. Cassman
2004

Kenneth G. Cassman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, USA

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Mark M. Alley
2002

Mark M. Alley

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA

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Milkha S. Aulakh
2001

Milkha S. Aulakh

Punjab Agricultural University, India

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Graeme Blair
2000

Graeme Blair

School of Rural Science and Natural Resources, University of New England, Australia

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Bernardo van Raij
1999

Bernardo van Raij

Instituto Agronômico Campinas, Brazil

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Wilfried Werner
1998

Wilfried Werner

Institute for Agricultural Chemistry, University of Bonn, Germany

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Bao Lin
1997

Bao Lin

Soil and Fertilizer Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), China

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Uzi Kafkafi
1996

Uzi Kafkafi

Faculty of Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

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Alfredo Scheid Lopes
1995

Alfredo Scheid Lopes

Escola Superior de Agricultura de Lavras, Brazil

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Cynthia A. Grant
1994

Cynthia A. Grant

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada

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A.E. (Johnny) Johnston
1994

A.E. (Johnny) Johnston

Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom

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Jian-Chang Xie
1993

Jian-Chang Xie

Institute of Soil Science, Academia Sinica, China

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