Person Hans R. Herren

Dr Hans Rudolf Herren, born in 1947 in Switzerland, is one of the world’s leading scientists in the field of biological pest control. He lived and carried out research in Africa for 27 years. In the 1980s, he successfully controlled the mealybug threatening the cassava plant, one of Africa’s staple foods. From 1994 to 2005 he ran icipe, the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, in Nairobi, Kenya. icipe plays a central role in the management of pests, parasites and diseases in developing countries. Dr Herren has been awarded various prizes for his research on behalf of humanity, and in 1995 he was awarded the World Food Prize, the only Swiss recipient to date. In 2013, he and his foundation Biovision were awarded the Right Livelihood Award (dubbed the “Alternative Nobel Prize”). Other awards include: One World Award 2010; World Food Prize 1995; Kilby Award 1995; Brandenberger Prize 2002; Tyler Prize 2003; Foreign Associate of the US Academy of Sciences 1999; and Member the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) 2005.