The president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, has won the 2017 World Food Prize. Mr Adesina won the prize and $250,000. He got the award for his two decades of work in increasing food production in Africa. He used his experience as a top banker to help agriculture in Africa. He helped to change many farming laws and made it easier for small farmers to get loans for their business. He also helped farmers to modernize their farms and the way they grow their crops. The World Food Prize Foundation President, Kenneth Quinn, said Mr. Adesina won the prize, "for driving change in African agriculture for over 25 years and improving food security for millions across the continent".
The World Food Prize was created by the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug. He is known as the father of the "green revolution". He helped to breed crops that produced more food and were stronger and more resistant against disease. His work helped to prevent famine in Asia in the 1960s. Mr Quinn said Adesina "grew up in poverty" in Africa and decided to do his best at school to get a good education. He got a PhD. in agricultural economics. He became a leader in African banking and was also Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture from 2011 to 2015. Quinn said Adesina used his background and experiences to, "lift millions of people out of poverty, especially farmers in rural Africa".
