Melaku Worde

Melaku Worede (* 1936 ) is an Ethiopian geneticist and biologist. Worede studied genetics at the University of Nebraska . From 1979 until his retirement in 1993 he was director of the Vavilov Center in Addis Ababa . In a few years he built a seed bank with tens of thousands of plant species. From 1993 onwards he worked on the Seeds of Survival project, which combines the traditional knowledge of farmers with Western science and technology.

Melaku Worede was awarded the Right Livelihood in 1989 "for a groundbreaking project to permanently combat hunger by building one of the best centers in the world for the preservation of seeds and their commitment to preserving biodiversity and the wisdom of African farmers for the benefit of all mankind" Award awarded.