Geoffrey Hawtin Empowering Future Innovators

This initiative, in partnership with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, guarantees six annual scholarships for public-school students in Cali, including those from rural and hillside communities.

The World Food Prize award was announced on May 9, 2024, during an official ceremony in Washington, D.C., presided over by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Hawtin shared the honor with American scientist Cary Fowler in recognition of their “extraordinary leadership in preserving and protecting the world’s heritage of crop biodiversity and mobilizing this critical resource to defend against threats to global food security”.

With this donation, Dr. Hawtin expands his legacy from science to education, supporting the early development of talented youth in vulnerable settings. For over 25 years, the school internship program—initially supported by the CIAT Biotechnology Research Unit—has supported more than 100 students from 17 public schools in Cali, from both urban and rural areas.