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2015 World Food Prize Winner Announced

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed is the 2015 recipient of the World Food Prize.

The founder of a global anti-poverty organization is the recipient of the 2015 World Food Prize. Sir Fazle Hasan Abed created BRAC in his native Bangladesh, but the non-governmental organization has grown to provide economic and social programs to poor communities in many countries. It's one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the world and some say it is the most effective at alleviating poverty.

Abed began his career in accounting and rose to an executive position at Shell Oil. But after a cyclone devastated his homeland and Bangladesh fought its war for independence, he founded the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee. Now known by its initials, BRAC is credited with lifting 150 million people out of poverty.  

At the announcement ceremony in Washington, D.C., World Food Prize President Ambassador Kenneth Quinn hailed BRAC's success.

"In agriculture, under our laureate’s leadership, the organization he created impacts more than a million farmers each year through making credit available to small holders, innovative poultry and dairy programs and disseminating advanced hybrid seed technology," Quinn said.

Abed will receive $250,000 as the 2015 World Food Prize laureate. A ceremony and related events are planned in Des Moines in October. Each year the World Food Prize honors someone who has helped alleviate hunger.

Amy Mayer is a reporter based in Ames