Spicing up global agriculture: WorldVeg pepper breeder Derek Barchenger wins 2025 Borlaug Field Award
Leader of the World Vegetable Center’s global pepper breeding program, Derek Barchenger
The leader of the World Vegetable Center’s global pepper breeding program, Derek Barchenger, has won the World Food Prize Foundation’s 2025 Borlaug Field Award. It recognises his pioneering work transforming pepper production for smallholder farmers across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. You can read the official announcement here.
Known as the father of the Green Revolution, crop scientist Norman Borlaug led groundbreaking work from the 1940s to the 1970s to develop high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat varieties and promote modern farming practices. These innovations transformed global agriculture and helped avert famine in Asia and Latin America.
Derek Barchenger in the field
The Borlaug Field Award honors exceptional individuals under the age of 40 who carry forward Dr. Borlaug’s legacy of field-based agricultural innovation and impact. Derek is being recognized for his work in breeding climate-resilient, disease-resistant pepper varieties that are boosting yields, farmer incomes, and nutritional security for smallholder producers across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
“Receiving the Borlaug Field Award is a huge honor and it affirms the power of science when it’s rooted in the field,” said Derek. “For millions of farmers, pepper is everything – an income, a tradition, and a future,” he continued. “It’s also an unsung hero of urban and rural livelihoods, nutrition, and resilient food systems. I’m extremely proud of the improved pepper varieties we’ve developed, tested and shared, and I’m equally proud of the WorldVeg team and the global network that has helped make it all possible.”
“Derek’s passion, persistence, and scientific excellence have helped shape what’s possible in vegetable breeding,” said Marco Wopereis, WorldVeg Director General. “His work is helping to improve the lives of countless farmers who rely on pepper for their livelihoods. This recognition is richly deserved.”
A passion for pepper
Derek Barchenger in the Green house
Peppers (Capsicum spp.) are among the world’s most widely grown and consumed vegetables. Over 41 million tonnes are produced annually – around 70% in Asia – in a global trade worth more than US$5 billion per year. Grown by millions of smallholder farmers, peppers are rich in vitamin C and provitamin A, but rising temperatures, pests and crop diseases threaten yields and incomes.
Since joining WorldVeg in 2016 as a US Borlaug Fellow in Global Food Security, Derek has spearheaded innovations that combine cutting-edge science with grassroots insight. At headquarters in Taiwan, he manages a research and field team, and coordinates pepper breeding teams in India and Benin. In addition, he leads two large network projects in Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Under his leadership, the WorldVeg pepper breeding program has released 25 improved pepper lines, with resistance to multiple pathogens and tolerance to heat. These lines are being used by seed companies and national breeding programs in three continents to develop high-performing varieties tailored to local needs. In 2024, companies in Asia reported selling 20 tonnes of pepper seed derived from WorldVeg materials – enough to reach more than 300,000 farmers – likely a conservative estimate.
His achievements also include marker-assisted breeding, genome-wide association studies, and supporting the development of the first Capsicum core collection at the WorldVeg genebank – a subset of the center’s pepper collection that captures the most important genetic diversity for breeding purposes.
From Oklahoma roots to a global mission
Leader of the World Vegetable Center’s global pepper breeding program, Derek Barchenger
Derek’s journey in pepper began on his family’s farm in Oklahoma, where peppers dominated the garden and sparked a lifelong fascination with the crop’s diversity. That childhood passion grew into a career rooted in science and driven by a deep respect for farmers.
Today, Derek manages a cross-continental breeding program with hubs in Taiwan, India, and Benin, and coordinates major initiatives across 25 countries. He has trained over 300 agricultural professionals, mentored dozens of students, and shared more than 30,000 pepper breeding lines with partners worldwide. Read more about the recent chili demonstrations at the WorldVeg headquarters, the release of two new chili varieties in Taiwan, and NASA-inspired work to accelerate chili pepper breeding.
Derek will formally receive the Borlaug Field Award during the World Food Prize ceremony in Iowa, USA, in October.
For those who share Derek’s passion for peppers, WorldVeg will convene the 27th International Pepper Conference in Bangkok, Thailand from 19-22 January 2026. Speakers will cover issues around biotic stresses – from viruses and arthropods, to host resistance to fungal and bacterial diseases. Registration is open!
