Ronnie Coffman

Ronnie Coffman is an American plant scientist whose career has centered on international agriculture, food security and gender equity across multiple staple crops. As a rice breeder at the International Rice Research Institute from 1971 to 1980, he applied techniques learned from his advisor Norman Borlaug to develop improved rice varieties that would eventually be cultivated on millions of hectares, mainly in Asia, and modernized the institute by integrating plant breeding with other disciplines and establishing the International Rice Testing Program. Joining Cornell University's faculty in 1981, he expanded his research into wheat and cassava, served as principal investigator on grants totaling more than 250 million dollars, and co-authored a 2005 report warning of the Ug99 wheat stem rust threat that led to his role as vice-chair of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative, which coordinates more than 2,500 scientists across 35 institutions developing rust-resistant wheat now deployed in eleven at-risk countries.