University of Arkansas alumnus Derek Barchenger has been awarded the Norman E. Borlaug Field Award for Field Research and Application, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation. Barchenger serves as senior scientist and head of the Global Pepper Breeding Program at the World Vegetable Center.

The Borlaug Award recognizes an individual under 40 with exceptional, science-based achievements in international agriculture and food production. The awardee must clearly demonstrate intellectual courage, stamina and determination to eliminate world hunger and poverty.

"This recognition is truly about the collaborative work of many," Barchenger says. "(It's about) my colleagues at the World Vegetable Center, our global partners and, most importantly, the smallholder farmers whose knowledge and determination inspire everything we do. Together, we've been working to develop more resilient and productive pepper varieties to support livelihoods and nutrition in communities around the world."

Barchenger's journey toward earning this recognition has been a lifelong one. Growing up on a family farm in Ulan, Oklahoma — just outside of Indianola — sparked his curiosity in plants, vegetables and plant breeding. While peppers were not the main crop, the family kept a variety of novelty and ornamental peppers around the house.

This fascination continued throughout his educational career, to where he eventually studied the cultural significance of chili peppers during his Ph.D. Barchenger also completed his master's in horticulture through the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

He says the college and the program provided a combination of academic and personal support.

"A big part of that was my adviser, Dr. John Clark, who treated me like family from the very beginning," Barchenger says. "His mentorship, encouragement and genuine care made Arkansas feel like home, and I knew I would be supported both academically and personally. Combined with the excellent opportunities for hands-on research, especially my summers at the Fruit Research Station in Clarksville, it was the right place for me to build the foundation of my career."

During his time at the U of A, he worked with Clark in the Small Fruit Breeding Program.

"I felt especially at home with the staff at the Fruit Research Station in Clarksville, where I spent my summers," he says. "The hands-on experience I gained there, combined with the guidance of supportive faculty across departments, really shaped my time as a student."

Barchenger's research in the program consisted of developing protocols for and selecting lines with long post-harvest shelf life in the muscadine breeding program.

His interests in peppers began when he was introduced to his Ph.D. adviser, Paul Bosland, at New Mexico State University. Bosland opened his eyes to the world of chili peppers — their diversity, cultural importance and the scientific challenges they presented.

Barchenger has dedicated his career to solving the problems pepper farmers face throughout the world, which brought him to the World Vegetable Center.

In 2016, he became a United States Borlaug Fellow in Global Food Security at WorldVeg. Then became a postdoctoral fellow in 2017, and by 2018 was a rising leader in the WorldVeg global pepper breeding program.

WorldVeg has seen vast movements made with the help of Barchenger.

He transformed a small, Taiwan-based team of 10 into a global, multidisciplinary research group of more than 20 scientists and field staff, establishing coordinated breeding programs in India and Benin, and testing sites across the world. His world has spanned across the globe from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Through his direction, more than 40 new pepper varieties have been released around the world since 2018. His research on pepper varieties has also led to the discovery of traits that contribute to heat tolerance in those plants. Barchenger and his team have selectively bred the varieties with these traits to breed heat-tolerant plants.

His research has also identified genetic resistance to certain diseases like anthracnose fungus and begomovirus leaf curl, considered must-have traits for new pepper varieties throughout the world.

As a breeder and reflecting on all the varieties of peppers that have been released in his career, it's hard to single out just one variety as his favorite. Each variety he has worked on has been developed to meet the specific needs of farmers and communities, and that's what makes him most proud.

"That said, I do have a deep appreciation for peppers that reflect successful partnerships," Barchenger says. "For example, when a variety developed through collaboration between research institutions and seed companies goes on to make a real difference in farmers' fields, helping them improve yields, reduce losses or access new markets, that's what stands out to me. My pride comes from seeing any variety succeed in the hands of farmers who rely on it."

Identified as a world leader in his field, Barchenger was chosen in 2022 by the Asian Food and Agriculture Cooperative Initiative of Korea to lead a project providing farmers in 14 Asian countries with vegetable breeding lines, advice and training. After three years, nearly all participants produced lines ready to be released.

Having co-authored over 45 peer-reviewed articles, trained over 300 scientists and students, and becoming a world leader in pepper science, Barchenger has placed himself at the forefront of agricultural research and innovation.

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About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

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