Barchenger, Horticulture Alumnus, Named Norman E. Borlaug Field Awardee

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.