Benito Vergara

[3] He was the youngest of seven children, and was raised primarily by his older sisters Betty, Lucy, and Belen Vergara who taught him household skills and chores.

[3] In 1955, he attained his Bachelor's degree[1] in Botany from the University of the Philippines Diliman as a pre-medicine major to become a medical doctor like his father.

[3] In his senior year at UP Diliman, Vergara was recommended to replace a friend who had backed out of an opportunity to pursue a master's degree in the University of Hawaii at Manoa to become a Jesuit priest.

[3] The opportunity to attain a master's degree abroad in place of his friend, was described by Vergara as a turning point in his life wherein his education led him to become a scientist instead of a medical doctor.

[3] Vergara and Juliano were given the task to build the IRRI laboratory from scratch as there were no research programs, gene bank, screening protocols, or other scientists involved.

[1][3] While working in the IRRI and traveling to rice-growing countries, Vergara noticed that farmers and extension workers had difficulty with technical and scientific information about growing rice.

The book centers around Gabby Ghas, a tiny grain of palay on a journey of self-discovery to feed a hungry boy.

[5] Gabby Ghas has won several awards conducted by the Asia Rice Foundation, the Alpha Phi Omega service sorority, and the Philippine Department of Education.

International Rice Research Institute's Riceworld Museum and Learning Center