Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been awarded the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) highest distinction, the Agricola Medal for his contribution to agricultural and social development in India. Dr. Singh is the first Indian Prime Minister to receive the honour. The medal was instituted in 1976.

Previous recipients of the Agricola Medal include King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, French President Jacques Chirac, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Pope John Paul II, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, and President Johannes Rau of Germany.