By Sachin Arya
We take you through the exemplary life of the India ’ s most extra-ordinary agriculture scientist
By Sachin Arya
The brain behind India ’ s progressive agriculture system and the father of Indian green revolution , Dr Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan was a no ordinary man . Born on 7 August 1925 , he was an Indian agronomist , agricultural scientist , plant geneticist , administrator , and humanitarian .
As a young scientist at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in the 1950s , Dr Swaminathan learned of Dr Norman Borlaug ’ s newly developed Mexican dwarf wheat variety and invited him to India . The two scientists worked jointly to develop wheat varieties that would yield higher levels of grain as well as develop stalk structures strong enough to support the increased biomass .
In 1965 , Dr Swaminathan set up thousands of demonstration and test plots in the northern region of India , showing small-scale producers that the new , genetically superior grain could thrive in their own fields . The first year ’ s harvest tripled previous production levels . Not only did agricultural yields improve , but also scientific advances in agriculture were introduced and used by the producers themselves .
Raising the total crop yield of wheat from 12 million tons to 23 million tons in four crop seasons ended India ’ s reliance on grain imports . Dr Swaminathan later worked with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to establish agricultural policies and programs that would maintain long-term selfsufficiency across the country .
Dr Swaminathan became chair of numerous prestigious international conferences , including the 1974 United Nations World Food Congress in Rome . As an advocate of scientific collaboration , he influenced renowned organizations and research centers such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources , the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics , and the International Federation of Agricultural Research Systems for Development – serving as its Director General from 1972 to 1979 .
Dr Swaminathan served as Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture in 1979 and 1980 . He was in charge of agriculture and rural development in India ’ s Planning Commission from 1980 to 1982 . He became Director General of the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines in 1982 – a position first held by Robert Chandler , the 1988 World Food Prize
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