Indian agriculture has come a long way since independence. From a net importer of agricultural products, the country went on to becoming first self-sufficient and then an exporter of food products. And one of the luminaries behind this transformation is Dr Monkombu Sambasivam Swaminathan. An agricultural scientist and one of the leaders of the Green Revolution, Dr Swaminathan’s work in crop genetics and sustainable agricultural development in India and the Third World won him the first World Food Prize in 1987. He went on to win the Tyler Prize, the Honda Prize and the UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize.

Not satisfied with the Green Revolution, Dr Swaminathan

CHENNAI DECLARATION 12 Point Action Plan Conservation and Enhancement of Natural Resources Ecotechnology and Ever-green and quality Revolutions Institutions for Conferring the Power of Scale on Small Producers Enlarging the Food Basket and Changing the mind-set through Revised Nomenclature Universal Declaration on the Plant Genome and Farmers' Rights Biotechnology and Bio-future Synergy between Technology and Public Policy Fair Trade as an Instrument of Poverty Alleviation Avoiding and Mitigating the Adverse Impact of Climate Change on Food Security Attracting and Retaining Youth in Farming Disaster Mitigation and Strengthening Community Management Systems Financial Resources for Agricultural Research, Education and Development and for Rural Infrastructure

continues to work for what he calls an Evergreen Revolution. To this end he set up the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Chennai in 1988. All that he had to start with was his prize money, a small rented office space and a vision. Today, MSSRF has 150 scientists and other staff involved in rural research and development projects. In this inaugural issue of TAJ, Dr Swaminathan, Chairman MSSRF and UNESCO Cousteau Chair in Ecotechnology, shares his views and vision for Indian agriculture

What is your vision for MSSRF?

MSSRF was established for imparting a pro-nature, pro-poor and pro-woman orientation to technology development and dissemination. Our goal is to promote a job-led economic growth strategy in our villages rooted in the principles of ecology, economics and social and gender equity.

Growth rate of the Indian agriculture sector is down to a dismal 0.9 per cent? What are the reasons for this? What are the immediate steps the government needs to take to accelerate growth?

The reasons for the decline in growth rate are many. The principal ones are increasing damage to the environmental foundations of sustainable agriculture, such as land, water, biodiversity and forests. Another reason is the fact that agriculture, which has so far remained a gamble in the monsoon, is also becoming a gamble in the market. Some of the steps needed to reverse this trend are described in the 12-Point Action Plan of the Chennai Declaration.

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