Partner in GFAR, the Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) has instituted an Award in the honor of leading Indian agricultural scientist, Professor Swaminathan. This prestigious award is named as “Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for Leadership in Agriculture” and is given annually to a scientist for his/her outstanding lifetime contributions in agriculture as demonstrated by the impact of his/her work on overall agricultural growth at the global level, with special reference to India. 

The prestigious award was instituted in 2004 with the objective of recognizing the lifetime contributions of eminent persons who have made a global impact in the field of agriculture, including food security and the sustainability of agriculture in India. The outstanding contributions of Professor Swaminathan towards the agricultural renaissance of India are indeed very well known worldwide. A great visionary and crusader, he has been the main architect of “Green Revolution”. Professor Swaminathan is a staunch advocate of sustainable agriculture which would lead to the “Evergreen Revolution”, necessary for ensuring future household food and nutritional security. In recognition of his outstanding contributions, he was awarded the first World Food Prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, and many other national and international honors. He has been acclaimed by Time Magazine as one of the twenty most influential Asians of the 20th Century, one of the three from India – the other two being Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.

The first recipient of the award was Nobel Laureate Norman E. Borlaug, and it was given by the former President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in March, 2005. The second Award was presented to another distinguished scientist and World Food Laureate, G.S. Khush, by the former Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, during the International Rice Congress held in New Delhi in October, 2006. Further details of previous awards and citations of awardees are available here. 

TAAS takes this opportunity to seek nominations of eminent persons for the 13th Swaminathan Award, by 31 March, 2022 in the prescribed proforma available here, either by email or hard copy through registered post/courier. Find the guidelines for submitting nominations here.