MS Swaminathan Research Foundation made a difference to the lives of over 600,000 farm families

The MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) was established in 1988 as a not-for-profit trust. MSSRF was envisioned and founded by Professor M S Swaminathan with proceeds from the First World Food Prize that he received in 1987.

The Foundation aims to accelerate use of modern science and technology for agricultural and rural development to improve lives and livelihoods of communities. MSSRF follows a pro-poor, pro-women and pro-nature approach and applies appropriate science and technology options to address practical problems faced by rural populations in agriculture, food and nutrition.These efforts have been undertaken in a participatory manner and in partnership with other knowledge-based institutions, public and private sector organisations and local communities.

From a small beginning, across the years, the Foundation has made its impact felt in various dimensions making a difference to the lives of over 600,000 farm families impacting livelihood of 100,000 farmers and fisherfolk every day with influence that spreads across 18 countries.

Conservation of Biodiversity has been focus areas of MSSRF since inception. The activities included research; interventions involving communities to promote agro-biodiversity conservation; enhancing food security; capacity of communities; demonstrating models; and policy advocacy. The programme approached the problems always with principles of the local participation, gender equality, empowering the vulnerable, self-reliance of local communities, social equity, blending modern and traditional knowledge in the programme. The underlying objective has been sustainable enhancement of livelihood, food nutrition security of marginalized sections of rural communities including vulnerable communities in the biodiversity hotspots of peninsular India.

he major focus of agro biodiversity activities are:

1. Integrating on-farm Conservation and Cultivation with promotion of sustainable Consumption

2. Commerce of PGRs with focus on sustainable food security

3. Creation of an economic stake in conservation

4. Protection of Farmers Rights and Traditional Knowledge related to agro biodiversity with an aim to facilitate access and benefit sharing.

Several donor agencies have supported the programme since its inception nearly three decades ago with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and IDRC being the biggest donors. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in the early part of the last decade followed by DFID and Bioversity International in a decade later supported promotion of millets notably finger millet and its value addition through training and capacity building in Kolli Hills. Over the last 25 years we received support from SDC, IDRC, IFAD, DST, DBT, NABARD and Ministry of Environment and Forest and Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, National Biodiversity Authority and Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers’ Rights Authority have helped and continue our programme in community capacity building in Koraput in Odisha, Kolli Hills in Tamil Nadu and Wayanad in Kerala.

Research interventions under agro-biodiversity conservation and management focussed on delivering scientifically generated evidences about value of genetic diversity of crop plants for ecosystem conservation efforts and the agro-ecosystem functions and its importance. The programme engages in activities that address the SDGs, in particular SDG2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). The approach will encompass SDG5 (Gender Equality) and SDG13 (Climate Action) as underlying cross-cutting themes. This will in turn contribute to the national efforts of India to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets 13 and 14, which advocate the contracting parties to maintain and safeguard the ecosystems that provide essential services and genetic diversity of cultivated plants including the wild relatives, other socio-economically and culturally valuable species with minimum genetic erosion, needed for sustainable development.