Ramanatha Rao
A Career Spanning Global Agrobiodiversity: From Field to Policy
- Introduction/Background: My earliest memories date back to the 1950s in Madanapalle, a small town in the semi-arid Rayalaseema region, where my mother, a Hindi teacher, was the sole family breadwinner. The area was defined by harsh, rainfed survival agriculture: millets, pulses, and groundnut, cultivated through traditional multi-cropping—a powerful, living example of agrobiodiversity. My only personal interaction with the land was occasional groundnut harvesting with friends, paid in fresh groundnuts—a memorable, tangible link to the land’s bounty. My teens were spent on studies in Madanapalle and pre-university in Anantapur.
- Studies in Agriculture (1963-1976): Tirupathi, Hyderabad, New Delhi: My career foundation was a BSc in Basic Agriculture, an MSc in Agricultural Botany and Cytogenetics, and a PhD in Genetics and Plant Breeding. My research was highly practical, involving extensive fieldwork on the Rockefeller Foundation-led Sorghum project. This foundational exposure instilled the rigor of applied science.
- Early Research in India
My brief, but formative, tenure in the Indian research system included cytology studies for my MSc, a short stint as a Research Associate focusing on oilseeds (groundnut, linseed, castor), and my PhD thesis at the premier Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi. Prior to my international posting, I conducted crucial rice work at the All India Coordinated Rice Improvement Project (AICRIP) in Hyderabad, while in the CSIAR ‘Pool.’ These years provided essential technical knowledge and a deep understanding of India’s agricultural challenges.
- International Agriculture Research
a. ICRISAT, Patancheru (Mid-1976 to Mid-1989)–Groundnut: I oversaw all groundnut/peanut (Arachis hypogaeaand its wild relatives) activities. I established a comprehensive collection of about 10,000 accessions of Arachis, managing both ex situ seed genebank and field genebanks for clonally propagated wild species. The work involved extensive collaboration with researchers and collecting missions spanning over a dozen countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Myanmar, India, Kenya, Mali, Nepal, Niger, Somalia, and the USA.
b. CENARGEN/Embrapa, Brasília, Brazil (Mid-1983 to Mid-1984)–Groundnut: I spent one year on secondment at CENARGEN/Embrapa in Brasília, Brazil, as a Specialist in Taxonomy and Genetic Resources. I contributed to Arachiscollecting and conservation, conducted a thorough review of Brazil’s groundnut programme, and recommended the establishment of a robust national programme.
c. International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR/Bioversity International)─Many crops and disciplines:
c-1. Rome (Mid-1989 to Mid-1992): My move to IBPGR (later Bioversity International) in Rome marked a shift toward high-level global policy on plant genetic resources (PGR). I managed the programme budget, identified priority research on variation patterns within gene pools, coordinated contracts with global centres of excellence for genetics and taxonomy, and liaised with major scientific organizations worldwide.
c-2. Asia, Pacific, and the Oceania (APO) (1992–2000): In 1992, I moved to IBPGR/IPGRI APO office as Senior Scientist in Singapore and then Kuala Lumpur. Scope of my work expanded to the conservation of multiple crop and forestry species. I developed key strategic frameworks, including complementary conservation and strategies for neglected species like sesame, taro, bamboo, and rattan. I mobilized over USD 20 million from diverse donors (including ADB, GEF, IFAD, and USAID) to fund regional conservation projects. I assisted countries to establishing/strengthening National Programmes on PGR (NP-PGR) across Asia, including Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, and Vietnam.
c-3. Honorary Research Fellow (2008–2014): As an Honorary Research Fellow with Bioversity International, provided technical support to the UNEP/GEF “Tropical Fruit Diversity” project. I participated in its meetings, authored/edited publications, and focused on analysing the impact of the project. I drafted the initial full proposal for a subsequent major GEF project on “Mainstreaming agrobiodiversity conservation.”
- Conclusion
My career trajectory—from the rainfed fields of Madanapalle to global policy development—provided a unique perspective on agrobiodiversity’s immense value. From establishing the groundnut germplasm collection at ICRISAT to assisting countries in forming their National Programmes on PGR (NP-PGRs), my work has aimed to provide knowledge directly beneficial to researchers and farmers. Through extensive collaborations, training programmes and over 300 publications, I contributed to knowledge development and sharing, and to the strengthening of PGR as national and global wealth that needs to be conserved and used for plant improvement.
- Looking Ahead
Based on my experiences, the future of agrobiodiversity demands a multi-pronged approach. Such an approach should include studies on G x E x Management interaction; systematic documentation and digitization of PGR; greater use of wild relatives and wild edibles in both farming systems and diversified diets; the establishing of legal frameworks to mainstream agrobiodiversity in implementation of agricultural development efforts; and strengthening of existing community seedbanks with farmer custodians and indigenous communities.