SEEDS OF INNOVATION

The agriculture scientist, who is the recipient of the Norman E. -Borlaug award for field research and application this year, has been working to bridge the gap between agriculture research and on-field application. She aims to empower farmers by improving their access to quality seeds, says Naina Gautam

- Naina Gautam

SWATI NAYAK

In September this year, Swati Nayak, an agriculture scientist, became the third Indian to be named the recipient of the prestigious Norman E. Borlaug award for field research and application, by the World Food Prize Foundation, for her work in field application and bridging the gap between scientists and farmers. The award, which recognises those fighting to eliminate global hunger and poverty, bears testimony to her years of work in innovation in agriculture, driven by the passion to empower the community.

Throughout her career, Nayak has single-mindedly sought to secure equity and enhance access of farmers to new and emerging varieties of seeds, thereby bridging the gap between the lab and the farm. She is fondly called Bihana Didi, an Odia term that translates as “seed sister”, by the farmers of Odisha—she was instrumental in introducing the Sahabhagi Dhan, a drought-resistant variety of rice, in Odisha, which altered the lives of countless farmers. Besides India, she has also successfully introduced several climateresistant rice varieties in Bangladesh and Nepal.

Embracing the Fields