The Borlaug award for contribution to agro-rural research and development goes this year to three scientists P Pushpangadan, director of Thiruanthapuram-based Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute, V Aurnachalam, former head of genetics division of Delhi-based Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and Darshan Shankar of Bangalore-based Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions.
Instituted by Coromandel Fertilisers about 20 years ago and named after the father of the green revolution, Nobel Laureate Norman E Borlaug, the awards will be presented on April 2 during the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) assembly here.
The Coromandel lecture at the GEF assembly will be delivered by noted environmentalist Sir Crispin Tickell of the Oxford University, hailed widely as a mediator between science and politics. He would speak on Climate change and sustainable development: food security.
Pushpangadan has been selected for the award for his contribution in conserving medicinal plants and ensuring health security. He has made a model on equitable benefit sharing mechanism.
, envisaged by the global Convention on Biological Diversity.
Arunachalam has won the award for his work on assessment and measurement of genetic diversity in crop plants. Shankar has been honoured for his commitment to impart scientific temper among rural communities, helping them appreciate eco-systems and local health traditions.
