pro-poor, pro-nature & pro-women.
| The M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), an autonomous non-profit trust, was registered in 1988 at New Delhi with initial funds coming from the World Food Prize which Dr. M.S.Swaminathan received in 1987. Its major aim was to organise research and training designed to promote a job-led economic growth strategy in rural areas, based on a pro-nature, pro-poor, and pro-women orientation to technology development and dissemination. |
| It was decided to shift the activities of the Foundation to Chennai (Madras) since Tamil Nadu was considered an ideal location to address the issues relevant to its objectives and to start some of its initial operations like those relating to coastal ecosystems. Since, at that time, several government departments did not give project support to trusts, MSSRF established a registered society (the Centre for Research on Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development) under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act in 1990. |
| MSSRF's priorities were determined to be: |
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| In terms of sustainable human welfare, these scientific goals should lead to a concurrent strengthening of the ecological security of rural areas and the livelihood security of rural families. The concept of sustainability has to be a dynamic one, leading to a continuous improvement of biological productivity on an ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable basis. It is to this pathway of agricultural and rural development that MSSRF is dedicated. From the beginning, MSSRF has been designed as a scientific and training institution "without walls", i.e., an institution which relies on partnerships for its vitality and effectiveness. |
| Designed to converge on this goal of promoting a pattern of agricultural and rural development rooted in the principles of ecological sustainability, economic efficiency, and social and gender equity, MSSRF undertakes activities in the five major programme areas of Coastal Systems Research, Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Ecotechnology and Food Security, Gender and Development, and Informatics. |
| The overall management of the Foundation vests with the Board of Trustees. The Executive Director performs the functions of the Chief Executive, attending to all administrative, technical, and management matters. He is supported by the Programme Directors who are responsible for the five programme areas. The Management Committee helps in administration and personnel management, staff welfare, finance, and infrastructure maintenance. The Programme and Academic Committee is responsible for annual and periodic technical reports to donor agencies, review of publications, project monitoring and programme reviews, and inter.-programme linkages. Principal Scientists head different projects. There is a supporting research and project staff of Research Associates and Research Fellows. The area of administration is well looked after by managerial and secretarial staff. From a beginning of three in 1990, there are now 210 persons on the rolls of MSSRF. Apart from these, there are several Distinguished Fellows and part-time consultants. Every effort has been made to provide staff members with opportunities for professional growth. MSSRF is an equal opportunity employer where men and women professionals have equal rights and responsibilities. At every level, authority and accountability are integrated. |
| MSSRF has strong inter-linkages with other scientific institutions, both national and international. The Foundation is recognised as a Post-Graduate Research Centre by the University of Madras, Anna University, Chennai, and the Osmania University, Hyderabad. Over ten Research Fellows have done their Ph.D research at MSSRF since 1990. Several other Research Fellows are currently doing their doctorate work. There is a growing output of research papers and technical publications, besides monographs and reports of Dialogues and Conferences. |
| MSSRF runs a Community Agrobiodiversity Centre at Kalpetta at Wayanad in the state of Kerala. In addition, there are a series of projects in Pondicherry (Biovillage and Information Village Projects), and at Chidambaram, the Kolli Hills, and Kannivadi (Dindigul district) in Tamil Nadu. MSSRF works in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and West Bengal, too. Outside Tamil Nadu, the largest number of projects is in Orissa. |
| The main source of funding for the research, educational, and networking activities of MSSRF have been the monies of the various prizes received over the years by Dr. M. S. Swaminathan that he has donated to the Foundation. These include: |
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| Financial grants have been awarded by the governments of India and the state of Tamil Nadu. The Foundation is associated with a large number of UN agencies like UNDP, FAO, UNESCO and UNIDO, as well as the Asian Development Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and other multilateral and bilateral donors. The earliest international support came from the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), Japan. ITTO supported the mangrove conservation work and the organisation of an international training programme. The Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) provided for biodiversity research and, more importantly, for the research infrastructure. MSSRF's first building was constructed largely from SIDA's support as well as the money associated with some of Dr. Swaminathan's prizes. Shri B. R. Barwale and the late Shri Ramkrishna Bajaj also extended generous support. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Government of India has supported MSSRF's genetic enhancement programme involving mangrove genetic resources. The anticipatory research programme designed to meet the challenge of coastal salinity arising from a potential rise in sea level is also being funded for by DBT. The Bernard Van Leer Foundation and the Hunger Projects of India, Japan, and Sweden have assisted the programmes relating to children and women and to harnessing traditional media for achieving the goals of gender justice and empowerment. |
| At the moment, there are large projects supported by the India-Canada Environment Facility and the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC) in the field of biodiversity. The Ford Foundation has given a major grant for the corpus fund. Many other private philanthropic foundations like the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Japan, the MacArthur Foundation, the Summit Foundation in the United States, and the Volkardt Foundation in Switzerland have been generous with their help. |
| A significant recent development is the organisation in Tokyo, Japan, of a group of donors dedicated to the cause of environment protection and poverty eradication. This group titled "Friends of MSSRF" headed by Dr. (Ms.) Geeta Mehta, Adjunct Professor of Urban Studies, Temple University in Japan, has been providing generous support to the organisation of rural self-help groups engaged in micro-enterprises supported by micro credit. |