Founder

Dr. Gurbachan Singh was born in 1954 in a village Bhaini Maraj, District Sangrur, Punjab in a farming family. He completed his preliminary education from village schools and Higher Secondary from Akal Higher Secondary School, Mastuana. During his school days, he helped the family in all farming operations including grazing of cattle and arranging fodder for them. He completed his graduation and doctoral degrees from Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana with merit scholarships and distinctions (Ph.D grade point 4.0 out of 4.0). He started his research career in 1978 by successfully competing the Agricultural Research Service Examination (ARS) of ICAR and joined as scientist at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (ICAR-CSSRI), Karnal. During his professional career spanning about 40 years, Dr. Singh occupied prestigious positions in Agricultural Research and Education Management, Agicultural Development, Policy Advocacy and Human Resource Management in ICAR and Union Ministry of Agriculture and farmer’s welfare. He retired in 2017 and established a Foundation to continue his interest in research, academics and farmer’s welfare.

Dr. Gurbachan Singh, Chairman, Gurbachan Singh Foundation for Research, Education and Development (GSFRED) and Vice Chairman, Trust for Advancement of Agriculture Sciences (TAAS), New Delhi (International Think Tank on Agricultural Research, Education, Development and Policy); has earlier served as Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB), New Delhi (a post equivalent to Secretary to Govt. of India); Agriculture Commissioner, Government of India; Director, Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal; and Assistant Director General, ICAR, New Delhi. He got on job training from Texas University, USA and D. Sc (Honoris causa) from OUAT, Bhubaneswar. He has published 274 papers/articles including 35 in high impact international journals.  Dr. Singh was also selected as Deputy Director General in Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRI) and also as Technical Expert (Agriculture and Horticulture) a post equivalent to Additional Secretary in Govt. of India in 2004-2005 by Search-cum Selection Committees and approved by CCA. However, he preferred to serve as Director of CSSRI, Karnal where he started his research career.

As active researcher nearly for 20 years at CSSRI, Karnal, he developed a low cost, eco-friendly fuel wood and forage production technology for bio amelioration of salt-affected soils. This helped small and marginal farmers to earn livelihood from land where even a blade of grass was not possible. This piece of research on reclamation of sodic soils by trees and grasses was acknowledged in Journal Science. This innovation attracted the attention of international donors like the World Bank and the European Union and pilot projects were sanctioned for reclamation and rehabilitation of salt-affected soils. Large area affected by salinity and sodicity was reclaimed which is contributing for food and nutritional security of the country. His pioneering work on introduction, improvement, multiplication and distribution of elite germplasm of Prosopis and cactus pear received wide appreciations and recognition at home and abroad. In 2005, he became Director of ICAR-CSSRI. Dr. Singh’s thought provoking exemplary work on development of integrated farming system model and ground water recharge research received Best Research Institute Award by ICAR and also the Ground Water Augmentation Award of Union Ministry of Water Resources.

As Union Agriculture Commissioner, he coordinated agriculture development all over the country. Due to his efforts pulse production increased 15% in one year and our country became self sufficient in pulse production. As Chairman, ASRB, Dr. Singh made monumental changes in ICAR recruitment system which provided quality human resource much needed for future food and nutritional security in the country. Several Indian students working as Post Doctoral Fellows in US and other countries joined back as Senior Scientists in ICAR institutes. Several scientists, research managers and administrators selected and mentored by him are now occupying top positions in ICAR, State Agricultural Universities as VC, Ministry of Agriculture, Fertilizer, Water Resources etc.

Dr. Gurbachan Singh developed and implemented several national and international consultancies and projects. To name a few significant ones include: Drainage of Water-Logged Saline Lands; Rehabilitation of Tsunami affected lands in Andeman and Nicobar Islands, Maldives and Srilanka; Management of Sand Mined Areas; European Union Programme on Biosaline Agroforestry; India-US Agriculture Knowledge Initiative on Water Management (AKI), Conservation Agriculture Platform with IRRI and CIMMYT; Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) Project on Wheat Improvement; IAEA Vienna sponsored programme on improvement of Mustard; and Union Ministry of Water Resources supported Ground Water Recharge Programme. He has wide experience in climate smart agriculture, salinity and water management, crop diversification, organic farming, crop-weather relationships, arid agroforestry, farming system research and drought management.

Dr. Gurbachan Singh has been decorated with almost two dozen awards and honours. He is a recipient of prestigious Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award, Hari Om Ashram Trust Awards of ICAR and Dr. M. S. Randhawa Memorial Award and a Recognition Award of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He has served as Scientific Advisor, International Foundation for Science (IFS), Sweden. He has also served as Regional Coordinator (CACTUSNET), Food and Agriculture Organization of UN and as a member of Irrigation and Drainage Commission (ICID). Dr. Singh visited more than 35 countries to chair Technical Sessions and presenting Keynote papers in International conferences, bilateral agreements and as a Head of high level Indian delegations to meetings at FAO, BRICS and CG centres. He also served as President, Indian Society of Agronomy (Twice) and Founder President, Indian Society of Soil Salinity and Water Quality. Dr. Gurbachan Singh is a distinguished fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), Honorary Fellow of Indian Academy of Horticultural Sciences, Honorary Fellow of Arid Zone Association of India and Honorary Fellow of Indian Society of Soil Salinity and Water Quality plus fellowship of five other scientific societies. Dr. Singh also served as Chief Editor of Indian Journal of Agricultural Research; Honorary Member of Editorial Board of International Journal, Experimental Agriculture, UK and reviewer of more than 10 international journals. He also has the privilege of delivering Convocation Addresses in more than 15 universities and inaugural addresses in about three dozen national and international conferences. Dr. Singh also served as President of International Agronomy Congress which was attended by more than 1000 scientists around the globe.

He has served as Chairman/Member of several national and international level agriculture research, development and policy committees. He was a Chairman, National Crop-Weather Watch Group, Chairman Task Force on Crop Diversification, Registration Committee of Agrochemicals, Central Fertilizer Committee, Central Seed Committee and Committees Constituted by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare to Promote Hybrid Rice, Pulses, Millets and Fodder etc in the country. Dr. Singh also served on the Board of Directors of National Seed Corporation, Haryana land Reclamation and Development Corporation, NOVOD Board, MANAGE, IARI etc. He has also served as Officiating Chairman, Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rice Authority of India (PPVFR), government of India. Dr. Gurbachan Singh also served as Co-chairperson of Supreme Court constituted Committee on Endosulfan Pesticide.

After his retirement, Dr. Singh has established a research, education and development centre near Karnal (with the money he got at superannuation) to link agricultural science and technologies for skill and entrepreneurship development in farmers, unemployed youth and students (www.gsfred.in).