It was way back in 1970 that Professor C. V. Raman seeded the idea in my mind that I should be involved in establishing a research and training cerntre in the field of applied ecology, relating to the improvement of the productivity, profitability and sustainability of small-farm agriculture. I decided that I could put this into action when I received the first World Food Prize in 1987. On my return in February 1988 from the International Rice Research Institute, the Philippines, I Started preparations for the setting up of a research centre with major focus on the sustainable management of coastal ecosystems. Both the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were kind enough to offer facilities for setting up such a research centre.

M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation