It was on 17 May 1988 that the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) was registered in New Delhi
as a non-profit Trust for the purpose of integrating the dimensions of environmental and social sustain ability in research and education in the fields of agriculture and rural development. The first programmes were started in Chennai early in 1990 in a rented building. On 14 April 1993, the Foundation and its associated Centre for Research on Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development moved into its own building constructed on land kindly provided on lease by the Government of Tamil Nadu in the Taramani Institutional Area. As a deliberate policy, it was decided that rather than have an experimental farm of its own, the Foundation would work with farm families in a participatory research mode. The research and training agenda encompass five major thrust areas, namely, Coastal Systems Research (CSR), Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Ecotechnology and Biovillages, Reaching the Unreached, and Education, Training, Communication and Networking. This 5-point programme has served as a blueprint to achieve the aim of scientific excellence and socia-1-relevance in research demonstration and train-ing. The dedicated and
tireless efforts of the scientists and scholars of MSSRF led to the Foundation being chosen in 1996 as the first recipient of the Blue Planet Prize in Asia. A publication summarising the evolution of MSSRF
during the period 1988-98 will be issued shortly.
