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Biography
Professor Chavali Kameswara Rao has over 40 years of academic experience in botanical sciences, particularly phytochemistry, plant diversity, databases of medicinal plants and computer applications in plant systematics. He was the Chairman of the Department of Botany, and the Department of Sericulture at the Bangalore University.
Since January 2001 Professor Kameswara Rao has been the Executive Secretary of the Foundation for Biotechnology Awareness and Education (FBAE), Bangalore. The FBAE is a registered, non-profit voluntary organization striving to enhance public awareness and raise standards of education and training, in biotechnology.
Professor Kameswara Rao serves on several national policy committees of the Department of Biotechnology and Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and international biotechnology and life science research policy committees of such organizations as the US National Academies of Sciences (Washington, USA) and the World Health Organization (Geneva, Switzerland). He is a resource person at many international training programmes on biosecurity, such as those organized by the Asian Institute of Technology (Pathumthani, Bangkok, Thailand). He has been an invited speaker at several national and international conferences and has traveled widely within and outside India speaking on the science, applications and implications of modern agricultural biotechnology. He has attracted international attention for his numerous articles written regularly and posted on the websites www.fbae.org and www.plantbiotechblog.com.
On Biotechnology
How does agricultural biotechnology contribute to solving the world's need for more food, water, and fuels?
It would help reducing pre-harvest crop losses, reduce pesticide use largely eliminating the harm to farmers, consumers and the enviromnment. It would provide new more efficient and renewable raw material for biofuels.
Why should the public and policymakers care about agricultural biotechnology?
The public and policy makers should recognize the benefits that would accrue to the farmers, consumers and the country, without succumbing to vested interest.
Where will the field of agricultural biotechnology be in 10 years?
It would be more to do with abiotic stress tolerance, nutritional enhancement and biopharming.