M.S. Swaminathan was an Indian agronomist, agricultural scientist, plant geneticist, administrator, and humanitarian who was a global leader of the green revolution. He is known for his leadership and role in introducing and further developing high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, which transformed India from a "begging bowl" to a "breadbasket" almost overnight. Some of his notable contributions include:

• Contributing basic research related to potato, wheat, and rice, in areas such as cytogenetics, ionizing radiation, and radiosensitivity.
• Spearheading the introduction of high-yielding wheat and rice varieties into India, which raised the total crop yield of wheat from 12 million tons to 23 million tons in four crop seasons and ended Indias reliance on grain imports.
• Establishing agricultural policies and programs that would maintain long-term self-sufficiency across the country.
• Serving as Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture in 1979 and 1980, and being in charge of agriculture and rural development in Indias Planning Commission from 1980 to 1982.
• Becoming Director General of the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines in 1982, where he developed IR-64, a rice variety that yielded up to 24% more grain than an earlier strain, IR-36.
• Incorporating gender and environmental concerns into development planning while serving on Indias Planning Commission from 1980 to 1985.
• Setting up a biotechnology board and serving on committees tackling issues from leprosy to conservation and biodiversity.
• Eradicating nuclear weapons as president of the international Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs from 2002 to 2007.

Swaminathan won numerous international awards, including the 1994 UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize, the UNESCO Gandhi Gold Medal in 1999, and the 1999 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development. He was also highly decorated within his country, having received Indias second, third, and fourth highest civilian awards.