Pratap Kumar Shrestha, PhD
Chairperson
Pratap Shrestha holds a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of East Anglia and a PhD (Local Ecological Knowledge and Innovation) from the Bangor University, UK. He has over 32 years of working experience in designing and implementing agricultural research and development programs for smallholder farmers using a multi-disciplinary and integrated system-based approach. He has strong experience and expertise in participatory crop improvement; community-based biodiversity conservation and utilization; formal and farmer seed systems; agroecology for resilient food systems; gender and cross-cutting social issues; planning, monitoring and evaluation; farmer knowledge and innovation; and national and international policies related to governance of plant genetic resources and farmers’ rights.
He has extensive experience in managing and governing large capacity national development organizations, fundraising with multiple funders, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, and undertaking national and international consultancies. In 2014, he worked as a National Advisor helping the Government of Timor Leste draft it’s National Seed Policy. He is currently working with SeedChange Canada as a Program Specialist for Seed Systems and Plant Genetic Resources. He is also serving as a member of the Crop Trust’s BOLD (Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods and Development) Project Advisory Group (PAG). He has served as a member and advisor for a number of development organization, including Co-Chair of the governing body of the PROLINNOVA International Program.