Former ICARDA Director General Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy Awarded for Lifetime Achievements

Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy, a former Director-General of ICARDA, was recently recognized by at the “Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for Leadership in Agriculture” for his “lifetime contributions in national, regional and international agricultural research that changed the lives of poor farmers of West Asia, North Africa (CWANA) and Central Asia and Caucasus (CAC) countries.” The Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award is a tribute to the outstanding contributions of Dr. Swaminathan made towards the agricultural renaissance of India known as the “Green Revolution”.

The award for leadership in Agriculture is organized by The Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS). TAAS has recognized only ten renowned scientists and agriculture professionals for their contributions to agricultural development.

On 30 November 2021, the two awardees Dr. Shenggen Fan, Former Director General, IFPRI, who was awarded the 2020 edition of the award, and Dr. Adel El-Beltagy, Former Director General, ICARDA, attended the hybrid ceremony.  Also present were Trustees of TAAS, DDGs, ADGs and Directors of ICAR institutes, Vice Chancellors of SAUs, Heads of Regional Offices of CGIAR Centers, and several distinguished invitees from India and abroad.

Prof. Dr. El-Beltagy served as ICARDA’s Director General between 1995 and 2006, overseeing its expansion across the region and strengthening its partnerships with national research institutions. Prof. Dr. El-Beltagy also served as Former Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation in Egypt and was previously Director/Board Chairman of the Egyptian Agricultural Research Center (ARC).