God given opportunity to be the FIRST
Dear All,
It so happens that I was:
- The first trained Soil Scientist in Madhya Bharat (M.B.), an IARI graduate (1952), awarded a diploma by the first Prime Minister of Independent India.
- The first to set up a soil testing lab in Madhya Bharat (M.B.).
- The first from M.B. to participate in the All India Coordinated Program of Soil Testing, focusing on fertilizer use based on soil-test crop response correlation work. This was a joint program of ICAR and TCM (Technical Cooperation Mission of the USA). Complex agronomic trials were conducted in 11 agro-climatic zones of India. A large number of simple fertilizer trials were conducted on farmers’ fields. Based on the results, fertilizer recommendations were made for nine important crops in India for optimum returns on investment.
- The first to prepare a soil classification map and the first soil fertility map of M.B.
- The first to conduct pre-irrigation soil surveys for the Chambal Command Area and design cropping patterns for the command area.
- As Head of the Soils Department at JNKVV, Jabalpur, the first to establish the department and start a postgraduate program. As Joint Director of Research, the first to initiate a soybean breeding program in collaboration with the University of Illinois.
- The first to study the effect of tractor cultivation on the structure of black cotton soils of Malwa (Master’s Thesis) and black soils of Ames, Iowa (Ph.D. Thesis). This work formed the basis for the minimum tillage and conservation agriculture program in the Midwest (USA) under the leadership of Dr. W.E. Larson, former President of the American Soil Science Society.
- As Soil Fertility Expert with FAO (UN), the first to set up soil testing and fertilizer programs in Afghanistan and a Soils Institute in Iran. Over six years, more than 800 fertilizer trials were conducted on farmers’ fields across six important crops. Fertilizer recommendations were made for optimum returns on investment in Afghanistan.
- As Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland (UMD), the first to start an International Crop Production Course for undergraduates. At the suggestion of Dr. Paroda, a similar course was started for postgraduate students at IARI.
- The first to establish collaboration between State Agricultural Universities in India and UMD.
- The first to start the International Training Program (ITP) at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, UMD, in collaboration with IFPRI and the World Bank.
- The first to flag the issue of declining higher agricultural education in India. I organized a National Workshop on the subject in collaboration with NARM. Although land-grant-type state universities were established in the mid-1960s, no attempt was made to evaluate their performance. I initiated the discussion, which was furthered by Drs. Uma Lele, R.B. Singh, and Paroda.
- The first to publish a book (Revitalizing Higher Agriculture in India) on this subject, which served as a basis for granting a World Bank loan to India to support improvements in higher education.
Best regards,
Prabhakar Tamboli
pmtamboli@verizon.net