Dr ML Jat is a well-recognized Systems Agronomist with over 25 years of rich experience in Systems Science across the developing world. As a Global Research Program Director for the Resilient Farm and Food Systems (RF & FS) program of at ICRISAT, Dr Jat leads and provides scientific, strategic and partnership guidance to dynamic and vibrant research teams of the program across five clusters – Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Science, Geo-spatial and Big Data Sciences, Digital Agriculture, Landscapes, Soil Health and Water Science and the ICRISAT Development Center. In addition, he also catalyzes cross program linkages. Dr Jat has served the CGIAR for 13 years; over 12 years at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) as Principal Scientist/System Agronomist and System Science Strategy Lead and one year at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), he has also served 12 years at Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) as Systems Agronomist.
Dr Jat has a PhD in Agronomy with a specialization on Soil Moisture Conservation in Rainfed Pearl Millet from ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. He has mentored/guided over four dozen students of systems science across the world. Dr Jat has also served at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Society of Precision Agriculture (ISPA) and several other international and national bodies in various capacities. A Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), Dr Jat has several awards and recognitions to his credit including ICAR’s prestigious Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award.
Expertise: Cropping Systems Science & Strategy, Conservation Agriculture, Climate Smart Agriculture, Regenerative Agriculture, Precision Farming, Scale Appropriate Mechanization, Farming Systems Design.