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Short  Curriculum Vitae of Dr. Vandana Shiva

Born on November 5, 1952 in the verdant valley of Dehradun, to a father who was the conservator of Forests and a farmer mother with a deep love for nature, Vandana Shiva received her first lessons on environment protection in the lap of Himalayas.  A student of St Mary’s School in Nainital and later of Convent of Jesus and Mary, Dehradun, Vandana Shiva had always aspired to be a scientist since childhood.  But particle physics soon raised questions in her mind regarding its Impact on Life and the environment.  And thus began Vandana Shiva’s passionate affair with the environment.

Dr. Vandana Shiva is trained as a Physicist and did her Ph.D. on the subject “Hidden Variables and Non-locality in Quantum Theory” from the University of Western Ontario.  She later shifted to inter-disciplinary research in science, technology and environmental policy, which she carried out at the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore.

In 1982, she founded an independent institute, the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology in Dehra Dun dedicated to high quality and independent research to address the most significant ecological and social issues of our times, in close partnership with local communities and social movements.  In 1991, she founded Navdanya, a national movement to protect the diversity and integrity of living resources, especially native seeds.

Dr. Shiva has contributed in fundamental ways to changing the practice and paradigms of agriculture and food.  Her books, “The Violence of Green Revolution” and “Monocultures of the Mind” have become basic challenges to the dominant paradigm of non-sustainable, reductionist Green Revolution Agriculture. 

Demystifying GATT, working with farmers to explain TRIPS and the Agreement of Agriculture are other dimensions of her work on Agriculture and Food Security.

The area of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and Biodiversity is another area where Dr. Shiva has contributed intellectually and through campaigns.

The “Neem Campaign” and “Basmati Campaign” are other examples of her leadership in IPR and Biopiracy issues.  Besides her activism, she also serves on expert groups of government on IPR legislation.

Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering are another dimension of Dr. Shiva’s campaigning internationally.  She has helped movements in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Ireland, Switzerland and Austria with their campaigns against genetic engineering.

Dr. Shiva’s contributions to gender issues are nationally and internationally recognised.  Her book, “Staying Alive” dramatically shifted he perception of third World women.  In 1990 she wrote a report for the FAO on Women and Agriculture entitled, “Most Farmers in India are Women”.   She founded the gender unit at the International Centre for Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu.

More recently, she has initiated an international movement of women working of food, agriculture, patents and biotechnology called, Diverse Women for Diversity.  The movement was launched formally in Bratislava, Slovakia on 1-2 May 1998.

Dr. Shiva has been a visiting professor and lectured at the Universities of Oslo, Norway, Schumacher College, U.K. Mt. Holyoke college, U.S. and lectures at York University, Canada, University of Lulea, Sweden, University of Victoria, Canada, and Organisations and Institutions worldwide on environment, feminism and economic development.   She has also founded Bija Vidyapeeth, the Schumacher College in India.

Besides her academic and research contributions, Dr. Shiva has also served as an adviser to governments in India and abroad as well as NGOs such as the International Forum on Globalisation, Women’s Environment and Development Organisation and Third World Netwok.

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Awards

For her contributions to deepening the ecological paradigm, and for linking research to action, Dr. Shiva has received many awards including:-

1.      Order of the Golden Ark, 1993  by  his Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands for her outstanding services to conservation and ecology.

2.      Global 500 Roll of Honour, 1993 by UNEP for her outstanding environmental work.

3.      Earth Day International Award, 1993 by Earth Day International for her dedicated commitment to the preservation of he planet as demonstrated by her actions, leadership and by setting an example for the rest of the world.

4.      Alternative Nobel Prize (Right Livelihood Award), 1993 for her pioneering insights into the social and environmental costs of the dominant development process, and her ability to work with and for local people and communities in the articulation and implementation of alternatives.”

5.      VIDA SANA International Award, 1993, Spain for her contribution to Ecology and Food Security.

6.      “Pride of the Doon” Award from Doon Citizen Council, Dehra Dun, India, 1995, in recognition to her distinguished contribution to the region.

7.      The Golden Plant Award (International Award of Ecology), Denmark, 1997 for the remarkable contribution for Ecology and Environment.

8.      Alfonso Comin Award, 1997, Barcelona, Spain for important contribution both scientifically and personally to the ecologist and feminist movement in India widening their fields towards a grater perspective where struggles related to gender, ecology, ethnocity, class and Human Rights meet.

9.      Commemorative Medal by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand on the occasion of the Celebration of the 18th World Food Day organised by FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok on 16 Oct 98.

10.  Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Republic from the International Scientific Committee of the Pio Manzu Centre at Rimini, Italy during the XXIV Pio Manzu International Conference on “The Horizons of Hermes” on 18 Oct 98.

11.  Pellegrino Artusi Award 2000, Italy for original contribution to reflections on relations between humans and food.

12.  HORIZON 3000 Award of Austria on May 10, 2001 in recognition to rendering  useful service for defending Human Rights and Preservation of Peace and for the  vision of a world wide fair development in the third millennium.

13.  Awarded by the ASIA WEEK Magazine as one of the top five most powerful persons in Asia. For services rendered as an Ecologist aiming for preserving World Ecology, she has been recognised as among the 50 most powerful people recognized.

14.  John M. Berry Sr. Leadership Award for dedicated vision and commitment to family farm agriculture.

15.  Recently awarded the Special International Literary Prize “Ken Saro Wiwa” by Acquiambiente, Italy

Publications by Dr. Shiva:

I.   Dr. Shiva is recognised for her contributions to the fields of women and environment, biodiversity, biotechnology and intellectual property rights and ecological issues related to agriculture. Her books include:

1.      Water Wars, South End Press, Boston, 2001

2.      Patents, Myths and Reality, Penguin India, 2001

3.      Tomorrow’s Biodiversity, Thames and Hudson, London 2000

4.      Stolen Harvest The HIJACKING of the GLOBAL FOOD SUPPLY, South End    Press, 1999

5.      Biopiracy:The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge, South End Press, USA, 1997 (Translated into Spanish, Italian and Japanese)

6.      Biopolitics (with Ingunn Moser),  Zed Books, U.K. 1995

7.      Closer to Home, Earthscan, London, 1994 Women, Ecology and Health: Rebuilding Connections (Editor), Dag Hammarskjold Foundation and Kali for Women (1993)

8.      Monocultures of the Mind: Biodiversity, Biotechnology  and Agriculture, Third World Network, Penang and Zed Press, U.K.1993, (translated into two Italian and Japanese)

9.      Ecofeminism, Kali for Women, New Delhi and Zed Books,U.K.1993 (Translated into Portuguese language)

10.  Biodiversity: Social and Ecological Perspectives (Editor); Third World Network, Penang, Zed Press, U.K. 1992  (translated  into two languages)

11.  Ecology and the Politics of Survival: UNU, Tokyo and SAE, New Delhi and London 1991

12.  The Violence of the Green Revolution; Ecological degradation and political conflict in Punjab; Third World Network, Penang,  Zed Press, ,1993 (Translated into Japanese language)

13.  Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Survival in India; Kali for  Women,  New Delhi 1988, Zed Press, U.K. (translated into 6 other languages)

In addition, Dr. Shiva is author of over 300 papers in leading scientific and technical journals.