In search of biohappiness

Professor M.S. Swaminathan, World Food Prize laureate and Father of the Green Revolution in Asia, chose the headquarters of Bioversity International outside Rome to launch his new book, In Search of Biohappiness.

“Biohappiness,” he explained, “is happiness coming from the sustainable and equitable use of natural resources for more jobs and incomes.” This, he says, is a deliberately counterpoint to other “bio” words, such as bio-piracy and bio-terrorism.

Emile Frison, Director General of Bioversity International, agreed that the book was a welcome and optimistic wake-up call. “But,” he cautioned, “unless this wake-up call is heard and acted upon, we risk moving towards a tsunami of biosadness”.

In his remarks, Professor Swaminathan drew on a lifetime’s experience working not only in the laboratory but also  among mangroves, in rainforests, and particularly with poor people in his native India. He pointed out the irony that many of the places richest in biodiversity are occupied by some of the poorest people, and pointed to examples of the kind of work that creates biohappiness.

[Read more]