Founder and Editor-in-Chief Emeritus

Prof. P. K. Ramachandran Nair, Distinguished Professor (Emeritus) at the University of Florida, is a pioneer in the academic field of agroforestry. Soil carbon sequestration in agroforestry systems has been his major area of research for the past two decades. His other areas of expertise include soil fertility, ecosystem services, and sustainable land use. Following his innovative work on multi-strata cropping systems with tree crops in his native Kerala, India, in the 1970s, he became a founding member and a lead scientist of ICRAF (World Agroforestry), a CGIAR center, in Kenya. He joined the University of Florida as a Professor in 1987 and was named Distinguished Professor in 2001. He holds six doctoral degrees – two earned and four honoris causa. He has traveled widely, worked on five continents, published prolifically, and has earned several distinctions. Prof. Nair is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and several other professional societies. His numerous other recognitions include the IUFRO Scientific Achievement Award, Research Award of the Society of American Foresters, Fulbright Distinguished Chair Award, and the Humboldt Prize, Germany.

Agroforestry; Integrated farming systems; Soil carbon sequestration; Climate change mitigation; Ecosystem services; Soil health