Prof Tej Partap, the 98th President of the Association of Indian Universities is an internationally renowned Policy and Strategy Expert of Mountain Farming Affairs, Mountain Agriculture and Organic Agriculture Development Strategies. He last served his fifth term as Vice Chancellor at Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar , Uttrakhand. A breakthrough leader, Prof Tej Partap carries with him a long experience of institutional leadership at national and international level particularly as Vice Chancellor since 2001 in various universities, namely, CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur for two terms (April2001- Aug 2004 & Jul2007- Jul 2010 ); Sher e Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology Shalimar Srinagar ( Aug2010- Oct2015), Srinagar and APG Shimla University Shimla ( Oct2017-2018) and the first and largest farm university of India, GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology Pantnagar( October 2018-April, 2022).
After four years of Post doctoral research, Dr Partap started his international Professional career in 1987, with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development ( ICIMOD). First as Professional staff and then as Program Leader of Mountain Agriculture Programme, worked with the institutions and people in almost all the mountain regions of the world for the next 12 years, until end of year 2000. He is not only a Mountain Agriculture systems expert but also acknowledged expert on Organic Agriculture, offering consultancy on organic policy and strategy to states and national institutions. He was part of the founding team and first Director (2005-2006)of the International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture(ICCOA) located in Bengaluru. It is now a well recognised organisation with 400 employees. As team member of the National Commission on Farmers (2005-2007) he was responsible for writing the hill agriculture sector and organic farming sector sections for National Commossion on Farmers. consequebntly he also lead the team which prepared the Organic Sub-sector Proposal for 11th Five Year Plan.
An International Mountain Agriculture Development Policy Expert, he made significant contributions as Head of the Mountain Agriculture Programme at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development ( ICIMOD). He was on the Steering Committee of the Global Mountain Program of CGIAR for three years and represented Asia Pacific as elected representative on the Governing Board of the Global Mountain Forum ( 2000-2002) . He is one among the rare experts, who had the credit of working in the Andean region of South America, Alps in Europe, African highlands, Asian uplands from Thailand to Philippines and Japan and every part of the 8 countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region from Afghanistan to China to Myanmar.
Some of his widely acknowledged exceptional achievements include the Tibet Agriculture sector Institutional Capacity Building programme; bringing China’s sea buckthorn success story to outside world and replicating the success story of the Sloping Agriculture Land Technology of Philippines in seven South Asian countries. Recognizing his outstanding contributions, he was conferred with Himachal Ratan award in 2001 by H E Governor of Himachal Pradesh. Chinese Academy of Sciences ( CAS) and TAR, honoured him with Honorary Professor of Mountain Agriculture by Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Sciences (TAAAS), Lhasa, China in 1994 for life and Honorary Professor of Mountain Agriculture by Institute of Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing in 1995.
In 2021, ICAR entrusted him the responsibility of leading a committee of the Vice Chancellors for formulating the implementation strategy about National Educarion Policy 2020 in Agriculture education. Subsequently, he was asked to lead the 6th Deans Committee of ICAR for further restructuring the academic program of the agricultural disciplines as per NEP.
Besides, being the Honorary Professor of two institutions in China during the past decades, in the present times, he is Honorary Professor in Sri Sri University Odisha and Shoolini University in Solan Himachal Pradesh. In both institutions his services are being used as an advisor on strategic matters, including NEP implementation.
Since summer 2022, Dr Partap is back on his farmland, to be an active mountain farmer. Sincerely trying hard to develop his 6 hectare farm into a commecial horticulture enterprise, where he is growing, Plums, persimmons, Kiwi fruit, pear, peach, chestnuts, pecan nuts, flowers and vegetables, and it is an extremely engaging exercise for me.