Mahesh Gathala is the CIMMYT’s India country representative.
Born into a farming family, Mahesh Gathala earned his PhD in Soil Science and joined CIMMYT in 2011. Until April 2025, he served as the Science Lead for Asia and North Africa in CIMMYT’s Sustainable Agrifood Systems Program, based in Bangladesh. With over 25 years of experience in applied agricultural research for development, Gathala is a recognised expert in Regenerative and Conservation Agriculture, sustainable intensification, and climate-resilient farming systems.
Gathala has made significant contributions to institutional and professional human resource development through the promotion of advanced training programs and science-led policy advocacy. He has been instrumental in advancing scale-appropriate mechanisation, youth and women-led innovations, and capacity building for smallholder farmers as well as field extension agents. Before joining CIMMYT, at IRRI-India, he established long-term experiments/living labs on Conservation Agriculture platforms in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, working closely with farmers and NARS institutes across the region.
Gathala has contributed to over 20 major projects across Asia and Africa and has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and over 300+ additional scientific outputs.
Climate adaptation and mitigation 