Born into a farming family in Rajasthan, Mahesh Gathala obtained his BSc and MSc from Rajasthan Agricultural University and his PhD in Soil Science from Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology (MPUA&T), Udaipur.
Currently, he has been working since 2011 with CIMMYT’s Sustainable Intensification Program, as a Senior Systems Agronomist, presently based in Bangladesh. Dr Gathala has made strong contributions to strategic research, development and deployment of Conservation Agriculture (CA) based Sustainable Intensification, crop production and farming systems, small scale mechanization, innovations for youth and women micro-entrepreneurship and capacity building to several thousand farmers and partners. He is currently responsible for developing sustainable intensification through CA-based management solutions to address issues of resource degradation, soil health, abiotic stresses, and climate change in South Asia.
Capacity development 