Pranab is a passionate researcher and an empathetic soul, aspiring to make the world more equal and better for all. For about 30 years, he has been working around inter-disciplinary issues related to natural resources management and governance in global south, with governments, DFIs, (I)NGOs, and communities.
He started his journey as a Scientist with India’s National Agriculture Research System, developing model watersheds to restore hill landscapes and tribal livelihoods, that led to the prestigious National Award in 2002. To serve the development sector more flexibly, he left his job after a decade and since then, has expanded his engagements around water, livelihoods, forestry, and land, building evidence and making recognizable impacts, at the national and international level. He has led and guided large scale bilateral and multi-country projects around climate change, food security, forestry, biodiversity, and livelihoods and has planned, accompanied and evaluated donor-funded development and research projects around NRM, livelihoods, value chain and ecosystem services across South Asia. Pranab was a member in the executive committee of Green India Mission of Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change of Government of India during 2014-19.
He founded Center for Land Governance in 2015, which in a short span was acknowledged as a leading land think tank around land governance policy and research in India and globally. Pranab’s land-engagement spans across rural, urban, forest and agriculture landscapes, focusing land tenure, use, administration and technology, cross-cutting gender, technology, justice, and sustainability. Apart from engaging on policy and action research with governments, the multilateral and Development Finance Institutions, academics, NGOs, and private sector, CLG organizes an annual India Land and Development Conference, a unique land convening in South Asia. He also teaches land related courses at Universities and B-Schools and trains senior government officials. He is invited to international and national conferences/ workshops as keynote speaker, session chair and panellist. Apart from writing blogs and in the national media, he publishes regularly in peer-reviewed journals. Towards building a land ecosystem in Global South and for embedding land tenure in the global and local development agendas, he has been triggering conversations, connections and partnerships among land actors and institutions working across sectors and geographies.