Dr. Venkata Kishore brings almost two decades of research and development experience in agricultural science, working to improve the lives of people living in low-income communities across the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. An expert in converting plant wealth to economic wealth, during his career, Dr. Kishore has helped launch more than 200 seed products and more than 50 native traits. For example, he played a critical role in developing drought-tolerant corn hybrid plants for Syngenta, a global leading agribusiness company, and was previously head of vegetable seeds breeding and testing at Bayer Crop Science. He was inspired to study agricultural science and pursue a career in research and development after witnessing farmers struggle to feed their families in rural India, his home country. Dr. Kishore has a Ph.D. in crop science from Oregon State University with a specialization in plant molecular breeding, as well as an MBA from Illinois State University. As well as being a board member for iDE, he is the global head of smallholders and sustainability at Bayer and is based in St. Louis, USA.