In his own unique way, he analyses the international developments with local interpretation. Many regard him as singularly responsible for deciphering the complex global treaties and agreements and what it means for the developing countries in a simple and understandable manner.
He has been recently awarded with the honorary degree of Professor at Large by the CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur (India), from where he had graduated, and also has formerly been a Visiting Fellow to the International Rice Research Institute, in the Philippines; Visiting Fellow at the School of Development Studies at the University of East Anglia, Norwich (UK); and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge (UK).
The popular Indian weekly magazine The Week in its Independent Day Special (issue dated Aug 16, 2009) has listed Devinder Sharma among the 25 Most Valuable Indians, calling him ‘Green Chomsky”.
Sharma is associated with numerous national and international organizations, civil society groups and farmers organisations. He also on the board of half a dozen national and international organizations, and is also a member of the CGIAR’s Central Advisory Service on Intellectual Property Rights.
Among his recent works include, four books:
• GATT and India: The Politics of Agriculture;
• GATT to WTO: Seeds of Despair
• In the Famine Trap
• Bhhokh ka Asli Chehra (in Hindi)
Invited worldover to speak and share his views on the future of international agriculture, he has the privilege of interacting with and influencing some of the world's important leaders. His strong grip on the ground realities and the ability to weave it into an incisive policy analysis makes him a leading voice from the majority world.
He has had the privilege and honour of addressing parliamentary briefings at several parliaments in Europe, including the House of Commons. He has delivered some 100 keynote addresses at international conferences/congresses in the past five years. He has also delivered lectures/special talks at over 50 universities in Europe, America and Australia.
He travels extensively, spending most of his time in the villages. He also uses his regular columns to disseminate the analysis among the masses.
He chairs an independent collective in New Delhi, called the Forum for Biotechnology & Food Security. The Forum is a collective of some of the well-known policy makers, agriculture scientists, economists, biotechnologists, farmers and environmentalists to examine and analyses the implications and fall-out of various policy decisions, both national and international.
