Sathish Bakkathatla
Agricultural research professional with one foot in UK academia and one foot in Indian smallholder farming. Trained at the University of Hertfordshire, hardened through ICRISAT field research with 200 tribal farmer households in India. Now based in Bedfordshire, England, building the trusted bridge between UK and European agri-tech innovation and India's 140 million farmers.
MSc Environmental Management for Agriculture
University of Hertfordshire, UK
2023-2024 · Environmental Management focus
Former ICRISAT Research Scholar
International Crops Research Institute
1 year · 2021-2022 · Hyderabad, India
Royal Agricultural Society
Member, England
Direct Field Experience
200+ farmer households worked with
Smallholder farming · Telangana, India
From ICRISAT field research to AgriShakti UK
A founder's story should be honest. Here is mine — built on real research, real field experience, and a clear mission to bridge two worlds that need each other.
- 12021-2022
Former ICRISAT Research Scholar (1 year)
One year on the Tricot Citizen Science Project with 200 tribal smallholder farmer households. Sorghum participatory variety selection, plant phenotyping, and digital data collection.
- 22022
Project Manager · Sorghum Seed Multiplication
Extended role at ICRISAT in plant breeding and crop physiology. Trained in R programming and CSPro. Motivated tribal farmers to adopt improved sorghum varieties for better yields.
- 32023-2024
MSc Environmental Management for Agriculture · University of Hertfordshire
Completed Masters in Environmental Management for Agriculture. Built deep understanding of UK and European agri-tech innovation ecosystem.
- 42025
Royal Agricultural Society + AgriShakti UK
Joined the Royal Agricultural Society of England. Founded AgriShakti UK to bridge UK agri-tech innovation and Indian farmer access.
- 52025+
Building the Bridge
Actively building founding partnerships with UK and EU agri-tech companies, while developing the Indian network of FPOs, cooperatives, and government bodies.
See my full research portfolio
Publications, projects, technical skills, and ICRISAT recommendations — on my professional portfolio website.
Why I am uniquely placed for this
A UK person cannot easily build trust with Indian tribal farmer cooperatives — they lack the language, the cultural context, and, crucially, the agricultural training. An Indian person based in India cannot easily access UK agri-tech leaders or attend British industry events. I am uniquely placed to do both — with research-grade credentials that make me credible to UK companies, and deep field experience that makes me trusted by Indian farmers.