By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
Kiran Shetty
The seed was planted as a young boy, and not only did Kiran Shetty, technical development lead for Syngenta, recognize it, he embraced it.
Growing up on his grandfather’s farm in India, there was no electrical power or running water.
“As a kid, I created little irrigation systems, breaking small pipes and building channels to water my plants,” Shetty is quoted as saying in a Syngenta Thrive magazine article written by Chris Harrell.
“Knowing I’d helped the plants produce fruit gave me a sense of accomplishment,” Shetty adds. “The fruit, as well as the brownie points it earned me at home, were nice, too.”
From those humble beginnings, Shetty spread his wings, attending the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India, and eventually earning a master’s degree in plant sciences from the University of Idaho.
As noted in the Thrive article, Shetty’s father sold crop protection equipment and taught his son how the machines worked, triggering an understanding that technology could improve agriculture.
The demand for potatoes that the fast-food industry spurred caught the young Shetty’s attention, and his teachers encouraged him to look at educational opportunities outside of India.
