Dr Sohan Singh Walia, Principal Agronomist-cum-Director, School of Organic and Natural Farming, Punjab Agricultural University, has been awarded “ISA Fellow” by The Indian Society of Agronomy, New Delhi, during the Sixth International Agronomy Congress on “Re-envisioning Agronomy for Smart Agri-food Systems and Environmental Stewardship”, held at CSIR–NPL, New Delhi, from November 24–26, 2025.
Dr Walia is working as Principal Agronomist in the School of Organic Farming. He started organic farming research as a pioneer work at PAU as Ph.D. student (2001—04) and then worked on organic farming and integrated farming systems in the All India Co-ordinated Research Project on “Integrated Farming Systems and Network Project on Organic Farming.” Besides, he has played a foremost role in developing infrastructure, state-of-the-art model of an integrated farming system, and other research facilities in AICRP-Integrated Farming System project. He has also handled 24 projects and currently five projects are in hand. Additionally, he is involved in 35 product testing. Dr Walia has published 495 research and extension papers in reputed journals/magazines/newspapers; co-authored nine books; 21 book chapters; nine practical manuals; one research bulletin; four extension bulletins, and delivered 43 TV and Radio talks besides guiding 11 M.Sc and four Ph.D. students. He has also participated in 44 national and international conferences/meetings.
For his outstanding contributions to organic farming, Dr Walia has been decorated with the Best Organic Farming Centre Award (2019) by ICAR; Dr MS Randhawa Best Book Award (2017); Fellow, Indian Ecological Society (2016); Gold Medal by the Society of Recent Development in Agriculture (2013); ISA Best Paper Award alongwith a cash prize of Rs 5,000/- by the Indian Society of Agronomy (2011); S. Deshmukh Young Agronomist Award (2005) by the Indian Society of Agronomy; and Fellow, Society of Environmental Sciences (2004). He is also a recipient of Dr Gurbaksh Singh Gill Gold Medal, Merit Certificate for M.Sc. (Agronomy); SS Labh Singh Gold Medal and Merit Certificate for B.Sc. Agri. (Hons.).
He has been a part of the AICRP on Integrated Farming System, Ludhiana, which received the “Best Centre Award (2014)” from the ICAR- Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, Modipuram, Meerut. His 66 recommendations have been included in the Package of Practices for mass adoption by the Punjab Farmers especially, resource conservative cropping systems, nine organic farming based cropping systems, production technology of cultivation of direct seeded rice; and consortium biofertilizer application in sugarcane, maize, wheat, potato, onion and turmeric. Further, Dr Walia has been instrumental in the development of technologies regarding application of consortium in sugarcane, turmeric, potato, onion, maize and wheat crops; integrated nutrient management in maize/soybean; highly productive alternative cropping systems; direct seeded rice and basmati rice; and rice residue management for the mass scale adoption under Punjab conditions. He has also contributed immensely to the evolvement of Integrated Farming System Research Model, comprising dairy, fishery, horticulture, vegetables, agro-forestry, vermin-composting.
The PAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, along with senior officials including Dr Rishipal Singh, Registrar; Dr Makhan Singh Bhullar, Director of Extension Education; Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research; and Dr MIS Gill, Dean, Post Graduate Studies, congratulated Dr Walia for bringing laurels to the University and extended their best wishes for to him for his continued contributions to agricultural research and extension.