Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique, Director of The UWA Institute of Agriculture, has been awarded a Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by Kerala Agricultural University, where he completed his agricultural science degree in 1977. The honor recognizes his four-decade contribution to global agricultural science, capacity building, and academic leadership.
Professor Siddique’s impact on Indo-Australian agricultural collaboration is substantial, encompassing 189 joint research papers with Indian scientists and the mentorship of 12 PhD students and 25 postdoctoral fellows from Indian institutions. His partnership with Kerala Agricultural University notably led to establishing the College of Climate Change and Environmental Science in 2010.
The collaboration continues to strengthen, with recent developments including a joint 1+1 Master program in Agricultural Economics between The University of Western Australia and Kerala Agricultural University. Plans are also underway for a joint Environmental Science program.
At the conferral ceremony, held during Kerala Agricultural University’s Annual Convocation on June 26, 2025, Professor Siddique emphasized the critical need for agricultural innovation. “India and Kerala must move from traditional, labour-intensive farming to modern agribusiness systems that are capital and technology-intensive,” he stated, addressing challenges of climate change, resource depletion, and food system vulnerability.
Image courtesy: The University of Western Australia
His extensive international network includes collaborations with ICAR institutions, ICRISAT, IITs, JNU, and various state agricultural universities in India. His research has received support from prestigious organizations including the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, ARC, CGIAR, GRDC, COGGO, and the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund. Additionally, he has served on numerous advisory boards, steering committees, and Australian Prime Ministerial science delegations.
The ceremony was attended by distinguished guests including the Chancellor, the Governor of Kerala, Minister for Agriculture, and Minister for Revenue Government of Kerala. In his acceptance speech, Professor Siddique reflected, “I remain ever grateful to my teachers and the university for laying a strong foundation in agricultural science, critical thinking, analytical reasoning and communication skills”.
