Dr. Guru Koppa brings over 25 years of experience in teaching, research, advocacy, and program management across India and Africa, with expertise in regenerative agriculture, water resources management, climate-smart agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and nature-based solutions. He has led the design and implementation of multi-stakeholder projects in collaboration with global institutions, governments, and NGOs, with a recent focus on climate change and carbon market initiatives.
Guru has held leadership roles for more than 15 years, including as Director at The Nature Conservancy, where he led a $40M initiative on regenerative agriculture, benefitting over one million rice and wheat farmers. He has also served as Assistant FAO Representative (Programme) at FAO India and as Senior Program Manager at ICRISAT, overseeing international agricultural research programs across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
His extensive field experience spans Kenya, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Zambia, making him a valuable asset to PRANA and the Bezos Earth Fund team. Academically, he holds a Ph.D. in Rural Management (WRM) from IRMA, a Master's in Agronomy from UAS Dharwad, and is certified in PRINCE2 Project Management. He is fluent in English, Hindi, and Kannada, and conversational in Telugu and French