In 1982, she founded an independent institute, the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology in Dehra Dun dedicated to high quality and independent research to address the most significant ecological and social issues of our times, in close partnership with local communities and social movements. In 1991, she founded Navdanya , a national movement to protect the diversity and integrity of living resources, especially native seed, the promotion of organic farming and fair trade. For last two decades Navdanya has worked with local communities and organizations serving more than 500,000 men and women farmers. Navdanya’s efforts have resulted in conservation of more than 3000 rice varieties from all over the country and have established 60 seed banks in 16 states across the country. In 2004, she started Bija Vidyapeeth, an international college for sustainable living in Doon Valley in collaboration with Schumacher College, U.K.

She has initiated an international movement of women working of food, agriculture, patents and biotechnology called, Diverse Women for Diversity. She serves on Prince Charles’s expert group on Sustainable Agriculture. Dr. Shiva is a member of President Zapatero’s Scientific Committee. Dr. Vandana Shiva has also worked in a feature film “Harmony” along with HRH The Prince of Wales. Dr. Shiva advises Governments worldwide and is working with the Government of Bhutan to make Bhutan 100% organic. She is working with the Governments of Tuscany and Rome to create a hopeful and liveable future for youth in these times of crises.

Dr. Shiva’s books include Who Really Feeds the World, Seed Sovereignty & Food Sovereignty : Women in the Vanguard, Making Peace with the Planet, Soil not Oil, Earth Democracy, Water Wars, Patents Myth and Reality, Tomorrow’s Biodiversity, Stolen Harvest, Biopiracy – The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge, Monocultures of the Mind – Biodiversity, Biotechnology and Agriculture, Ecofeminism, The Violence of the Green Revolution, Ecology and the Politics of Survival, Staying Alive (Women, Ecology & Development).

Among her many awards are the Alternative Nobel Prize (Right Livelihood Award, 1993), Order of the Golden Ark, Global 500 Award of UN and Earth Day International Award. Lennon ONO grant for peace award by Yoko Ono in 2009, Sydney Peace Prize in 2010, Doshi Bridgebuilder Award, Calgary Peace Prize and Thomas Merton Award in the year 2011,the Fukuoka Award and The Prism of Reason Award in 2012 , the Grifone d’Argento prize 2016 and The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity 2016.