Dr Sohan Singh Walia obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D.degree in Agronomy from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. He joined PAU as Assistant Professor (Agronomy) in 1995, elevated to the position of Principal Agronomist in 2010. He started organic farming research as a pioneer work at PAU, Ludhiana as Ph.D. student (2001—04) and then worked on organic farming and integrated farming systems in All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Integrated Farming Systems and All India Network Project on Organic Farming.

Dr Walia has to his credit more than 450 research and extension publications, nine books, ten teaching manuals, seven extension folders and 22 book chapters. He has handled 24 research projects and is currently handling five research projects. The chapter on organic farming and integrated farming system in the package of practices was included during 2004-05 and 2017-18, respectively. Sixty-eight 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 and production technology of cultivation of direct seeded rice. In addition, he was involved in technologies regarding the application of consortiums in sugarcane, turmeric, potato, onion, maize, and wheat crops; integrated nutrient management in maize/soybean, rice residue management for the mass scale adoption under Punjab conditions. Developed Integrated Farming System Research Model comprising dairy, fishery, horticulture, vegetables, agro-forestry, vermi-composting. He has been involved in the teaching of 93 courses.

Dr Walia has guided four Ph.D. and eleven M.Sc. students as major advisor. He has organized 20 training programmes, delivered 62 invited lectures, 350 training lectures, and 52 TV and radio talks. He has attended ten international and 75 national conferences/seminars/workshops.

Dr Walia was appreciated for outstanding work on integrated (2007-2017) and organic farming during QRT review (2012-2017). Recipient of Best organic farming centre award (2019) by ICAR; Dr M S Randhawa best book award (2017); Fellow, Indian Ecological Society (2016); Gold medal from Society of Recent Development in Agriculture at International Conference (2013); ISA Best Paper Award along with cash prize of Rs 5000/- from Indian Society of Agronomy (2011) for paper entitled,"Alternate cropping systems to rice-wheat for Punjab”; ISA P. S. Deshmukh Young Agronomist Award (2005) by Indian Society of Agronomy; Fellow, Society of Environmental Sciences (2004). The AICRP on Integrated Farming System, Ludhiana centre received the Best Centre Award (2014) from ICAR- Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, Modipuram, Meerut. Received Dr. Gurbaksh Singh Gill Gold Medal, Merit Certificate for M.Sc. (Agronomy); S.S. Labh Singh Gold Medal and Merit Certificate for B.Sc. Agri. (Hons.). Dr Walia has acquired advance training in rice production systems from School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, South Australia.