Qualifications: M.Sc. Environmental Studies and Resource Management, TERI SAS, New Delhi, 2019-21

B.Tech. Food Technology Management, NIFTEM, Haryana, 2013-17

Email: haripriya@dakshin.org

Profile: Harpriya has always found herself intrigued by the science behind the food we consume. To understand it in detail, she decided to pursue a B.Tech. in food technology, following which she worked in the food sector for over two years, only to realize the need for sustainable interventions to reduce food and packaging wastage at industrial levels. To feed her curiosity, she joined a Master’s in environmental studies and this is where she developed an inclination towards marine biodiversity conservation. For her dissertation, she studied the life history traits of commonly landed elasmobranchs in Malvan, Maharashtra. What amazed her the most was the liveliness of the fish auctions. There she understood food one step beyond science. It was an enriching experience for her to witness the social, cultural, and economic aspects linking our consumption patterns. She is interested in exploring the fisheries space while promoting nutritional security in the community.

She joined Dakshin in December 2021 and is working with the Sustainable Fisheries programme on a project that aims to understand the dynamics of reduction fisheries and their implications in India. Her field site is Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, where she will be collecting biological and fisheries data as well as conducting interviews with relevant stakeholders.