Dr. Neeraja Havaligi grew up studying agriculture while learning about plants and food from elders around her in Bangalore, India. Early-on she understood the connection between India’s food diversity and the biodiversity in nature around her. As a faculty member of the Environmental Sciences, Oregon State University in the US, and in her role as a Biodiversity and Climate Change specialist with UN agencies, Dr. Havaligi enjoys sharing the interconnection between nature and people across the globe. As a mother of two kids, one in college and another college bound, Dr. Havaligi has experienced how nature helps heal pandemic related challenges and uncertainty. https://www.linkedin.com/in/biodiversity