Syed Ganikhan hails from Kirugavlu and chose to be a farmer in his ancestral agricultural land. Initially he began to protect an existing mango plantation in 15 acres which has more than 120 species of mangoes. Then he roamed across the country to collect different varieties of rice species and began growing them on his farm, making him the only farmer in India to cultivate and conserve 750 varieties of rice. He protects 140 varieties of mangoes and many more wild species of food crops. At the same time he encourages farmers to grow different species of rice by offering them the seeds and disseminating techniques for growing them. He has been honoured by Karnataka and the Indian government for protecting indigenous species.