Barun Mitra is a thinker and a writer, always trying to explore ways to translate ideas into possible actions. His key interest is to find ways of generating political capital from the ideals of liberty, peace and prosperity, in order to make these principles and policies socially and politically viable. He firmly believes that the strength of citizenship lies in being able to engage actively on public issues, without being an expert. Sovereignty of citizens depends on this capacity to engage.

Since 2017, he has been associated with grassroots farmers organisations on a range of agriculture issues. Early in 2019, he had taken the initiative to draft a Farmers Manifesto for Freedom. In the summer of 2019, he was a part of the Kisan Satyagraha in Maharashtra, where farmers publicly sowed unapproved GM cotton to express their demand for access to latest technologies.  Between 2010 and 2016, he worked with ARCH Vahini, Gujarat, to help poor forest dwelling communities claim their property rights over land and local natural resources, and develop a web platform to implement the Forest Rights Act 2005.

He was the founder and director of Liberty Institute, an independent think tank in New Delhi, from 1996 to 2016. Liberty Institute had received the Templeton Prize for social entrepreneurship in 2003. In 2011, the Empowering India, an initiative to inform and encourage active citizenship, was recognised with the Manthan Award for innovative use of ICT in South Asia in the category of governance. 

His writings have been published and been invited to speak across the world on a wide range of issues from economics to environment, trade and technology, agriculture and land.  Some of his in-depth analysis of the Indian situation has appeared on the GIS Reports.

Some of his other writings are available on the personal blog- http://barunsmitra.blogspot.com/