Delhi Declaration on Drylands calls for collective action to build resilient agri-food systems
Dryland Congress 2026 concluded in New Delhi with the Delhi Declaration on Drylands, calling for stronger South–South cooperation, robust data systems, living laboratories and innovation.
The three-day Dryland Congress 2026 concluded in New Delhi with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Drylands (3D) on Saturday.
NEW DELHI: The three-day Dryland Congress 2026 concluded in New Delhi with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Drylands (3D), calling for stronger collaboration, knowledge exchange, innovation and collective action to transform dryland agriculture across the Global South.
The concluding day coincided with the United Nations Day for South–South Cooperation and saw participating governments, institutions, partners and delegates endorse the declaration.
Focus on science, data and innovation
Addressing the valedictory session, Dr ML Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General, ICAR, emphasised the need to place foresight at the centre of dryland agriculture planning.
He called for a strong institutional mechanism and proposed that the ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (ICAR-NIAP) be mandated to lead foresight work on dryland agriculture.
Dr Jat also stressed the importance of robust data and information systems for dryland agri-food systems and called for common innovation grounds or “living laboratories” that connect research with practice and policy.
Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General, ICRISAT, highlighted the strategic importance of drylands for global food security. He called for the Congress deliberations to be translated into concrete short- and long-term actions, with expertise, knowledge and partnerships brought together to accelerate implementation.
New partnerships for dryland agriculture
The Congress also saw the announcement of new partnerships and collaborations with the Global Crop Diversity Trust.
ICRISAT exchanged MoUs with Avior Life Sciences, NIFTEM, Wipro Limited, and the Angul and Rayagada district administrations of Odisha. The partnerships are aimed at strengthening innovation and action in dryland agriculture.
Congress Co-Chairs Dr D.K. Yadava, DDG (Crop Science), ICAR, and Dr Stanford Blade, DDG (Research & Innovation), ICRISAT, presented a summary of the three-day deliberations and highlighted key recommendations and outcomes.
Strengthening South–South cooperation
The final day opened with a commemoration ceremony for the UN Day for South–South Cooperation, featuring messages from the UN Secretary-General, the FAO Director-General and UNOSSC Director Dima Al-Khatib.
Dr Himanshu Pathak presented the vision of the International Solidarity for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA), stressing the importance of stronger partnerships across the Global South.
Representatives of ICRISAT, ICAR, CGIAR, RIS, NABARD and the CGIAR Capacity Sharing Accelerator reaffirmed their commitment to advancing South–South cooperation in agriculture.
A session titled “Knowledge Without Borders: Advancing South–South and Triangular Cooperation”, convened with CGIAR, examined ways to make such cooperation more effective and scale successful models.
Speakers from agricultural research systems in Ethiopia, Senegal, Brazil, China and India, along with representatives from CGIAR, FARA and APAARI, shared experiences and approaches.
ISSCA Global Awards recognise agricultural innovations
The Congress also hosted the ISSCA Global Awards 2026, which recognise agricultural innovations from institutions across the Global South with potential for scaling and cross-country adaptation.
The inaugural edition received 170 nominations from 34 countries across Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
The ISSCA Global Award for Transformative Excellence (Mega Award) was presented to:
- ICARDA, Lebanon, for TAAT Wheat Compact Technologies: Heat-Tolerant Wheat Varieties
- CIMMYT, Mexico, for e-Agrology 360
- Odisha Livelihoods Mission, Government of Odisha, India, for Women-Led Sustainable Farming for Nutrition and Rural Resilience
Awards were also presented across crop improvement and production technologies, natural resource management and climate resilience, agribusiness and market systems, digital agriculture, and livestock improvement and production technologies.
Among the Indian awardees were the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad; Karnataka State Department of Agriculture; NECTAR; Department of Agriculture, Government of Bihar; Tamil Nadu Agricultural University; Department of Horticulture, Government of Andhra Pradesh; and the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department, Government of Gujarat.
Sixteen Best Poster Awards were also presented to students and research scholars for promising research in dryland agriculture.
From knowledge to action
Held under the theme “Transforming Dryland Agriculture with South–South Cooperation,” Dryland Congress 2026 concluded with a renewed commitment to convert scientific knowledge into practical action, scale proven innovations and strengthen partnerships for resilient and sustainable dryland agriculture across the Global South.
