Global Leaders Convene in New Delhi for DialogueNEXT to Tackle Hunger Tipping Point
Policymakers, scientists, farmers, and international agricultural leaders gathered at the ICAR Convention Centre, PUSA Campus, for the opening of DialogueNEXT, on Monday.
New Delhi, September 9: Policymakers, scientists, farmers, and international agricultural leaders gathered today at the ICAR Convention Centre, PUSA Campus, for the opening of DialogueNEXT—a two-day global conference dedicated to advancing frontier innovations to secure the world’s food future. The event, being held on September 8–9, coincides with World Agriculture Day and places farmers at the center of solutions to address mounting food security challenges.
Hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation in partnership with CIMMYT, the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), this year’s DialogueNEXT carries the theme “Take it to the Farmer,” building on last year’s edition in Mexico.
India’s Role as Innovation Hub
Mangi Lal Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General, ICAR, said the agri-food system is under pressure from global megatrends that require smallholder farmer-centric solutions. “This essentially needs greater investments in cutting-edge science, innovations and partnerships across discovery to delivery. Since India’s agricultural transformation is happening at a faster pace, the country can serve as a smallholder agriculture innovation hub for the Global South,” he said.
Nicole Prenger, Senior Director at the World Food Prize Foundation, noted the symbolism of hosting the conference in India, six decades after Norman Borlaug’s introduction of semi-dwarf wheat varieties helped double India’s production and avert famine. “DialogueNEXT was designed to mobilize action for a similar ‘moonshot’ push to feed a growing global population sustainably in the coming decades,” she said.
Global Voices, Shared Goals
The event highlights India’s legacy and leadership in agriculture, honoring Indian World Food Prize laureates and showcasing innovations in sustainable food systems. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister and CIMMYT Board Member, and Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT Director General, underscored the importance of India’s role in unlocking productivity and sustainability gains across the global agri-food value chain.
International participation includes Thinley Namgyel, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Bhutan; Govinda Prasad Sharma, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Nepal; Máximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist of the FAO; and a US delegation from Iowa led by Governor Kim Reynolds, Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig, and Brent Johnson, President of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.
A Farmer-First Agenda
DialogueNEXT provides a platform for science, policy, business, and civil society to collaborate on scaling transformative agricultural solutions. The focus remains clear: ensuring that innovations—from climate-resilient seeds to digital technologies—reach smallholder farmers who form the backbone of food systems in the Global South.
As stakeholders deliberate in New Delhi, the message resonates strongly: securing the world’s food future demands urgent collaboration, bold investments, and farmer-centered innovation.
