New Delhi: The three-day Dryland Congress 2026 concluded in New Delhi with a call for greater South–South and triangular cooperation to accelerate solutions for dryland agriculture. The Congress culminated in the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Drylands (3D), which outlines a shared agenda for transforming dryland agriculture through collaboration, knowledge exchange, innovation and collective action across the Global South. The declaration was endorsed by participating governments, institutions, partners and delegates.
Addressing the valedictory session, Dr M. L. Jat, Secretary, DARE, and Director General of ICAR, stressed the need to place foresight at the centre of dryland agriculture efforts. He called for a strong institutional mechanism, robust data and information systems, and common innovation platforms linking research with practice and policy. ICRISAT Director General Dr Himanshu Pathak emphasised the strategic importance of drylands to global food security and urged participants to translate the Congress deliberations into concrete short- and long-term action.
The Congress also witnessed the announcement of new partnerships and memoranda of understanding involving ICRISAT, the Global Crop Diversity Trust, Avior Life Sciences, NIFTEM, Wipro Limited and the district administrations of Angul and Rayagada in Odisha. The ISSCA Global Awards 2026 recognised agricultural innovations from across the Global South. The Mega Awards were presented to ICARDA, Lebanon, CIMMYT, Mexico, and the Odisha Livelihoods Mission for innovations in climate-resilient farming, digital agriculture and women-led sustainable agriculture.
Held under the theme “Transforming Dryland Agriculture with South–South Cooperation,” the Congress also featured discussions on knowledge exchange, innovation and scaling successful agricultural models. The event concluded with a renewed commitment to translate scientific knowledge into action, scale proven technologies and strengthen partnerships for resilient and sustainable dryland agriculture across the Global South.
