Dryland Congress 2026 Concludes With Delhi Declaration On Drylands

Key Highlights:

• The Dryland Congress 2026 concluded in New Delhi with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Drylands (3D).
• The declaration outlines a shared agenda for transforming dryland agriculture through collaboration and innovation across the Global South.
• The Congress emphasized strengthening South–South and triangular cooperation for dryland agriculture solutions.
• It coincided with the UN Day for South–South Cooperation, underscoring global solidarity in agricultural development.
• ICAR and ICRISAT highlighted the need for foresight, robust data, and concrete action in dryland agri-food systems.
• The ISSCA Global Awards 2026 were presented, recognizing significant agricultural innovations from institutions across the Global South.

Detailed Insights:

• The Delhi Declaration on Drylands (3D) aims to translate scientific knowledge into action and scale proven innovations for resilient dryland agriculture.
• Dr. M. L. Jat, Secretary, DARE, and DG, ICAR, proposed mandating ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (ICAR-NIAP) to lead foresight work.
• Dr. Himanshu Pathak, DG, ICRISAT, stressed the strategic importance of drylands for global food security and the need to convert deliberations into concrete actions.
• New partnerships and Memoranda of Understanding were announced with organizations like the Global Crop Diversity Trust and Wipro Limited.
• The Congress included sessions on advancing South–South and triangular cooperation, sharing experiences from national agricultural research systems globally.
• The ISSCA Global Awards 2026 recognized excellence in categories such as Crop Improvement, Natural Resource Management, Agribusiness, Digital Agriculture, and Livestock Improvement.

Key Concepts Involved:

• South-South Cooperation: A framework for collaboration among developing countries in political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, and technical domains.
• Triangular Cooperation: Collaboration involving two or more developing countries (South-South) supported by a developed country or multilateral organization.
• Dryland Agriculture: Farming practices adapted to arid and semi-arid regions characterized by low and unpredictable rainfall.