The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, along with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), will host a three-day Global Dryland Congress 2026 in New Delhi from 10–12 September 2026. The event brings together over 800 scientists, policymakers, farmers and development partners from Asia, Africa and the Americas to discuss challenges facing agriculture in dry regions.
What the Congress will cover
The congress theme is “Transforming Dryland Agriculture with South–South Cooperation”. It will be held at the National Agricultural Science Complex and marks 50 years of partnership between ICAR and ICRISAT.
Participants will deliberate across six key areas:
- Crop breeding techniques
- Building resilience to climate change
- Nutrition and market access
- Farming systems and practices
- Seed systems
- Gender and youth involvement in agriculture
The Congress will feature panel discussions, keynote presentations, parallel working sessions and poster exhibitions. On its final day, 12 September, the Congress will observe the United Nations Day for South–South Cooperation with special sessions on cooperation in agricultural research, organised jointly with CGIAR. The event will conclude with adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Dryland (3D), announcements of new partnerships, memorandums of understanding and awards for contributions to dryland agriculture.
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be the Chief Guest.
What this means for you
Drylands cover roughly 45 percent of the world’s land surface and are home to over two billion people, many of them smallholder farmers facing climate variability, land degradation and water scarcity. The Congress aims to find practical solutions to these challenges by bringing together global expertise. For farmers, researchers and policymakers in dry regions, the outcomes—including new partnerships and research directions—could shape how agriculture adapts to environmental stress in coming years.