The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare reported on the second day of Dryland Congress 2026 in New Delhi, which featured a special session commemorating 50 years of collaboration between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The session brought together former and current leaders of both institutions to reflect on five decades of partnership and deliberate on a roadmap for strengthening collaboration and accelerating agricultural transformation towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
The special session was co-chaired by Dr R. S. Paroda, Former Director General of ICAR, and Dr William D. Dar, Former Director General of ICRISAT. Other former leaders including Dr Panjab Singh, Dr C. L. L. Gowda, Dr T. R. Sharma, and Dr Swapan Datta shared reflections on the evolution and achievements of the partnership. Dr M. L. Jat, Secretary of Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General of ICAR, emphasized the need to leverage complementary strengths of ICAR and ICRISAT to address emerging agricultural challenges and create greater impact.
Dr D. K. Yadava, Deputy Director General of Crop Science at ICAR, and Dr Raman Babu, Global Research Program Director of Accelerated Crop Improvement at ICRISAT, presented a roadmap for strengthening ICAR-ICRISAT collaboration towards Viksit Bharat 2047 with emphasis on leveraging scientific capabilities and translating research into greater impact. The Congress featured three thematic panel discussions on "Reimagining Resilient Dryland Farming Systems," "Transforming Seed Systems in the Global South," and "Gender and Youth-Centered Transformation," examining integrated climate-smart approaches for smallholder farmers, strengthening seed delivery systems, and promoting inclusive policies.
Parallel technical sessions covered resilient dryland farming systems, seed systems in the Global South, and gender- and youth-centred transformation, bringing together researchers, policymakers, and development partners. More than 145 posters were evaluated on September 10-11 for Best Poster Awards, providing a platform for emerging researchers. Dr R. S. Paroda delivered a visionary talk on "Agrobiodiversity for Building Resilience of Drylands," highlighting the importance of conserving and utilizing agrobiodiversity to strengthen dryland farming systems.
Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICRISAT, stated that the collaboration had translated scientific research into impact and that the next phase should focus on strengthening innovation, South-South cooperation and collective action. Dr Panjab Singh highlighted significant outcomes achieved through the partnership and stressed that the next phase should focus on scaling successful models. Dr William D. Dar emphasized that the future of dryland agriculture depends on combining scientific capabilities with strong partnerships, innovation and scale.
Prof. Yaye Gassama, ICRISAT Board Member, emphasized greater participation of women and young people in shaping solutions for dryland regions. Dr A. V. Bhavani Shankar, Chief General Manager of NABARD, highlighted the importance of developing scalable innovations and taking them beyond individual interventions toward systems-level deployment. The Congress focused on strengthening institutional partnerships, accelerating scientific innovation, building resilient farming and seed systems, and ensuring greater participation of women and youth in dryland agri-food systems transformation.