International Conference on Innovations to Transform Dryland Agriculture through South–South Cooperation
PRESS RELEASE – First Announcement / Save the Date
Venue: ICRISAT–Patancheru, Hyderabad, India
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The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) today announced the International Conference on Innovations to Transform Dryland Agriculture through South–South Cooperation, to be held 10–12 September 2026 at ICRISAT Headquarters in Patancheru, Telangana, India. The conference will bring together leaders from the Global South and beyond to advance practical, science-based and partnership-driven agri solutions for dryland food systems.
Drylands are home to the world’s most climate-vulnerable communities and are central to global food and nutritional security. The 2026 conference will provide a high-level platform to accelerate collaboration, knowledge exchange, and technology deployment, from crop improvement and seed systems to frontier science and next-generation cropping systems, anchored in the spirit of South–South Cooperation.
“ICRISAT has been making steady progress in leveraging South–South collaboration to transform dryland agriculture through its flagship initiative, ICRISAT Center of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA).
“This conference will serve as a global platform to showcase innovations that can transform dryland agriculture, where climate risk is highest and the need for resilient livelihood is most urgent,” noted Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General, ICRISAT.”
The conference dates align with the United Nations Day for South–South Cooperation (12 September), underscoring the importance of peer-to-peer learning, shared innovation pathways, and strengthened partnerships across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific.
“From functional genomics to farmer-ready seed delivery, the conference aims to connect cutting-edge science through its dynamic focus areas and spotlight solutions that work for smallholder farmers and dryland regions,” said Dr Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General – Research & Innovation, ICRISAT.
Conference focus areas
The conference program is being developed in consultation with the partners and stakeholders. Proposed sections include:
- The United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation (September 12)
- The Drylands Challenges
- Climate change and its impact on food and nutritional security
- The next generation of dryland cropping systems
- What will the dryland crops of the future look like?
- Understanding and utilizing genebank diversity
- Frontier technologies for dryland crop improvement
- Genomic Predictions and Speed Breeding
- Genomic-assisted breeding for climate resilient and biofortified crops
- Functional genomics and gene editing to transform dryland crops
- Seed delivery systems
- Food nutrition and bioavailability
- How do we attract youth into the agrifood ecosystem?
- Youth in management of dryland crops
Participation and updates
ICRISAT invites research and academic institutions, national agricultural research systems, governments, development partners, private sector innovators, CGIAR centers, and youth-led agrifood enterprises to save the dates and follow upcoming announcements on registration, program tracks, and partnership opportunities.
More information, including the conference webpage and call-for-participation details, will be shared through ICRISAT’s official channels in early 2026.
