NEW DELHI, Sept. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A major international push to accelerate agricultural innovation across the Global South took centre stage in New Delhi today, as the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation was commemorated amid mounting climate, water and food-security pressures across the world's drylands.

Held as part of the Global Drylands Congress 2026, the commemoration focused on how proven solutions can move faster across borders, particularly between countries facing similar agricultural and climate conditions, be adapted to local realities and deliver greater impact for farmers and food systems.

The Congress brought together some of the world's foremost agricultural scientists, policymakers, research leaders, development institutions, private-sector actors and practitioners, creating a high-level global platform to help shape the future of dryland agriculture and strengthen cooperation across the Global South.

The commemoration showcased the growing reach of the ICRISAT Centre of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA), a global platform accelerating the adaptation and scaling of proven agricultural solutions across the Global South.

ISSCA now works with 19 partners, has identified more than 100 validated and scalable solutions, and has supported over 300 professionals from more than 40 countries. Its portfolio spans climate-resilient crops, soil and water management, digital agriculture, agribusiness, nutrition, livelihoods and environmental sustainability.

That approach carries particular urgency for the world's drylands, home to hundreds of millions of people and among the regions most exposed to climate variability, water scarcity, land degradation and food insecurity. Yet these same regions are also emerging as important frontiers for innovation in climate-resilient agriculture.

The Dryland Congress was jointly organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), bringing together two globally renowned agricultural research institutions with a long history of collaboration in crop improvement, resilient farming systems, natural resource management and dryland innovation.

ICAR, one of the world's largest national agricultural research systems, has played a central role in India's agricultural transformation, drawing on deep scientific expertise, institutional strength and experience at scale. ICRISAT, a CGIAR Research Center, brings more than five decades of scientific leadership across the drylands of Asia and Africa, with a distinguished record of advancing crop improvement, farming systems and natural resource management, while translating research into practical solutions for food and nutrition security and livelihoods.

Addressing the Congress, ICRISAT Director General Dr Himanshu Pathak said ISSCA's growth reflected a broader evolution in South-South cooperation — moving beyond knowledge exchange towards practical pathways for adoption and impact.

"Rather than reinventing solutions country by country, ISSCA connects proven innovations with institutions, partners and farming systems where they can be adapted and scaled more rapidly.

"The Global Drylands Congress has strengthened that pathway by bringing together science, policy, partnerships and investment to turn proven solutions into impact at scale," Dr Pathak said.

Dr M.L. Jat, Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR, underscored that the future of agriculture will increasingly depend on countries and institutions working together across borders.

"It will be shaped by what we are willing to share, what we can learn from one another, and how boldly we build partnerships that turn science into solutions for farmers.

"The ICAR–ICRISAT partnership is a powerful example of what sustained collaboration can achieve, and of the wider promise of South-South cooperation," Dr Jat said.

The commemoration culminated in the presentation of the Delhi Declaration on Drylands, setting out a shared ambition to strengthen South-South cooperation, accelerate the uptake and scaling of proven innovations, deepen institutional partnerships and reposition the world's drylands as landscapes of resilience, opportunity and sustainable growth.

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