New Delhi to Host Global Dryland Congress 2026 with Over 800 Experts

Exam-focused facts from the 12 September 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will host the three-day Global Dryland Congress 2026 in New Delhi from 10–12 September 2026.
Over 800 scientists, policymakers, farmers and development partners from Asia, Africa and the Americas will attend, with the theme 'Transforming Dryland Agriculture with South–South Cooperation'.
The congress will be held at the National Agricultural Science Complex and marks 50 years of partnership between ICAR and ICRISAT.
Participants will deliberate on six key areas: crop breeding techniques, climate change resilience, nutrition and market access, farming systems and practices, seed systems, and gender and youth involvement in agriculture.
On 12 September, the final day, the congress will observe the United Nations Day for South–South Cooperation with special sessions organised jointly with CGIAR.
The event will conclude with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Dryland (3D), new partnerships, memorandums of understanding and awards; Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be the Chief Guest.
Drylands cover roughly 45 percent of the world's land surface and are home to over two billion people.