The three-day Dryland Congress 2026 concluded in New Delhi with a call for greater South-South and triangular cooperation to accelerate solutions for dryland agriculture.

 

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said that the event culminated with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Drylands (3D). 

 

The declaration set out a shared agenda for transforming dryland agriculture through collaboration, knowledge exchange, innovation and collective action across the Global South. 

 

The Ministry added that the meeting affirmed a renewed commitment to translate scientific knowledge into action, scale proven innovations and strengthen partnerships for resilient and sustainable dryland agriculture across the Global South. 

 

On the occasion, the Secretary in the Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General of ICAR, Dr M. L. Jat stressed the need for robust data and information systems for dryland agri-food systems, as well as common innovation grounds or living laboratories that connect research with practice and policy.