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Dryland Congress 2026: Climate-Resilient Agriculture and South-South Cooperation

📅 Published 10 September 2026•Updated 12 September 2026•⏱ 10 min read•Agriculture, EnvironmentGS III

Freshwater is valuable. Of all the water on Earth, only 2.5 per cent is freshwater. And of all this freshwater, the total usable supply for ecosystems and humans is less than 1 per cent. When demand for water exceeds available supply, it results in water scarcity. Drylands are particularly vulnerable to water scarcity. The goal of the 2013 World Day to Combat Desertification is to create awareness about the risks of drought and water scarcity in the drylands and beyond, calling attention to the importance of sustaining healthy soils as part of post Rio+20 agenda, as well as the post-2015 sustainable development agenda. This year’s slogan, “Don’t let our future dry up” calls for everyone to take action to promote preparedness and resilience to water scarcity, desertification and drought. The slogan embodies the message that we are all responsible for water and land conservation and sustainable use, and that there are solutions to these serious natural resource challenges. Land degradation does not have to threaten our future. In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 17 the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought to promote public awareness of the issue, and the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa. — Map Water scarcity · Axelsaffran · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsImage source ↗

FAST READ

Global Dryland Congress 2026 is being held in New Delhi from 10-12 September.
ICAR and ICRISAT are jointly organising it under the theme 'Transforming Dryland Agriculture with South-South Cooperation'.
The Congress is expected to culminate in the Delhi Declaration on Dryland.

WHY IN NEWS

The Global Dryland Congress 2026 has brought policymakers, scientists and practitioners to New Delhi to frame a shared agenda for dryland agriculture.
Its South-South cooperation focus and proposed Delhi Declaration make the meeting relevant to climate adaptation, food security and India's agricultural diplomacy.

TOP DATA & FACTS

3-day Congress: 10-12 September 2026.
More than 800 experts are expected.
6 core themes are being discussed.
Drylands cover about 45% of the world's land surface.
They are home to over 2 billion people.
The event marks 50 years of ICAR-ICRISAT partnership.
Participants come from Asia, Africa and the Americas.
Final day coincides with UN Day for South-South Cooperation.
Themes include breeding, climate resilience, nutrition and markets, farming systems, seed systems, and gender/youth inclusion.
Venue: National Agricultural Science Complex, New Delhi.
Outcome includes the proposed Delhi Declaration on Dryland.
ICRISAT specialises in semi-arid tropical agriculture.

PRELIMS

Drylands are regions where water availability is limited relative to evaporative demand.
ICRISAT is an international agricultural research organisation headquartered near Hyderabad.
South-South Cooperation refers to exchange of knowledge, technology and resources among developing countries.

QUICK REVISION

Drylands: ~45% of global land surface; 2+ billion people.
ICAR-ICRISAT partnership: 50 years.
Congress: 10-12 Sep 2026; 800+ experts; 6 themes.
Remember: dryland farming is highly sensitive to rainfall variability.
Delhi Declaration on Dryland is an expected Congress outcome.

PROBABLE OBJECTIVE QUESTION

With reference to dryland agriculture and the Global Dryland Congress 2026, consider the following statements:

Drylands cover about 45% of the world's land surface.
ICRISAT specialises in research relevant to semi-arid tropical agriculture.

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Delhi Declaration on Drylands: Science, South-South Cooperation and Climate-Resilient Agriculture

15 September 2026

Climate-resilient dryland agriculture is essential for food security as well as rural livelihoods. Discuss the role of research and South-South Cooperation. MODEL ANSWER - ~300 WORDS INTRODUCTION Drylands cover about 45% of the world's land surface and support over 2 billion people. For India, resilient dryland farming is therefore simultaneously a food-security, livelihood and climate-adaptation imperative. SIGNIFICANCE
Drought- and heat-tolerant, short-duration crops reduce production risk under erratic rainfall.
Watershed development, rainwater harvesting and micro-irrigation improve water productivity.
Millets, pulses and oilseeds support diversification, nutrition and resilience. EVIDENCE AND COOPERATION
Drylands cover ~45% of global land and support 2+ billion people.
Global Dryland Congress 2026 brings 800+ experts around six themes.
The 50-year ICAR-ICRISAT partnership shows how international research can be adapted locally. CHALLENGES
Smallholders face uneven access to quality seed, credit, insurance and extension.
Climate shocks and land degradation can overwhelm incremental gains.
A lab-to-land gap slows adoption. ANALYTICAL LINKAGES
Research should be evaluated through farm-level outcomes such as income stability, water productivity and soil health rather than only the number of varieties released.
Women and young farmers should be included in extension, seed entrepreneurship and value-chain development so resilience gains are socially broad-based. IMPLEMENTATION FOCUS
Policy convergence is essential: crop insurance, institutional credit, soil-health management and market support must reinforce technological adaptation instead of operating as isolated schemes.
Success should be measured through yield stability during drought years, farm-income resilience, water productivity and restoration of degraded soils, not merely through research publications.
Local farmer knowledge should complement formal science because cropping calendars, mixed farming and community water practices often contain location-specific adaptation lessons.