Dryland Congress 2026 concludes with Delhi Declaration on drylands. ANI 13 Sep 2026, 11:00 GMT+ New Delhi [India], September 13 (ANI): 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 and the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Drylands (3D), the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said on Sunday. The declaration sets out a shared agenda for transforming dryland agriculture through collaboration, knowledge exchange, innovation and collective action across the Global South. It was endorsed at the closing plenary by participating governments, institutions, partners and delegates of the Dryland Congress 2026, the ministry said. Addressing the concluding session, ML Jat, Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR, emphasised the need to bring foresight to the centre of efforts on dryland agriculture. He called for a strong institutional mechanism and said ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (ICAR-NIAP) should be mandated to lead foresight work on dryland agriculture. Jat also 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. Himanshu Pathak, Director General, ICRISAT, underlined the strategic importance of drylands for global food security and called for the deliberations of the past three days to be translated into concrete action. He emphasised the need to distil the deliberations and prioritise them into short- and long-term actions, moving from ideas to concepts and from concepts to concrete action and implementation by bringing together expertise, knowledge and camaraderie. The valedictory session also highlighted new partnerships and collaborations emerging from the Congress. New agreements and Memoranda of Understanding were announced with the Global Crop Diversity Trust. ICRISAT also exchanged MoUs with Avior Life Sciences, NIFTEM, Wipro Limited, and the Angul and Rayagada District Administrations of Odisha, further strengthening partnerships supporting innovation and action in dryland agriculture. The Co-Chairs of the Congress, Dr DK Yadava, DDG (Crop Science), ICAR, and Dr Stanford Blade, DDG (Research & Innovation), ICRISAT, presented a summary of the three-day deliberations and highlighted key outcomes and recommendations emerging from the conference. Earlier, the day opened with a commemoration ceremony for the UN Day for South-South Cooperation, featuring messages from the UN Secretary-General, the FAO Director-General and UNOSSC Director Dima Al-Khatib. Pathak shared the vision of the International Solidarity for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA) and highlighted the importance of strengthening partnerships across the Global South. Representatives of ICRISAT, ICAR, CGIAR, RIS, NABARD and the CGIAR Capacity Sharing Accelerator reaffirmed their commitment to advancing South-South cooperation for greater impact. This was followed by the session "Knowledge Without Borders: Advancing South-South and Triangular Cooperation," convened with CGIAR. Two panel discussions examined approaches to making South-South and triangular cooperation effective and taking successful models to scale. Speakers from national agricultural research systems in Ethiopia, Senegal, Brazil, China and India, along with representatives from CGIAR, FARA and APAARI, shared experiences and perspectives. The Congress also witnessed the presentation of the ISSCA Global Awards 2026, an annual flagship initiative recognising proven agricultural innovations from institutions across the Global South with strong potential for scale and cross-country adaptation. The inaugural edition received 170 nominations from 34 countries across Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The ISSCA Global Award for Transformative Excellence (Mega Award) was presented to ICARDA, Lebanon, for TAAT Wheat Compact Technologies: Heat-Tolerant Wheat Varieties; CIMMYT, Mexico, for e-Agrology 360; and Odisha Livelihoods Mission, Government of Odisha, India, for Women-Led Sustainable Farming for Nutrition and Rural Resilience. The Crop Improvement & Production Technologies awards went to Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Bangladesh, for BARI Chinabadam-9; University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, India, for GPBD 4; and Department of Agricultural Research (DAR), Myanmar, for climate-smart, early-maturing chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut varieties. The Natural Resource Management & Climate Resilience awards recognised the Karnataka State Department of Agriculture for Krishi Bhagya; NECTAR, India, for integrated banana pseudo-stem processing; Department of Agriculture, Government of Bihar, for rejuvenating Aahar-Pyne landscapes; and Sustainable Farming Solutions, Malawi, for digital land-restoration stewardship. The Agribusiness & Market Systems awards recognised BIID Foundation, Bangladesh, for e-Krishok; Tamil Nadu Agricultural University for the TNAU-FPO Linkage Programme; and Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute for its Parabolic-Shaped Solar Dryer. The Digital Agriculture awards went to the Department of Horticulture, Government of Andhra Pradesh, for the APMIP Digital Ecosystem and the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department, Government of Gujarat, for Krushi Pragati. The Livestock Improvement & Production Technologies awards recognised WorldFish, Bangladesh, for its improved carp seed system and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya, for the Participatory Indigenous Chicken Breed Improvement Program (PIC-BIP). In addition, 16 Best Poster Awards were presented to students and research scholars, recognising promising research and emerging scientific talent in dryland agriculture. Held under the theme "Transforming Dryland Agriculture with South-South Cooperation," the Congress concluded with 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. (ANI)

ICARDA fuels Morocco's Transition to Conservation Agriculture. August 05, 2026 Published by ICARDA Communication Team ICARDA-INRA Annual Field Day 2026 ICARDA and INRA are positioning Morocco as a regional leader in Conservation Agriculture by combining science, locally adapted no-till technologies, and policy engagement. Their work is supporting smallholder farmers while advancing Morocco's target of one million hectares under Conservation Agriculture by 2030. As climate change and soil degradation intensify across Morocco's cereal-growing landscapes, Conservation Agriculture (CA) is offering a lifeline against drought and soil degradation, built on no-till seeders, good agronomic practices, and strong partnerships. Through decades of research, local innovation, and close collaboration with Morocco's National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), ICARDA has helped make no-till farming practical and affordable for smallholder farmers, paving the way for Morocco's ambitious goal of bringing one million hectares under CA by 2030. The Problem beneath the Surface Much of Morocco's cereal production follows a familiar pattern: repeated plowing, limited crop diversification, and heavy dependence on rainfall in an increasingly erratic climate. In many areas, this system steadily weakened the land itself. Frequent tillage left soils exposed, reduced soil organic matter often below 2% in fragile areas, increased erosion, and lowered the capacity of fields to retain moisture. CA offered a more resilient alternative. These practices, based on minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and diversified crop rotations, led to reduced erosion, improved soil function, moisture conservation, and more stable production. Long-term research by INRA and ICARDA showed that no-tillage could improve grain yield, profitability, and water-use performance under rainfed conditions. In one farmer-managed comparison, no-tillage increased grain yield by 16-30% and net profit by 21% relative to conventional tillage, while reducing production risk. The Machinery Barrier Direct seeding into untilled soil requires specialized machinery capable of placing seed and fertilizer accurately through crop residues without disturbing the soil. For many Moroccan farmers, especially smallholders with less than 5 hectares (ha), imported seeders, particularly from wealthier countries, were too expensive and ill-suited to local realities, making them out of reach for more than 70% of Moroccan farms. The machinery has to be adapted to soils, farming practices, economic realities, and local maintenance needs, as highlighted in the 3rd African conservation agriculture conference held in 2023 in Rabat, Morocco. From Syria's Success to Morocco's Opportunity Recognizing that machinery would determine whether CA could be adopted at scale across Morocco, ICARDA drew on its earlier success in Syria, where affordable locally manufactured no-till seeders had transformed adoption. Through the "Conservation Agriculture for North Africa (CANA)" project (2012 - 2015), ICARDA partnered with INRA to bring that experience to Morocco. This effort helped Morocco move from dependence on expensive imported seeders toward local manufacturing capacity of cost-effective no-till seeders, positioning it as the only country in the region practicing CA at scale. A Locally Adapted Seeder for Smallholder Agriculture In Morocco, smallholders often operate on undulating, stone-covered terrain that poses unique challenges for mechanization. Existing no-till seeders were either too large, too expensive, or ill-suited for their fragmented, sloping fields. Recognizing this barrier, ICARDA and INRA collaborated with National Agro Industries of India, a company with over four decades of expertise in seeding machine manufacturing, to co-design and introduce a multi-crop (wheat, barley, chickpea, lentil, faba bean, forage mixture, etc.) no-till seeder specifically tailored for smallholders. Ensuring the easy availability of low-cost multi-crop seeders, either through local manufacturing or importation and distribution through local suppliers -combined with the development of sustainable service-based business models- would enable smallholder farmers to access this equipment more easily. These no-till seeders enable farmers to: * Diversify beyond wheat monocultures, planting legumes and forage crops that improve soil fertility and provide alternative income streams * Practice CA on sloping land without risking soil erosion, as the no-till technology maintains ground cover and soil structure * Reduce input costs through precise seed and fertilizer placement, critical for smallholders operating on thin margins * Access machinery suited to their scale, rather than being forced to rely on expensive contractors or inappropriate large equipment Science That Shaped Policy Scientific evidence remained at the center of this transformation. Years of research by ICARDA and INRA consistently showed that CA improves yield stability, profitability, soil health, and water-use efficiency under Morocco's variable climate. This evidence helped build trust among decision-makers and ultimately supported the integration of CA into Morocco's Generation Green 2020-2030 strategy. Sustaining the Transition A well-designed no-till seeder is only part of the solution. Widespread adoption of CA also depends on the systems that support farmers, including crop rotation choices, agricultural extension services, machinery maintenance, contractor networks, and enabling policies. Morocco still faces challenges in each of these areas. Crop residues remain an important source of livestock feed, often competing with the need to maintain soil cover, while manufacturing and repair networks must continue to expand to meet growing demand for no-till equipment. Yet Morocco's experience shows what is possible when research, innovation, and policy move together. As climate change places increasing pressure on dryland agriculture, the long-standing partnership between ICARDA and INRA has helped transform CA from a promising concept into a practical, scalable approach. With continued investment in science, local innovation, and farmer support, Morocco is well-positioned to achieve its goal of bringing 1 million ha under CA by 2030. Contributing Scientists:

ICARDA Brings Agricultural Innovations to the 2nd ARC Exhibition. Start Date July 20, 2026 July 22, 2026 Conference Cairo, Egypt Group photo of ICARDA delegation at the 2nd ARC Exhibition - ICARDA's booth 20-22 July, Cairo, Egypt - ICARDA participated in the 2nd Agricultural Research Center (ARC) Conference and Exhibition, themed "Food Security and Sustainable Agricultural Development," held under the patronage of H.E. Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation. The conference convened policymakers, researchers, development partners, private-sector representatives, and practitioners to explore solutions that strengthen food systems, improve productivity, and enhance resilience to climate change. In his opening remarks, Minister Farouk underscored Egypt's investments in livestock development, veterinary services, digital technologies, and support for small-scale producers, emphasizing the critical role of research, innovation, and partnerships in advancing sustainable agricultural development. "As food security, climate change, animal diseases, and economic pressures intensify, stronger scientific collaboration, innovation, and evidence-based policies are essential to build resilient and sustainable food systems." - H.E. Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Representing ICARDA, Director General Aly Abousabaa received a commemorative plaque from H.E. Alaa Farouk in the opening session in recognition of ICARDA's scientific excellence and longstanding contributions to agricultural research and development in Egypt and the region. Throughout the event, ICARDA's exhibition booth attracted strong interest from researchers, students, government officials, and development practitioners. Visitors engaged with displays showcasing practical solutions designed to address some of Egypt's most pressing agricultural challenges, including water scarcity, soil salinity, climate variability, and productivity constraints. The conference highlighted the importance of scientific collaboration in addressing complex agricultural challenges. Dr. Adel Abdel Azim, President of ARC, reaffirmed ARC's commitment to innovation and partnerships, while Dr. Magdy Hassan, President of the Egyptian Veterinary Syndicate, emphasized the role of veterinarians and the One Health approach in achieving sustainable food systems and national food security. ICARDA's participation reinforced its strong partnership with Egypt's agricultural research and development community and provided an important platform to showcase scalable solutions that enhance productivity, strengthen resilience, and support sustainable food systems for the future.