- Why in news
- The three-day Dryland Congress 2026 ended in New Delhi on 13 September 2026 with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Drylands (3D). The final day coincided with the UN Day for South–South Cooperation.
- What it is
- The Dryland Congress is a global meeting of governments, research bodies and partners on farming in dry regions. The 2026 edition was held in New Delhi with ICAR and ICRISAT as lead institutions. The Delhi Declaration on Drylands sets a shared agenda for dryland agriculture through South–South and triangular cooperation.
- Outcome
- The Congress adopted the Delhi Declaration on Drylands (3D), endorsed at the closing plenary.
- Theme
- The Congress was held under the theme of transforming dryland agriculture with South–South cooperation.
- Foresight proposal
- The DARE Secretary proposed that ICAR-NIAP be mandated to lead foresight work on dryland agriculture.
- ISSCA Global Awards 2026
- The inaugural awards drew 170 nominations from 34 countries.
- ICRISAT
- ICRISAT is the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, a CGIAR centre headquartered at Patancheru, near Hyderabad.
- Co-chairs
- The Congress was co-chaired by ICAR's DDG (Crop Science) and ICRISAT's DDG (Research & Innovation).
Don’t confuse with ICRISAT vs ICARDA: ICRISAT works on the semi-arid tropics and is based in Hyderabad, India. ICARDA works on dry areas and is now based in Lebanon. Both are CGIAR centres.
Don’t confuse with ICAR vs DARE: DARE is the government department under the Agriculture Ministry. ICAR is the autonomous research council under it. The DARE Secretary is also ICAR's Director General.
International bodies and relations: the largest group of news questions in Prelims (61 since 2013), often about background, members and location. In Mains, 27 news-triggered questions, mostly on India's interests.
Why it matters
- Drylands carry a large share of the world's farming and poor farmers, so shared research helps food security.
- South–South cooperation lets India share low-cost, tested farm technologies with other developing countries.
Problems
- Declarations like 3D are not binding, so outcomes depend on funding and follow-up.
- Dryland farming faces water scarcity, soil degradation and climate shocks, and data systems are weak.
Way forward
- Turn the declaration into short- and long-term action plans with funding and timelines.
- Build common data systems and living laboratories linking research, practice and policy.
Put in your answer
Foresight and data systems: Dryland agriculture needs foresight work, robust data and information systems, and living laboratories linking research to practice and policy.
Example of a women-led model: Odisha Livelihoods Mission won a Mega Award for women-led sustainable farming for nutrition and rural resilience.
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UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting topic on dryland agriculture and South-South cooperation, but the declaration has few firm facts for a statement. International items are 19% of Prelims news questions.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.