PIB · Government of India ·

ICAR and ICRISAT celebrate 50-year partnership at Dryland Congress 2026, advancing climate-resilient dryland agriculture

Distilled Policy Brief

  • Panel discussions focused on climate-resilient dryland farming practices, transformation of seed distribution systems across Asia and Africa in the Global South, and public-private partnerships.
  • Key strategies emphasized agrobiodiversity conservation, strengthening South-South cooperation, and accelerating scalable agricultural innovations alongside greater gender and youth participation.

🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points

ICRISAT is an international CGIAR research centre headquartered in Patancheru (Hyderabad), partnering with ICAR to enhance dryland agriculture and crop resilience in semi-arid regions.

⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages

Examine the role of international scientific research partnerships like ICAR-ICRISAT in strengthening climate-resilient dryland farming and ensuring income security for smallholder farmers.

🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill

Environment & Ecology

With reference to the strategic priorities discussed during the 50-year celebration of the ICAR-ICRISAT partnership at the Dryland Congress 2026, consider the following statements: 1. It highlighted the transformation of seed distribution systems across Asia and Africa in the Global South. 2. It emphasized agrobiodiversity conservation and the strengthening of South-South cooperation. 3. It focused on climate-resilient dryland farming practices alongside scaling agricultural innovations and promoting youth participation. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  • [A] 1 and 2 only
  • [B] 2 and 3 only
  • [C] 1 and 3 only
  • [D] 1, 2 and 3
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
✓ Correct Option: [D] 1, 2 and 3

All three statements are correct. The discussions during the Dryland Congress 2026 focused on climate-resilient dryland farming practices, transforming seed distribution systems across Asia and Africa, and public-private partnerships. Furthermore, key strategies highlighted agrobiodiversity conservation, South-South cooperation, and accelerating scalable agricultural innovations with greater gender and youth participation.

Tark High-Yield Question Bank ⚡ Practice Full Test in Testing Arena ↗

🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)

UPSC Prelims 2021

Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.

Forensic Anchor: Cabinet Allocation of Business Rules & NCAP Framework
Examiner Trap Takeaway: UPSC swapped Central Pollution Control Board role with State Pollution Control Boards for state-level monitoring.

📚 Static Syllabus & Constitutional Linkages

Dryland Agriculture & Soil Moisture Management: Covers agricultural practices in rainfed and arid areas, including drought-tolerant millets, pulses, and water harvesting techniques as highlighted in NCERT Indian Geography.
Agrobiodiversity and Genetic Resources: Refers to the conservation of landraces, wild relatives, and localized crop varieties to build biological resilience against climate change.