Congress Schedule
Schedule for the congress
Day 1: Thursday ǀ 10 September 2026
| Time | Program |
| 0800-0900 | Registration |
| 0900-1020 | Inaugural Session |
| 0900-0905 | Inviting guests to the dais, invocation and felicitation Master of Ceremony |
| 0905-0910 | Welcome Address: Conference Co-Chair Dr Stanford Blade |
| 0910-0915 | Remarks by former DG, ICRISAT Dr William Dar |
| 0915-0920 | Remarks by former DG, ICAR Dr Panjab Singh |
| 0920-0925 | Remarks by former DG, ICAR Dr RS Paroda |
| 0925-0930 | Remarks by CGIAR Dr Sandra Milach |
| 0930-0935 | Remarks by DG ICRISAT Dr Himanshu Pathak |
| 0935-0940 | Remarks by Secretary DARE & DG ICAR Dr ML Jat |
| 0940-0945 | Remarks by Board Chair, ICRISAT Ms Cathy Reade |
| 0945-0950 | Release of Publications Chief Guest and other Dignitaries |
| 0950-0955 | Address by the Chief Guest Shri Shivraj Singh ChouhanHon’ble Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare ofIndia, Government of India |
| 0955-1010 | Vote of Thanks: Conference Co-Chair Dr DK Yadava, DDG (CS), ICAR |
1015-1045 - HIGH TEA
1045-1230 - PANEL DISCUSSION
1045-1145 - Theme 1- Breeding for Tomorrow: Accelerating Genetic Gains
Co-Chairs: Dr T Mohapatra, Chairperson, PPV&FRA, M/o Agriculture & FW, New Delhi & Dr Sandra Milach, Chief Scientist, CGIAR, Nairobi, Kenya
Convenor: Dr Raman Babu, Global Research Program Director-ACI, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr Gopala Krishanan S., Head, Genetics, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi & Dr Rakesh Srivastava, Principal Scientist I - Chickpea Breeding, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
OPENING TALK: Dr Sandra Milach, Chief Scientist -CGIAR, Nairobi, Kenya (20 mins) Roundtable discussion: 6 panellists (12 questions, 25 mins)
PANELLISTS
1. Dr Julian Biddle, Partnership Lead, Crop Trust, Germany
2. Dr Nandini Krishnamurthy, Biotechnology Portfolio Leader, Corteva Agrisciences, US
3. Dr OP Yadav, Member, ASRB, New Delhi and Former Director, ICAR-CAZRI, Jodhpur, India
4. Dr Sanjeev Gupta, Vice Chancellor, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology (CSAUAT), Kanpur, India
5. Dr C Viswanathan, Joint Director (Research), ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India
6. Dr KC Bansal, Former Director, NBPGR- ICAR, New Delhi, India
1145-1230 - Theme 2-Climate-Resilient Dryland Landscapes
Venue: Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Convention Centre
Co-Chairs: Prof KV Raju, Member, NITI Aayog, Govt. of India, India & Ms Cathy Reade, ICRISAT Board Chair, Australia
Convenor: Dr Martin Moyo, Country Representative – Zimbabwe, ICRISAT
Rapporteurs: Dr Adlul Islam, Principal Scientist, NRM, ICAR, New Delhi & Dr Venkataradha Akuraju, Senior Scientist – Hydrology, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
OPENING TALK: Dr Cargele Masso, Outreach, Engagement and Communication Lead, ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya (20 mins)
Roundtable discussion: 6 panellists (12 questions, 25 mins)
PANELLISTS
1. Mr Sanjay Agarwal, Assistant Director General, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
2. Dr Amresh Kumar Nayak, Deputy Director General (NRM), ICAR, New Delhi, India
3. Mr Nitin Khade, IAS, Joint Secretary (WM), DoLR, GoI, New Delhi, India
4. Dr B Venkateswarlu, Ex-VC, VNMKV, Parbhani, Maharashtra, India
5. Dr Ch Srinivasa Rao, Director, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
6. Dr Shree Prasad Vista, Director, Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), Nepal
1230-1330 - Lunch
1330-1430 - PANEL DISCUSSION
1145-1230 - Theme 3- Better Diets and Nutrition, through Markets & Policies
Venue: Bharat Ratna C Subramaniam Convention Centre
Co-Chairs: Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Additional Chief Secretary, Govt of Odisha, India & Ms Bonnie McClafferty, Chair, ICRISAT Program Committee, USA
Convenor: Dr Victor Afari-Sefa, Global Research Program Director, TAS, ICRISAT, Nigeria
Rapporteurs: Dr Alka Singh, Head, Division of Agricultural Economics, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi & Dr Swamikannu Nedumaran, Principal Scientist, Agricultural Economist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
OPENING TALK: Dr Pramod Kumar Joshi, Former Director - South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute, New Delhi, India
Roundtable discussion: 6 panellists (12 questions, 30 mins)
PANELLISTS
1. Dr E Revathi, Director, Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Hyderabad, India
2. NABARD Representative
3. Dr Sarah Pedersen, Senior Nutrition and Food Systems Officer, Food and Nutrition Division (ESN), FAO, Bangkok
4. Mr Mahesh Patel, Executive Chairman, Export Trading Group (ETG), Tanzania
5. Dr Purnima Menon, Director for Strategy & Partnerships, IFPRI, New Delhi, India
6. Dr Viengsavang Thipphavong, DDG, Institute for Industry, Commerce and Energy (IICE), Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Lao PDR
1430-1530 - Parallel Session
THEME 1.1 - Pre-Breeding & Genetic Diversity Platforms for Dryland CropsVenue: Audi 1Chair: Dr NK Singh, President The Genomics Foundation, JC Bose National Fellow, ICAR-NIPB, New Delhi, IndiaCo-Chair: Dr Raman Babu, GRPD-ACI ICRISAT, Hyderabad, IndiaConvenor: Dr Hamidou Falalou, Country Representative, Niger, ICRISAT
Rapporteurs: Dr Debasis Pattanayak, Professor, ICAR-NIPB, New Delhi, India & Dr Vetriventhan Mani, Senior Scientist, Genebank, ICRISAT, India
THEME 2.1 - Soil Health and Ecosystem Functioning in Dryland Landscapes
Venue: Audi 2
Chair: Dr AK Nayak, DDG, NRM, ICAR, New Delhi, India
Co-Chair: Dr TBS Rajput, Ex- Project Director, WTC, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India
Convenor: Dr Padmaja Karanam, Senior Scientist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr RS Yadav, Principal Scientist, ICAR, New Delhi, India & Dr Aiendrila Dey, Associate Scientist, ICRISAT Hyderabad, India
THEME 3.1 - Mainstreaming Nutri-Sensitive Dryland Food Systems
Venue: Audi 3
Chair: Dr Rajbir Singh, DDG (Agricultural Education), ICAR, New Delhi, India
Co-Chair: Dr Anjani Kumar, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI, New Delhi, India
Convenor: Dr Swamikannu Nedumaran, Principal Agricultural Economist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr Abhishek Das, Scientist- Agricultural Economist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India & Dr Keshav Kumar, Principal Scientist, ICAR, New Delhi, India
1430-1455 - Keynote Presentation
Dr Augusto Becerra
DDG-R, ICARDA, Rabat, Morocco Keynote Presentation
Dr SK Singh
Dean, Institute of Ag Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India Keynote Presentation
Dr Shalander Kumar
Principal Scientist & Global Theme Leader-SMIP, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
1455-1530 - Lead Presentation
Dr Sarada Krishnan
Director of Science & Programs, Global Crop Diversity Trust, Germany
Dr VK Singh
Director, ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad, India
Dr Pradnya Paithankar
Head- Climate Change, Resilient Food Systems and DRR, World Food Programme, New Delhi, India
1455-1530 - Invited Presentation
Dr Satendra Kumar Mangruthia
Principal Scientist, ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, India
Dr YS Saharawat
Director, Resilience Program, IFDC, USA
Dr RR Burman
Assistant Director General, Ag. Extn, ICAR, New Delhi, India
Dr Amit Singh
Principal Scientist, ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi, India
Mr Loken Das
Chief General Manager, FSDD NABARD
Dr Dinesh Kumar Chauhan
Theme Lead – Agribusiness Innovations and Nutrition, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Dr Manish K Pandey
Principal Scientist- Genebank, Genomics & Prebreeding, ICRISAT,Hyderabad, India
Dr D R Sena
Principal Scientist, Agricultural Engineering, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India Ms Soumya Kochar Partnership Officer, Soket AI Lab
1519-1530 - Q&A
1530-1550 - Tea Break
1550-1650 - Parallel Session
THEME 1.2 - Breeding for Climate Resilient and Nutrition Rich Varieties/hybrids
Venue: Audi 1
Chair: Dr Tara Satyavathi, Director, ICAR IIMR, Hyderabad, India
Co-Chair: Dr SK Bera Director, ICAR- IIGR, Junagadh
Convenor: Dr Ephrem Habyarimana Principal Scientist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr Prakash Gangashetty, Senior Scientist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
& Dr Satendra Kumar Mangruthia, Principal Scientist, ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research,
Hyderabad, India
THEME 2.2 - Water Resource Assessment and Landscape Hydrology
Venue: Audi 2
Chair: Dr YSR Rao, Director, NIH, Roorkee, India
Co-Chair: Dr PK Singh, Joint Director Research, Professor, Irrigation & Drainage Engg, GBPUA&T, Pantnagar, India
Convenor: Dr Anantha KH, Principal Scientist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr Gopi Nath AA, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad, India
& Dr Debi Prasad Sahoo, Associate Scientist – LRI and Hydrology, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
THEME 3.2 - Building Demand-Driven, Inclusive and Resilient Value Chains
Venue: Audi 2
Chair: Dr PS Birthal, Distinguished Fellow, Research and Information System, New Delhi, India
Co-Chair: Dr Naveen P Singh, Assistant Director General (International Relations), ICAR, New Delhi, India
Convenor: Dr Dinesh Chauhan, Theme Lead – Agribusiness Innovations and Nutrition, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr Disha Bose, Associate Scientist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
& Dr AK Mishra, Principal Scientist (IR), ICAR, New Delhi, India
1550-1605 - Keynote Presentation
Dr BM Prasanna
Managing Director, BISA-CIMMYT, Regional Director for CIMMYT- Asia, New Delhi, India
Dr Ramesh Singh
Global Research Program Director-RFS ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Dr Smita Sirohi
ICAR National Professor, ICAR-NIAP New Delhi, India
1605-1615 - Lead Presentation
Dr Christian Werner
Quantitative Genetics, CIMMYT, Mexico
Dr Ambrish Kumar
PS & Head, ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Dehradun, India
Dr Seema Bathla
Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
1615-1639 - Invited Presentation
Dr Firoz Hossain
Principal Scientist, & Programme Leader (Maize), ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India
Dr RM Singh
Professor, Department of Agronomy, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, Varanasi, India
Mr Deepak Pareek
Founder & CEO, HnyB Tech-Incubators Pvt. Ltd.
Dr SK Gupta
Global Breeding Lead, ICRISAT, Hyderabad India
Dr B Krishna Rao
Head, ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Research Centre, Ballari, Karnataka, India
Dr Swamikannu Nedumaran,
Principal Scientist, Agricultural Economist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Dr C Bharadwaj
Principal Scientist, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India
Dr Jay Nigam
General Manager, FSDD, NABARD
Dr Purushottam Sharma
Principal Scientist, ICAR –National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (NIAP)
1519-1530 - Q&A
1650-1750 - Parallel Session
THEME 1.3 - Frontier Technologies to Accelerate Genetic Gains and Plant Health Management
Venue: Audi 1
Chair: Dr Ashwani Pareek, Executive Director-DBT NABI, New Delhi, India
Co-Chair: Dr Sanjay Kalia, Scientist F, DBT, New Delhi, India
Convenor: Dr Manish K Pandey, Principal Scientist- Genebank, Genomics & Prebreeding, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr Samuel Njorge, Country Representative – ICRISAT, Malawi & Dr Vignesh M, Senior Scientist, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India
THEME 2.3 - Nature-Based Solutions and Regenerative Landscapes
Venue: Audi 2
Chair: Dr Rajender Parsad, Former Director, ICAR-IASRI, New Delhi, India
Co-Chair: Dr Inder Dev, ADG, Education Planning and Home Science, ICAR
Convenor: Dr Venkata Radha Akuraju, Senior Scientist - Hydrology, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr Asha Ram, Senior Scientist in Agronomy, ICAR-CAFRI, Jodhpur, India & Dr Sourav Roy, Associate Scientist-NRM, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
THEME 3.3 - Enabling Policy Ecosystems For Dryland Transformation
Venue: Audi 2
Co-Chair: Dr E Revathi, Director, Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Hyderabad, India
Co-Chair: Dr YPS. Malik, DDG (Ag Education), ICAR, New Delhi
Convenor: Dr Shalander Kumar, Principal Scientist & Global Theme Leader-SMIP, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr D Kumaracharyulu, Senior Scientist, Agricultural Economics, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India & Dr P Subhash, Senior Scientist- Agricultural Economics, ICAR-NIAP, New Delhi, India
1650-1705 - Keynote Presentation
Prof. Rajeev Varshney
FRS Director, Western Australian State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre, Director, Centre for Crop & Food Innovation, Murdoch University, Australia
Dr JVNS Prasad
Principal Scientist (Agronomy), Project Coordinator, AICRP- Dryland Agriculture, ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad, India
Dr A Ganesh Kumar
Chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), Government of India, New Delhi, India
1705-1715 - Lead Presentation
Dr Bhimanagouda Patil
Regents Professor & Director, Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Centre, Texas A&M, USA
Dr Gizaw Desta
Country Representative, ICRISAT-Ethiopia
Mr Apoorve Khandelwal
Lead, Food system team, CEEW
1715-1739 - Invited Presentation
Dr Kutubuddin Ali Molla
Senior Scientist, ICAR-CRRI, Cuttack, India
Dr RS Yadav
Principal Scientist, Soil Science, ICAR, New Delhi, India
Dr Mamta Pradhan
Research Coordinator, IFPRI, New Delhi, India
Prof. Adam Kleczkowski
Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics,Univ. of Strathclyde
Dr Manoj Dabas
Country Director-India, CIFOR-ICRAF,New Delhi
Dr Subhash Chand
Principal Scientist, NIAP,New Delhi, India
Dr Damaris Odeny
Theme Lead- Trait Discovery and Delivery,ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Dr Benukar Biswas
Professor (Agronomy) and Officer-In-Charge,AICRP Agroforestry, BCKV, West Bengal, India
Dr CA Ramarao
Principal Scientist, ICAR- CRIDA, Hyderabad, India
1519-1530 - Q&A
1650-1750 - Poster Session
Poster Presentation Session 1
1800-1900 - Visionary Talks
Convenor: Master of Ceremony
Venue: Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Convention Centre
Dr ML Jat
Secretary, DARE and DG, ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India Transforming Dryland Agricultural Systems: India's Experience for the Global South
Mr Narendra Bhooshan
Secretary, Department of Land Resources,
Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India Title: TBD
1900-2000 - Cultural Event
Cultural Event
2000-2100 - Gala Dinner
Gala Dinner
Day 2: Friday ǀ 11 September 2026
0900-1100 - Celebrating 50 Years of ICAR-ICRISAT Collaboration
Venue: Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Convention Centre
Co-Chairs: Dr RS Paroda, Former Secretary, DARE and DG, ICAR and Founder Chairman, TAAS, New Delhi & Dr William Dar, Former DG ICRISAT and Former, Secretary of Agriculture of the Philippines
Convenors: Dr Stanford Blade, DDG-R&I, ICRISAT and Dr DK Yadava, DDG-Crop Sciences, ICAR, New Delhi, India
Rapporteurs: Dr C Bharadwaj Principal Scientist, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India, India, & Dr SK Gupta, Global Breeding Lead, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
| Welcome and Opening Remarks (05 mins)Introduction to the Session and Distinguished Guests (05 mins) | Dr DK Yadava, DDG-Crop Sciences, ICARDr Stanford Blade, DDG-R&I, ICRISAT |
| Five Decades of ICAR-ICRISAT Partnership and Impact (10 mins) | Dr Himanshu Pathak, DG, ICRISAT |
| Roadmap of ICRISAT-ICAR Collaboration for Viksit Bharat 2047 (20 mins) | Dr DK Yadava, DDG-Crop Science, ICARDr Raman Babu, Global Research Program Director - ACI, ICRISAT |
1100-1130 - Tea Break
1320-1310 - PANEL DISCUSSION
1120-1220 - Theme 4- Reimagining Resilient Dryland Farming Systems
Venue: Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Convention Centre
Co-Chairs: TBD & Dr Manjurul Kadir, DG-Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Bangladesh
Convenor: Dr Ramesh Singh, Global Research Program Director-RFS, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr Sanjay Singh Rathore, Head, Division of Agronomy, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India & Dr Gajanan Sawargaonkar, Principal Scientist-Agronomy, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
OPENING TALK: Dr Debasish Chakraborty, OSD to Secretary, DARE & DG, ICAR and (Formerly) National Fellow, ICAR (20 mins) Roundtable discussion: 6 panellists (12 questions, 30 mins)
PANELLISTS
1. Dr Santiago Lopez-Ridaura, Senior Researcher, CIMMYT-Mexico
2. Dr Krishna S Vatsa, IAS, Member & Head of the Department, NDMA, New Delhi, India
3. Mr Prem Chand Choudhury, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Fisheries & Animal Resources Development, GoO, Odisha, India
4. Dr BP Bhat, Vice Chancellor, VCSGU University of Horticulture & Forestry, Bharsar, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India
5. Dr Sanjay Tomar, Senior Advisor, GIZ, New Delhi, India
6. Dr HS Jat, Director, ICAR-CAZRI, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
1220-1310 - Theme 5- Transforming Seed Systems in the Global South
Venue: Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Convention Centre
Co-Chairs: Dr Stanford Blade, DDG-R&I, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India & Dr AK Singh, Former Director, IARI, New Delhi, India
Convenor: Dr Manzoor Dar, Global Lead, Seed Systems & Delivery, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr Sandeep Kumar Lal, Principal Scientist, Seed Science and Technology, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi & Dr Albert Tsindi, Scientist, ICRISAT, Zimbabwe
OPENING TALK: Dr Francis Mwatuni, Lead- Seed Systems Analysis and Knowledge Resources, CESSA, AGRA, Nairobi, Kenya (20 mins) Roundtable discussion: 5 panellists (10 questions, 30 mins)
PANELLISTS
1. Dr Kevin Pixley, Director DLC, CIMMYT, Nairobi, Kenya
2. Dr SK Yadav, Head, ICAR-IARI, RS Karnal, Haryana, India
3. Dr Ajai Rana, Chairman, FSII & CEO and Managing Director, Savannah Seeds Pvt Ltd, Gurugram, Haryana, India
4. Sri Shubham Saxena, IAS, Director, Agriculture, DAFE, Odisha
5. Dr AK Singh, VC, RLBCAU, Jhansi, India
1310-1410 - Lunch
1410 - 1500 - Theme 6- Gender and Youth-centred Transformation
Co-Chairs: Prof Yaye Kene Gassama, Member, ICRISAT Board, Senegal, and Dr Mridula Devi, Director, ICAR-CIWA, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Convenor: Dr Padmaja R, Lead, Gender and Youth, Knowledge and Capacity Development, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr Kapila Shekhawat, Principal Scientist, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi & Dr Kavitha Kasala, Associate Scientist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
OPENING TALK: Dr Nicoline de Haan, Director, CGIAR Gender Equality and Inclusion Accelerator, Nairobi, Kenya (20 mins) Roundtable discussion: 6 panellists (12 questions, 30 mins)
PANELLISTS
1. Dr Nicoline de Haan, CGIAR, GEI Director
2. Dr Seema Jaggi, Assistant Director General-HRD Education, ICAR, New Delhi, India
3. Dr Poonam Jasrotia, Assistant Director General, Plant Protection & Biosafety, ICAR, New Delhi, India
4. Dr Surya Rathore, Principal Scientist (Extension Information Systems), ICAR-NAARM, Hyderabad, India
5. Ms Shefali Agarwal, CGM, DMFI, NABARD
6. Ms Rajitha Naredla, Chief Operating Officer of the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), Govt of Telangana
1500-1600 - PARALLEL SESSION
THEME 4.1 - Climate Resilient Farming Systems and Regenerative Agriculture
Venue: Audi 1
Chair: Dr Sunil Kumar, Director, ICAR- Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, Modipuram, Meerut, India
Co-Chair: Dr VK Mishra, Director, Institute of Agriculture Science, BHU, Varanasi, India and Dr AV Bhavani Shankar, CGM, Maharashtra RO, NABARD
Convenor: Dr Gizaw Desta, Senior Scientist, Landscape Management, ICRISAT, Ethiopia
Rapporteurs:
Dr CM Parihar, Principal Scientist & National Fellow, Agronomy, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India & Dr Kapil Raje, Scientist, Entomology, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
THEME 5.1 - Climate Responsive Seed Supply and Resilient PPP Delivery Models
Venue: Audi 2
Chair: Dr Shiv Kumar Agrawal, Regional Coordinator, South Asia and China, ICARDA
Co-Chair: Dr Prabhat Kumar, Mission Director- Oilseeds/Oil Palm & Horticulture Commissioner (DA&FW), New Delhi, India
Convenor: Dr Albert Tsindi, Scientist, ICRISAT, Zimbabwe
Rapporteurs: Dr Aditya Pratap, Principal Scientist, ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur & Dr Esnart Yohane, Legume breeder Chitedze Agricultural Research Station Lilongwe, Malawi
THEME 6.1 - Empowerment, Youth thriving at the center and Transformative Change in Dryland Agri-Food Systems
Venue: Audi 3
Chair: Dr Kakoli Ghosh, Chief Technical, Officer FAO- Saudi Arabia
Chair: Dr Neeru Bhooshan, ADG (IP&TM), ICAR, New Delhi
Co-Chair: Dr Muzna Alvi, Research Fellow, IFPRI, New Delhi, India
Convenor: Dr Padmaja RLead, Gend, er and Youth, Knowledge and Capacity Development, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs:
Dr Disha Bose, Associate Scientist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India & Mr Vishwambhar Duche, Senior scientific officer, ICRISAT
1500-1515- Keynote Presentation
Dr N Ravi Shankar
PC, AICRP IFS, ICAR-IIFSR, Modipuram, India
Dr Usha Zehr
Executive Director, Grow Indigo Private, Limited & Director Mahyco, Mumbai, India
Dr Nitya Rao
Professor, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, UK
1515-1525 - Lead Presentation
Dr Gajanan S
Principal Scientist- Systems Agronomy & NRM, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Dr Manish Patel
Director, Incotec India Pvt Ltd. Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Dr Soma K Parthasarathy
Policy Analyst, Researcher & Advisor, Gender, Sustainable Development Ecology and Livelihoods, MAKAAM
1525-1549 - Invited Presentation
Dr UK Behera
Dean (PGS), RPCAU, Pusa, Bihar
Dr James Mwololo
Groundnut Breeder, Malawi
Dr Shijagurumayum Meghajit
(Alliance Bioversity-CIAT), Karnataka, India
Dr Prashant S Bodake
Director of Research, MPKV, Rahuri,Maharashtra, India
Mr Prabhakar Babu
CEO & Co-founder, Foragen Seeds Pvt Ltd, AP, India
Dr Dina Najjar
Senior Gender Scientist, ICARDA Rabat, Morocco
Dr Rinku Dey
Head & Principal Scientist, Microbiology, NIASM Baramati, Maharashtra, India
Dr Manzoor Dar
Global Head, Seed Systems & Delivery, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Dr Padmaja Ravula
Lead, Gender and Youth Program ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
1549-1600 - Q&A
1600-1620 - Tea Break
1620-1710 - Visionary Talk
Dr RS Paroda
Former Secretary, DARE and DG, ICAR and Chairman, TAAS, New Delhi
Title: Agrobiodiversity for Building Resilience of Drylands
Convenor: Master of Ceremony
Venue: Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Convention Centre
1549-1600 - Q&A
1710-1810 - PARALLEL SESSION
1710-1725- Keynote Presentation
1725-1735- Keynote Presentation
1735-1809 - Invited Presentation
1549-1600 - Q&A
1710-1810 - PARALLEL SESSION
THEME 4.3 - Scaling Innovations and Best Management Practices
Venue: Audi 1
Chair: Dr Pradeep Kumar Singh Former Dean, CTAE, MPUAT, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Co-Chair: Ms Wanjiku Guchu, Global Coordination and Management Lead - Sustainable Farming Program, CIP
Convenor: Dr Mukund Patil, Senior Scientist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Rapporteurs: Dr RS Bana, Senior Scientist, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi & Mr Prasad Kamadi, Manager, Watershed, ICRISAT
THEME 5.3 - Harmonising Seed Systems: Potential and Policy Needs
Venue: Audi 2
Chair: Dr OP Yadav, Member, ASRB, New Delhi, India
Co-Chair: Dr Kuldeep Singh, CMD, HIL India Ltd., New Delhi, India
Convenor: Dr Randhir Singh, Former ADG-ICAR, Consultant-ICRISAT, New Delhi, India
Rapporteurs: Dr Vishwanath Rohidas Yalamalle, Senior Scientist, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi & Mr Jerome Jonah - Seed Systems, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, Nigeria
THEME 6.3 - Beyond Digital Agriculture: Building Intelligent, Resilient and Connected Drylands
Venue: Audi 3
Chair: Dr Pramod Kumar Meherda Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India
Co-Chair: Dr Shaik N. Meera, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Hyderabad
Convenor: Dr Murali Krishna Gumma, Theme Leader, Digital Agriculture, ICRISAT
Rapporteurs: Dr Kidia Gelaye, Scientist–Science and Data Lead, ICRISAT & Dr Sweta Kumari, ICAR-IARI
1710-1725- Keynote Presentation
Dr Mahesh Gathala
Country Representative, CIMMYT, New Delhi, India
Dr Justify Shava
International Director, SADC Plant Genetic Resources (SPGRC), Zambia
Mr. Dushyant K. Tyagi
Chief Executive Officer, Farmgate Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; Former Strategic & Implementation Partner for e-NAM, Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), Government of India
1725-1735- Keynote Presentation
Dr Gouranga Kar
Director, ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore, West Bengal, India
Dr Chetan Joshi
Managing Director, Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Ltd (BBSSL), New Delhi
Dr Rabi N. Sahoo
Principal Scientist & Program Leader, NePPA ICAR–
Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi
1735-1809 - Invited Presentation
Dr Satish Sanwal Director
ICAR-CSSRI, Karnal, Haryana, India
Dr Swati Nayak
Country Manager & Seed Systems Lead, IRRI (SA), New Delhi, India
Dr Shalini Gakhar
Centre Lead, CGIAR DTA, IRRI, New Delhi, India
Dr Bhagwan Asewar
Director of Research, VNMKV, Parbhani, Maharashtra, India
Dr Paresh Verma
ED & Chief Executive, Bioseed, SE Asia, Hyderabad, India
Dr Manish Pandey,
Principal Scientist-Genebank and Trait Discovery, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
Dr TP Swarnam
Head, Division of Organic Agriculture System, IIFSR, Modipuram, UP, India
Dr Aditya Pratap
Principal Scientist and PC, AICRP on Kharif Pulses, ICAR-IIPR, Kanpur, India
Dr Mukund Patil,
Senior Scientist, ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
1740-1840 - Poster Session
Poster Presentation Session 2
1930-2100 - Dinner
Dinner
Day 3: Friday ǀ 12 September 2026
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Time |
Program |
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0900-1000 |
Commemoration Ceremony - UN Day for South-South Cooperation Convenor: Dr Suryamani Tripathi, Global Head, Legal Services at ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India Venue: Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Convention Centre |
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Time |
Particulars |
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09:00 - 09:02 (2 mins) |
Welcome Remarks |
Ramon Peachey Director – Communications, ICRISAT |
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09:02 - 09:15 (13 mins) |
Video Messages from Distinguished International Dignitaries |
Communications Dept |
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- UN Secretary-General |
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- FAO Director General |
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- UNOSSC Director |
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09:15 - 09:17 (2 mins) |
Vision of ISSCA |
Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General, ICRISAT |
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09:17 - 09:20 (3 mins) |
ISSCA video |
Communications Dept |
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09:20 - 09:30 (10 mins) |
Videos of ISSCA Partners: RIS-DAKSHIN and CGIAR CapSHA |
Communications Dept |
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09:30 - 09:45 (15 mins) |
Nurturing Solidarity – An ISSCA Act of Cooperation |
ISSCA Team |
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09:45 - 09:50 (5 mins) |
Hands United, Futures Rooted — A Human Chain of Cooperation |
Communications Dept |
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09:50 - 10:00 (10 mins) |
Open Mic — Reflections and Closing Remarks |
Mr Ramon Peachey Director – Communications, ICRISAT |
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1000-1145 |
Knowledge Knows No Borders or One World, Shared Knowledge or Knowledge Sharing Without Borders |
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Session |
Expectation |
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1000-1020 |
Existing SSTC models – what worked and what did not work – 15 min Keynote presentation |
Reflection of past attempts and lessons learnt |
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1020-1030 |
Engagement with plenary participants through QRCODE POLL (max five questions) on SSTC |
Understanding the wider perceptions about SSTC. This will set the stage for panel discussion. |
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1030-1100 |
PANEL DISCUSSION -1 (5 panellists) consists of African NARS (Ethiopia and Senegal Reps) and MEGA NARS (ICAR, EMBRAPA and CAAS). Moderated by Wanjiku Guchu |
Understanding the current demand and supply – matchmaking under the SSTC framework – identifying challenges and opportunities |
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1100-1105 |
Changeover b/t panel-1 to panel-2 |
Transition from challenges to the opportunities |
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1105-1135 |
PANEL DISCUSSION-2 (5 panellists) consists of Regional Organizations (APAARI/ASARECA/FARA) and Donors/Foundations (Gates Foundation/SIDA/ACIAR, Private sector Rep) Moderated by Adesina |
Identifying new strategic frameworks and partnership opportunities |
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1135-1145 |
Synthesizing the Road Map for SSTC 2030 |
Blueprint for SSTC synthesized |
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1145-1200 |
TEA BREAK |
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1200-1330 |
Visionary Talks Convenor: Master of Ceremony Venue: Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Convention Centre |
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1200-1230 |
Dr Panjab Singh Former Secretary, DARE & DG, ICAR |
Drylands-Beyond knowledge to impact |
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1230-1300 |
Dr William D Dar Former DG, ICRISAT |
Resilience Revolution is a must in Agriculture: Science, Policy, and Practice |
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1300-1330 |
Dr Ismahane Elouafi Executive Managing Director, CGIAR (Virtual) |
Title: TBD |
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1330-1430 |
LUNCH |
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1430-1730 |
VALEDICTORY Convenor: Master of Ceremony Venue: Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Convention Centre |
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1430-1435 |
Welcome of dignitaries to Dias |
Master of Ceremony |
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1435-1535 |
Recommendations from various sessions |
Conference Co-Chairs |
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1535-1555 |
MoUs Signing - Ceremonial signing of LPA-Legumes (ICRISAT-Crop Trust) - Improved Millet-Based Livelihoods (ICRISAT-District Administration, Angul, Odisha - Improved Millet-Based Livelihoods (ICRISAT and District Administration, Rayagada, Odisha) - Service Agreement for Collaboration on Nano-Aerated Water Treatment and Agricultural Applications (ICRISAT and Avior Aqua) - MoU (ICRISAT - National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) |
Master of Ceremony |
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1555-1655 |
Award Distribution - ISSCA Awards - Best Poster Awards |
Master of Ceremony |
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1655-1700 |
Delhi Declaration on Dryland (3D) |
Conference Co-Chairs |
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1700-1705 |
Closing Remarks by Secretary DARE and Director General, ICAR |
Dr ML Jat |
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1705-1710 |
Closing Remarks by Director General, ICRISAT |
Dr Himanshu Pathak |
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1710-1720 |
Address by the Chief Guest |
TBD |
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1720-1730 |
Vote of Thanks ADG, ICRISAT |
Mr Sanjay Agarwal |
Side Events