ICRISAT, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (@icarindia), organized a four-day international training program on “Agro-ecological/Landscape-based Natural Resource Management” from 12–15 October 2026 in Kano, #Nigeria. During the inaugural session, ICRISAT experts highlighted landscape management, water conservation and integrated crop–livestock systems for strengthening smallholder livelihoods, alongside South–South cooperation, knowledge sharing and capacity building through ICRISAT’s Dryland Academy. Under the CGIAR Capacity Sharing Accelerator and Multifunctional Landscape Science Program (@CGIARenviro), the training covered soil and water conservation, integrated crop–livestock systems, agroforestry, climate resilience and digital decision-support tools, complemented by a field visit to the Tofa watershed. During the valedictory session, Dr Himanshu Pathak (@HPathakOfficial), Director General, ICRISAT, emphasized drought-resilient communities and continued collaboration. Dr Stanford Blade (@DrStanfordBlade), Deputy Director General – Research and Innovation, ICRISAT, and Mr Sanjay Agarwal, Additional Director General, ICRISAT, also attended. Dr Ramesh Singh (@ICRISATRamesh), Global Research Program Director – Resilient Farming Systems, ICRISAT, highlighted opportunities for an integrated benchmark landscape. The program concluded with plans for ICRISAT to provide technical guidance for a benchmark demonstration site in northern Nigeria, explore opportunities for scaling up and support researcher and student exchanges. Victor Afari-Sefa (@SefaAfari) | Kumara Charyulu | Padmaja Ravula | Sougrynoma Zainatou Sore | RS Yadav | RM Singh | KA Gopinath and JP Tetarwal | Prof. Jibrin | Aviraj Datta | Nagarjuna Reddy

ICRISAT and Oxfam (@oxfaminnigeria) reviewed progress on the Crop Diversity Project in Jigawa and Bauchi States, Nigeria, focusing on strengthening seed systems, improving soil health and expanding livelihood opportunities for smallholder farmers. The Oxfam delegation visited sorghum participatory variety selection (PVS) demonstrations at Kari-Tsalle and the SAMSORG 52 seed multiplication site at Malamawa. At a farmer field day in Taura, one community reported producing enough seed to meet the needs of three similar-sized communities, highlighting the potential for surplus seed production. The delegation also met with HE Malam Umar A Namadi (@uanamadi), Executive Governor of Jigawa State, to acknowledge government support through the Jigawa Agricultural Transformation Agency (JATA). At ICRISAT’s Kano office, the delegation met with Dr Victor Afari-Sefa (@SefaAfari), Global Research Program Director – Transforming Agrifood Systems and Country Representative for Nigeria, ICRISAT, along with the team to discuss soil fertility management through microdosing and composting, access to quality seeds and stronger market linkages.

Global expertise in crop science and digital innovation came together today at ICRISAT’s headquarters in India, as @CGIAR and Google.org brought their technical teams together for a five-day working session to advance AI-powered digital phenotyping for crop improvement. Welcoming participants, Dr Himanshu Pathak (@HPathakOfficial), Director General, ICRISAT, urged the teams to prioritize developing common standards. Under the Science program @CGIARbreeding for Tomorrow, the session brought together CG centers including ICRISAT, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (@CIMMYT), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (@IITA_CGIAR), the Alliance of Bioversity International and @BiovIntCIAT_eng , the International Potato Center (@Cipotato), the International Rice Research Institute (@irri) and @AfricaRice . The five-day working session will focus on advancing mobile and drone-based phenotyping workflows and developing scalable crop-breeding solutions, with deployment plans for the 2026–2027 growing season.

ICRISAT at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (#CBDCOP17), being held from 19–30 October 2026 in Yerevan, #Armenia. The event convened key partners, stakeholders, and funders to discuss vital issues around biodiversity conservation and the significance of crop genetic diversity in dryland agriculture. Representing ICRISAT, Dr Stanford Blade (@DrStanfordBlade), Deputy Director General – Research and Innovation, and Dr Falalou Hamidou, Senior Scientist – Regional Genebank and Country Representative of Niger, attended the session “Scaling up capacity sharing to bridge the DSI divide,” focusing on access to digital sequence information (#DSI) and capacity building. They also highlighted the role of ICRISAT’s Genebank in conserving crop genetic diversity for research and crop improvement. A key highlight was the inclusion of ICRISAT’s 2025 DSI training course, conducted under the CGIAR Genebanks Accelerator, in CGIAR’s presentation at the conference. Dr Damaris Odeny, Principal Scientist – Genomics, Pre-breeding and Bioinformatics, ICRISAT, and President of the African Plant Breeders Association (@PlantAPBA), also shared the course with the association. COP17 Armenia (@COP17_Arm2026) | Government of the Republic of Armenia (@armgov) | United Nations Biodiversity (@UNBiodiversity) | UN Environment Programme (@UNEP) | International Union for Conservation of Nature (@IUCN) | United Nations Development Programme (@UNDP). @CGIAR | CGIAR Genebanks | @CGIARbreeding

#Pressrelease #News Amazon and ICRISAT celebrate Farmers’ Day in Palghar, #Maharashtra ICRISAT and #Amazon marked Farmers’ Day on 9 October 2026 at Abitgarh village, Palghar district, Maharashtra, India, highlighting the first-year achievements of their joint initiative, “Regenerative Landscape for Transforming Smallholder Agri-Food Systems.” The event was attended by Hon’ble Shri Daulat Bhika Daroda (@DarodaDaula), Member of the Legislative Assembly, Shahapur constituency, along with representatives from ICRISAT, Amazon, the Agricultural Research Station, Palghar, and local farming communities. Covering 1,500 hectares, the initiative has established 97 water-management structures with an estimated harvesting capacity of 328,900 cubic metres, benefiting around 700 tribal farming families. Dr Venkataradha Akuraju, Senior Scientist – Vadose Zone Hydrology, ICRISAT, highlighted a more than 20% increase in Kharif crop yields. The project is expected to replenish approximately 1,300 million litres of water annually upon full implementation in 2027. @CGIARenviro Read more: pressroom.icrisat.org/amazon…

ICRISAT at the 10th Annual Meeting of the Asian Soil Laboratory Network (#SEALNET) and the 8th Annual Meeting of the African Soil Laboratory Network (#AFRILAB), held on 21–22 October 2026. Dr Pushpajeet Choudhari (@PushpajeetC), Scientist – Soil Science, ICRISAT, and Chair of SEALNET, led the meeting virtually, presented updates on network activities and led discussions on the launch of the 2026–2027 Regional Proficiency Testing (PT) Program, Centers of Excellence in Soil Laboratories (CESLabs) and opportunities to improve laboratory performance and standardization. At the AFRILAB meeting, Dr Choudhari presented “SEALNET Regional Experience and Potential Application in Africa,” highlighting lessons from SEALNET and opportunities for knowledge exchange, capacity building and strengthening soil laboratory networks across Africa. Food and Agriculture Organization (@FAO)

On 14 October 2026, ICRISAT welcomed Dr Pham Thien Thanh, Deputy Director, Field Crops Research Institute (FCRI), and Dr Nguyen Xuan Thu, Director, Legume Research and Development Centre (LRDC), FCRI, #Vietnam, to its headquarters in Patancheru, Hyderabad, India. Dr Himanshu Pathak (@HPathakOfficial), Director General, ICRISAT, highlighted the need to address Vietnam’s growing gap between #groundnut production and market demand, while Dr Stanford Blade (@DrStanfordBlade), Deputy Director General – Research and Innovation, emphasized opportunities for germplasm exchange, modern breeding technologies and capacity building. Discussions focused on developing early-maturing, drought-tolerant groundnut varieties with resistance to late leaf spot and high oleic acid content, alongside improved aflatoxin management. Dr Janila Pasupuleti, Principal Scientist, Genomic Prediction and Groundnut Breeding, highlighted promising groundnut lines maturing in approximately 90 days under Hyderabad conditions. The visit also explored opportunities for private-sector engagement in groundnut improvement, with Vietnam expected to join the ICRISAT-led Asia Breeding Network (#ASIABNET) to strengthen regional breeding collaboration.

Safeguarding crop diversity for future generations! ICRISAT’s Genebank has deposited 1,868 accessions (800 sorghum and 1,068 pearl millet) at the @ICARDA Genebank in Rabat, Morocco, strengthening the long-term conservation of valuable crop genetic resources. With this deposit, ICRISAT has achieved 93% first-level safety duplication of its collection, ensuring greater security for these vital genetic resources and keeping them available for future research, crop improvement and climate-resilient agriculture. @CGIAR @CropTrust

ICRISAT Explores Scientific Cooperation with #Uzbekistan ICRISAT is exploring expanded scientific cooperation with Uzbekistan in crop breeding and seed production. During a recent meeting in the United States with Uzbekistan’s Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Abdurakhmonov, Dr Manzoor Dar (@mhdarson), Global Head – Seed Systems and Principal Scientist, ICRISAT, and Prof Rajeev K. Varshney, FRS, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, discussed priorities for joint research and knowledge exchange. The proposed partnership aims to advance high-yielding, climate-resilient crop varieties, strengthen seed production research and enhance Uzbekistan’s agricultural research capacity. The discussions concluded with an agreement to sign a bilateral cooperation document at upcoming high-level events. Read more: uzdaily.uz/en/uzbekistan-and…

Join us in congratulating Ms Abina VP, ICRISAT Research Fellow, on winning the Best Paper Award at the 2nd Regional Climate Change Conference (RCCC 2026), held on 15–16 October in Bangkok, Thailand. Abina presented her study titled, “Do Climatic Shocks Worsen Gender Equality? Revisiting the Gender-Development Nexus under Disaster Risk.” under the supervision of Dr Kavitha Kasala. The research examines the relationship between climatic shocks, gender equality and disaster risk, contributing valuable insights to discussions on climate resilience and gender-responsive development. Congratulations, Abina, on this well-deserved achievement!

ICRISAT, in collaboration with the International Food Policy Research Institute (@IFPRI), CGIAR Policy Innovations (@CGIARPolicy), and the ICAR–National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (@IcarNiap), at the 34th Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Research Association (@AeraIndia), held on 12–14 October 2026, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India. Dr Shalander Kumar (@kumar_shalander), Principal Scientist – Socioeconomist, Markets, Institutions and Policies, and Ms Judy Thomas, ICRISAT, convened the panel “From Plot to Policy: Pathways for Mainstreaming Regenerative Agriculture,” exploring ways to scale regenerative agriculture through stronger scientific evidence, monitoring systems, and supportive policy frameworks. The second panel, “Reimagining India’s Fertilizer Policy Landscape: From Price Management to Agricultural Value Chain Transformation,” focused on scaling regenerative agriculture through long-term scientific evidence, farmer-centered transition support, stronger extension services, market incentives, and supportive policy frameworks. Both discussions highlighted the importance of collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders in advancing evidence-based agricultural policies and sustainable farming systems in India. Read more: pressroom.icrisat.org/from-p…

ICRISAT at the Small Ruminants Workshop, held on 12–13 October 2026 in #Mali. Dr Ephrem Habyarimana, Principal Scientist – Sorghum Breeding, ICRISAT, highlighted the institute’s contributions to #sorghum and #pearlmillet improvement, including improved forage options, seed and advisory services, and decision-support tools to address seasonal feed shortages. Discussions emphasized the growing demand for sorghum fodder in Mali and the importance of collaboration in improving livestock feed availability and strengthening crop–livestock farming systems.

ICRISAT at the Second Annual Workshop on Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, Impact Assessment and Foresight (#MELIAF), hosted by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (@ICARDA) from 6–8 October 2026 in Rabat, Morocco. Dr Swamikannu Nedumaran, Principal Scientist – Agricultural Economist, Socio-economics, Inclusion and Impact, ICRISAT, engaged with researchers and impact specialists from CGIAR Centers, Science Programs and Accelerators to exchange knowledge, strengthen collaboration and explore ways to translate research evidence into development outcomes. He also visited the ICARDA Genebank to learn about crop diversity conservation efforts and their role in supporting future food security and sustainable agriculture.

ICRISAT and Wipro signed a partnership agreement today to collaborate on integrating geospatial science, agricultural expertise and AI-driven analytics into a unified framework for agricultural decision-making. The agreement was signed by Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General, ICRISAT, and Mr Nagendra Bandaru, CEO – AI Native Business and Platforms, Wipro, in the presence of Ms Bindu Sunil and Mr Guruprasanna Marimuthu from Wipro, and Mr Sanjay Agarwal, ADG, and Dr Murali Krishna Gumma from ICRISAT. Under the partnership, ICRISAT will contribute scientific expertise, geospatial products, agricultural datasets, validation protocols and domain-specific requirements, while @Wipro will bring its expertise in AI engineering, technology integration and platform development. The collaboration will progress from satellite-based agricultural mapping and monitoring to advanced predictive analytics, including crop yield forecasting, climate-informed crop suitability assessments and crop diversification recommendations. The resulting system aims to support evidence-based agricultural planning, strengthen land and water resource management, enhance climate resilience and promote sustainable agricultural productivity across selected regions of Asia and Africa. xitter.cf/ICRISAT/status/2… xitter.cf/ICRISAT/status/2… xitter.cf/ICRISAT/status/2…

Accelerating genetic gain in groundnut breeding! ICRISAT’s Accelerated Crop Improvement program conducted a training on “Breeding Innovations to Achieve Accelerated Genetic Gain in #Groundnut Breeding” on 8–9 October 2026 at ICRISAT. Dr Janila Pasupuleti, Principal Scientist – Groundnut Breeding, ICRISAT, and the groundnut breeding team shared insights on demand-led breeding, designing target product profiles, and developing crop varieties tailored to production environments and consumer needs. Groundnut breeders from ICAR–Indian Institute of Groundnut Research and four State Agricultural Universities in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan participated in the training to strengthen breeding approaches for greater genetic gain and impact.

Today, we welcomed Dr MK Shanmuga Sundaram, IAS, Principal Secretary, Agricultural Education and Research, Agricultural Marketing, Agricultural Foreign Trade and Export Promotion Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, at our headquarters in Hyderabad. From crop improvement and genetic resources to soil science, genomics, agribusiness innovation, and nutrition, Dr Sundaram gained a closer look at ICRISAT’s research capabilities and their potential to advance agricultural development. Further, his discussions with Dr Himanshu Pathak (@HPathakOfficial), Director General, ICRISAT, Mr Sanjay Agarwal, Assistant Director General, ICRISAT, and ICRISAT scientists focused on the institute’s work in Uttar Pradesh and opportunities to align agricultural research and innovation with the state’s priorities. His tour of key facilities, including the genebank, chickpea speed breeding facility, iHub, LeasyScan, and the Agribusiness Innovation and Nutrition (AIN) Platform, offered insights into how ICRISAT’s science and innovations can help address agricultural challenges and create new opportunities for farmers.