Global agricultural leaders, policymakers, scientists and farmers are meeting in New Delhi for DialogueNEXT 2025, a two-day high-level event aimed at accelerating innovations to secure the world’s food future. The conference, being held at ICAR Convention Centre, PUSA Campus, on September 8-9, focuses on bringing transformative solutions directly to farmers.
Inaugurating the event, Dr Mangi Lal Jat, Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), highlighted the challenges posed by emerging global megatrends to agri-food systems. He stressed the need for farmer-centric, systemic solutions and greater investments in cutting-edge science and partnerships that can accelerate the adoption of innovations. He further noted that India’s rapid agricultural transformation positions it as a hub of smallholder innovation for the Global South.
“South-South collaboration means co-creating solutions, sharing innovations, and empowering small farmers to build resilient, sustainable food systems for the Global South,” said Dr ML Jat.
DialogueNEXT 2025 is hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation in partnership with CIMMYT, the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) and ICAR. Continuing with the theme “Take it to the Farmer,” the event builds on last year’s session in Mexico, with a strong focus on ensuring that transformative agricultural technologies reach smallholders across the Global South. Coinciding with World Agriculture Day, the gathering celebrates India’s legacy of agricultural innovation, honors Indian World Food Prize Laureates, and highlights the country’s leadership in shaping global food systems.
Nicole Prenger, Senior Director, Global Programs at World Food Prize Foundation, noted that the conference marks 60 years since Dr. Norman Borlaug introduced semi-dwarf wheat in India, which doubled production and helped avert famine. She said DialogueNEXT aims to drive a similar “moonshot” effort to sustainably feed the growing global population.
Bram Govaerts, Director General of CIMMYT and BISA, said India’s agricultural innovations are key to improving productivity, sustainability and access across the food value chain. The event provides a platform for cross-sector collaboration and scaling efforts both in India and globally.
The event is being attended by senior government officials, scientists, and agricultural leaders from across Asia, Europe and the Americas, including delegations from Bhutan, Nepal, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, and the US state of Iowa.
