The ISSCA Global Awards were part of the Dryland Congress 2026, held under the theme “Transforming Dryland Agriculture with South–South Cooperation.”
The inaugural awards received 170 nominations from 34 countries, covering regions across Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The awards were created to recognise agricultural innovations that have demonstrated potential for wider adoption and adaptation.
The recognition highlights how agricultural innovation is increasingly focused not only on crop production, but also on climate resilience, natural resource management, digital agriculture and stronger rural livelihoods.
One of the recognised initiatives was Krishi Bhagya, presented by the Karnataka State Department of Agriculture under the Natural Resource Management & Climate Resilience category.
The recognition places Karnataka among institutions and programmes being acknowledged for approaches to agricultural resilience and resource management.
Other initiatives recognised in the same category included integrated banana pseudo-stem processing by NECTAR in India, rejuvenation of Aahar–Pyne landscapes by Bihar’s Department of Agriculture, and digital land-restoration stewardship by Sustainable Farming Solutions in Malawi.
The ISSCA Global Awards 2026 covered several areas of agricultural development.
The Crop Improvement & Production Technologies category recognised innovations including heat-tolerant wheat technologies, improved groundnut varieties and climate-smart crop varieties.
The Agribusiness & Market Systems category recognised initiatives such as e-Krishok by BIID Foundation, the TNAU-FPO Linkage Programme of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and a solar dryer developed by the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute.
Digital agriculture was another important area. The awards recognised the APMIP Digital Ecosystem of Andhra Pradesh and Krushi Pragati of Gujarat for their work in digital agriculture.
The range of recognised projects reflects the changing priorities of agriculture.
Farmers and agricultural institutions increasingly need solutions that can respond to changing climate conditions, improve resource use and strengthen productivity. This makes areas such as water management, climate-resilient crops, digital farming and efficient processing increasingly important.
The awards also included recognition for livestock improvement and production technologies. WorldFish was recognised for its improved carp seed system, while the International Livestock Research Institute received recognition for its Participatory Indigenous Chicken Breed Improvement Program.
The awards were not limited to established institutions and large agricultural programmes.
The 2026 event also presented 16 Best Poster Awards to students and research scholars. These awards recognised emerging research and scientific work connected to dryland agriculture.
This provides another indication of the expanding role of research and innovation in addressing agricultural challenges.
The significance of the ISSCA Global Awards extends beyond the award ceremony itself.
According to ICRISAT, the awards focus on proven agricultural innovations with potential for scale and cross-country adaptation. The Dryland Congress also concluded with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Drylands, which called for greater cooperation, knowledge exchange, innovation, capacity sharing and partnerships for resilient and sustainable dryland agriculture.
For the agricultural sector, such collaboration can help successful approaches move beyond individual regions and become useful models for other farming communities facing similar challenges.
The recognition of Karnataka’s Krishi Bhagya alongside agricultural innovations from several countries highlights the broader shift towards sustainable and climate-resilient farming.
Agriculture today involves more than increasing production. Efficient use of natural resources, climate resilience, technology adoption, market access and rural livelihoods are becoming increasingly connected.
The ISSCA Global Awards 2026 bring these areas together by recognising initiatives that attempt to address different parts of the agricultural ecosystem.
For India, the recognition also highlights the contribution of state-level agricultural programmes and research institutions to the wider conversation around sustainable farming and food security.
