DialogueNEXT India 2025 Brings Global Leaders Together for Food Security

The world’s top agricultural leaders, policymakers, scientists, and farmers convened at the ICAR Convention Centre, PUSA Campus, New Delhi for DialogueNEXT India 2025, a two-day high-level event (September 8–9) dedicated to advancing breakthrough innovations to secure the global food future.

Focus on Farmer-Centric Innovations

Inaugurating the dialogue, Shri Mangi Lal Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), and Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), highlighted the profound challenges posed by emerging global megatrends such as climate change, population growth, shifting consumption patterns, and resource scarcity.

“These challenges demand smallholder farmer-centric, systemic solutions and their accelerated uptake,” he said. Emphasizing India’s rapid pace of agricultural transformation, he asserted that the country could serve as a global innovation hub for smallholder farming systems across the Global South.

Global Collaboration and Partnerships

Hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation in collaboration with CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center), the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), and ICAR, this year’s DialogueNEXT is themed “Take it to the Farmer.” Building on last year’s edition in Mexico, the conference continues to champion farmer-first approaches, with a focus on ensuring that scientific breakthroughs and technological solutions are accessible and scalable at the farm level.

Nicole Prenger, Senior Director, World Food Prize Foundation, recalled the pivotal role played by Dr. Norman Borlaug in India 60 years ago, when the introduction of semi-dwarf wheat varieties helped double production within a decade and averted famine. She described DialogueNEXT as a “moonshot” initiative designed to mobilize similar collective action to sustainably feed the global population in the coming decades.

India’s Leadership in Agricultural Innovation

Speakers underscored India’s enduring legacy of agricultural progress—from the Green Revolution to recent advances in biotechnology, digital farming, and climate-smart practices.

Bram Govaerts, Director General of CIMMYT and BISA, praised India’s role in shaping modern agriculture:

“India’s leadership and innovations in agriculture are crucial to unlocking gains in productivity, sustainability, and equitable access across the entire agri-food value chain.”

Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister of India and Board Member of CIMMYT, further emphasized India’s role in advancing technologies and policies that benefit not only South Asia but also the wider Global South.

Celebrating Farmers and Food Heroes

Timed with World Agriculture Day, the event celebrates the critical role of farmers worldwide and honors India’s World Food Prize Laureates, who have made transformative contributions to food security. Sessions highlight themes such as:

• Scaling innovations for climate-resilient farming

• Boosting nutrition and food security through science-led approaches

• Mobilizing investments in sustainable agriculture

• Strengthening farmer participation in global value chains

High-Level Participation

The conference drew senior government officials, international delegates, and agricultural leaders from Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Distinguished participants include:

• Thinley Namgyel, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Bhutan

• Govinda Prasad Sharma, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Nepal

• Máximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist, FAO (United Nations)

• A high-level delegation from Iowa, USA, featuring Governor Kim Reynolds, Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig, and Brent Johnson, President, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation

Towards Action-Oriented Outcomes

DialogueNEXT India 2025 has been designed not as a forum for discussions alone but as a launchpad for action-oriented outcomes. By convening voices from science, business, policy, and civil society, the dialogue seeks to forge partnerships that drive inclusive innovation and bring transformative solutions directly to farmers’ fields.

As the world faces the twin challenges of ensuring food security and sustainability, India’s hosting of this global event highlights its central role in shaping the future of agriculture and serving as a beacon of innovation for the Global South.