Dryland Congress 2026

Why in News?

The Dryland Congress 2026 was held in New Delhi from 10–12 September 2026. It brought together more than 800 participants from over 25 countries, including scientists, policymakers, farmers, development partners, industry representatives, academicians and civil society organisations. The Congress focused on science-, technology- and policy-based approaches to developing resilient and sustainable dryland agricultural systems.

About Drylands

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), drylands are regions characterised by water scarcity, where rainfall may be limited or concentrated within a short period.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines drylands using the Aridity Index (AI), which is the ratio of annual precipitation to mean annual potential evapotranspiration. Areas with an AI of 0.65 or less are classified as drylands.

The United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) divides drylands into four aridity zones: hyper-arid, arid, semi-arid and dry subhumid. The degree of forest cover generally decreases with increasing aridity. Forests account for about 43% of land in the dry subhumid zone and 20% in the semi-arid zone, while they are rare in arid and hyper-arid zones.

Drylands generally experience high temperatures and high rates of evaporation and transpiration. They are also characterised by considerable climatic uncertainty, particularly large variations in annual precipitation over different years.

Drylands occur on all continents and include grasslands, savannahs, shrublands and woodlands. They are particularly widespread in Africa and Asia, including the Sahel region and much of the Middle East.

According to the FAO assessment, the world’s drylands cover about 6.1 billion hectares. Around 18% is classified as forest and 10% as other wooded land. The remaining area is classified as other land, including barren land (28%), grasslands (25%) and croplands (14%).

Focus of Dryland Congress 2026

The Congress focused on crop resilience, sustainable management of dryland landscapes, nutrition, markets and policies, and livelihood opportunities for communities dependent on dryland agriculture. It highlighted the importance of integrating scientific innovation, technology, sustainable resource management and appropriate policies to address the challenges of water scarcity, climate variability and agricultural vulnerability in dryland regions.

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