New Delhi will host the CGIAR Science and Partnership Week from April 12 to 17, 2027, CGIAR and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) announced on October 30. The event is organised by ICAR, under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, together with CGIAR, and is hosted by ICRISAT, according to the announcement released through the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

Source: PIB via ICRISAT

The week will bring researchers, farmers, governments, startups and businesses from around the world to New Delhi to look at the innovations already reaching farmers and where more work is needed to reach many more, the statement said. CGIAR's official event page lists the venue as Yashobhoomi, the India International Convention and Expo Centre in Dwarka Sector 25, and says the programme and speakers will be announced in the coming months.

Source: CGIAR

ICAR leads one of the world's largest national agricultural research systems, and its scientists have worked with CGIAR for more than 50 years. Ten CGIAR research centres now work in India on crops, water, livestock, fish, nutrition and policy, according to the announcement reported by news agency IANS on October 31.

Source: IANS

What the organisers said

Dr M. L. Jat, Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR, highlighted the longstanding partnership between India and CGIAR, which he said has played a significant role in strengthening agricultural research and development in the country for over five decades. CGIAR is an international agricultural research partnership comprising 15 research centres working across more than 100 countries, and its collaboration with India has supported crop improvement, natural resource management, food security and agricultural productivity, he noted.

Referring to India's agricultural transformation since the Green Revolution, Dr Jat said collaboration with international research institutions including CIMMYT, IRRI and ICRISAT helped strengthen India's food production capabilities — from a food-deficit nation dependent on imports, India has emerged as a major food-producing and exporting country. India's priority, he said, would be to promote South-South cooperation and share its successful agricultural innovations with the Global South, particularly African countries, pointing to progress in climate-resilient agriculture, digital agriculture and AgriStack, agricultural mechanisation, millets, natural farming and sustainable practices.

Dr Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director, CGIAR, said the event would celebrate the achievements of the longstanding partnership while developing a forward-looking agenda for the next 50 years of agricultural cooperation. India has shown what strong national science can achieve at scale, and seed and knowledge from India already help farmers in Africa and Asia, she said. “In April, we want to build on that exchange and consider together where science can do more,” she added.

Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General, ICRISAT, said India's agricultural journey from a food-deficit nation to a major food-producing and exporting country reflects the transformative power of science, technology and international partnerships. “Through CGIAR Science and Partnership Week 2027, we aim to showcase India's agricultural achievements, share our innovations with the world and learn from global advancements to co-create solutions for the emerging challenges of agriculture and food systems,” he said.

Why India, and what comes next

The announcement gave a concrete example of that exchange: a groundnut sample from India, conserved and shared by ICRISAT, contributed to varieties now grown in Malawi, Uganda, Mozambique and Zambia, and Hyderabad's Center of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture shares proven farming innovations across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The first CGIAR Science Week took place in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2025, where CGIAR launched its current research portfolio. The New Delhi edition will focus on how to move from science to impact and how partnership can advance South-South cooperation, and will also explore how agricultural research and innovation can contribute to India's vision for 2047, the organisers said. Deliberations are expected across the agri-food value chain, including climate resilience, water management, soil health, public-private partnerships, startups, and youth and women's participation.