Resilient Farm and Food Systems

World Soil Day 2023: ICRISAT Leverages Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture

'Technology on Wheels’ to Bring Science to Farmers’ Doorsteps

Senegalese Farmers Embrace Climate-Smart Agricultural Innovations in AICCRA Project

Press Release

ICRISAT Scientist Elected as Chair for the Asian Soil Laboratory Network 

Farm to fork: An overview of millet supply chains in India

Opinion Piece by ICRISAT's Dr Shalander Kumar, Deputy Research Program Director, Enabling Systems Transformation; Dr Abhishek Das, Scientist; and Dr ML Jat, Research Program Director, Resilient Farm and Food Systems. Originally published in Ideas For India.

ICRISAT Wins Prestigious UNDP Mahatma Award 2023 for Work in Bundelkhand, India

Award

ICRISAT Empowers Global Scientists with Conservation Agriculture Practices

Skills Transfer

Transforming Ethiopia’s Agriculture Through Agronomy Innovation: The Landscape Segmented Fertilizer Advisory

Originally published by the CGIAR

ICRISAT-GSDA Forge Partnership to Revolutionize Agricultural Water Conservation in Maharashtra, India

Media Release

Harvesting Hope: Empowering Tribal Women as Millet Entrepreneurs

FEATURE

ICRISAT and Zuari Collaborate to Revolutionize Soil Health and Boost Farmer Incomes in Three Indian States

Media release

Empowering farmers to make data-based decisions for better climate resilience

Partnerships for the goals

November 2022 was a watershed moment when the world population crossed 8 billion. In 2011 the world population was 7 billion and by 2050 it is expected to touch 9.8 billion. The world’s population more than tripled between 1950 and 2020. More than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania. Countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute more than half of the increase anticipated through 2050.

Agricultural production must ramp up to feed a growing population. This can be achieved either by bringing more land under cultivation or through ''sustainable intensification", that is by closing yield gaps on under-performing lands. However, the first option, converting forests and grasslands to cropland, releases the stored carbon thus contributing to climate change. The Global Carbon Budget 2022 report released during the COP27 deliberations in Egypt showed that carbon dioxide emissions from land use changes is projected to be 3.9 billion tons in 2022. Therefore, in light of the Paris climate accords and the fact that emissions are already at unsustainable levels (total 40 billion tons in 2022), it is clear that pursuing the land use conversion route will only aggravate the climate crisis.