ICRISAT celebrates its 50th Anniversary in India
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has today officially commenced its golden jubilee marking 50 years of scientific innovation and impact since its establishment on the 28th March 1972.
The 50th anniversary celebrations build upon the inauguration of the occasion by the Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi and the Hon'ble Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar among other dignitaries, who visited the Institute’s global headquarters in early February.
The official celebration was marked by a distinguished gathering of global agricultural institutions and financing leaders including Dr. Akinwumi Adesina President of the African Development Bank Group, Mr. Bishow Parajuli India Country Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, Dr. Agnes Kalibata President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa to members of the diplomatic corps, ICRISAT’s Governing Board, the Director General Dr. Jacqueline Hughes and staff from across India and Africa.
The 50th milestone was framed by the challenges and opportunities facing the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, with a series of roundtable discussions on ‘Partnerships and Funding for Sustainable Agriculture in the Drylands’.
ICRISAT Director General Dr. Jacqueline Hughes said that while the Institute’s 50th anniversary was an opportunity to reflect on the organisation’s illustrious history, it was also a defining moment to coalesce new and innovative approaches to funding scientific innovation to address the challenges facing dryland agri-food systems.
“While the world grapples with evolving climate change, environmental degradation and geo-political shifts there tragically remains one constant for dryland farming communities, and that is food insecurity and hunger" said Dr. Hughes.
“With our deep expertise in dryland farming and recent advances in research, ICRISAT will continue to serve as a global research and thought leader to reduce poverty, hunger, malnutrition, environmental degradation in the semi-arid tropics while making farming profitable.
"We will also augment our scientific advances by working to influence good public policy with a focus on gender and social inclusion as but some cross-cutting themes especially relevant to developing a more equitable and sustainable agricultural sector.
“Our strength, has been built upon the diversity of our public and private sector partnerships and our inspiration, remains the 2.1 billion people who call the drylands home.
“ICRISAT is well positioned to now build upon its past successes as an autonomous, independent organisation which will be further strengthened by a deepening of our South-South collaboration.
“Our 50th Anniversary celebrations will segue the Institute into the International Year of Millets in 2023 in which ICRISAT will be a key actor. As a specialty crop of the Institute, we look forward to collaborating with partners to enhance nutritional security in India and Africa” said Dr. Hughes.
50 Years of Scientific Innovation and Impact in the Drylands
ICRISAT's 50th Anniversary Donor Round Table Participants
Get Involved
A dedicated website will be launched shortly detailing all 50th Anniversary activities across India and Africa and how you can get involved.
India has hosted ICRISAT since its inception, as part of a global institutional framework to share scientific breakthroughs and innovations that help overcome poverty, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the harshest dryland regions of the world.