The strategic plan 2021-25 focuses on transforming drylands in Asia and Africa into prosperous, food-secure, and resilient ecosystems. It emphasizes gender equality, youth empowerment, climate resilience, and nutrition through partnerships with international organizations and cutting-edge agricultural research. The initiative aims to address urgent challenges such as extreme poverty and undernutrition by leveraging advanced genomic technologies and promoting South-South collaborations.

1. Creating Impact in the Drylands of Asia and Africa

2. Prosperous, food secure and
resilient drylands in Asia and Africa
Vision
STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-25

3. Focus
Renewed emphasis on
GENDER equality
YOUTH empowerment
SOUTH-SOUTH collaboration
NUTRITION and
CLIMATE RESILIENCE
Building on proven
EXPERTISE
Nurturing public-private
PARTNERSHIPS
Overcoming
GLOBAL CHALLENGES
A plan for a
PRODUCTIVE FUTURE
STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-25

4. Expertise in the drylands
Integrated multi-disciplinary
expertise and understanding of
ground needs of farmers
Nutritious dryland crops
World-class crop research on
climate-resilient, nutrient-rich
cereals and legumes
ICRISAT is a leading international organization for dryland agricultural research
Building on proven expertise
Cutting-edge research
Genomic technologies and
modern digital tools enhance
existing strong basic and
applied science base
Extensive partner network
STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-25
Partners with CGIAR and premier
research institutes, governments,
public and private sectors and thought
leaders

5. Working with partners to deliver on key
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and our mission
PROSPEROUS FOOD SECURE RESILIENT
SCALABLE INCLUSIVE
Overcoming global challenges
STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-25
SDG 1 SDG 13
SDG 2
SDG 17 SDG 5

6. POVERTY
Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
are expected to see the largest increases in extreme
poverty as a result of the pandemic.
Key challenges in the drylands of Asia and Africa
FOOD AND NUTRITION
The majority of the world’s undernourished is
here and the number is growing faster than
anywhere in the world.
STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-25
Source: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2020/goal-01/
Source: THE STATE OF FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION IN THE WORLD 2020 (fao.org)

7. Improved Germplasm
ICRISAT researchers deliver international public goods and innovations to help
achieve key Sustainable Development Goals through
Scientific Knowledge
Problem-Solving Expertise
Evidence-based Policy Advice
Robust scientificsolutions for dryland agri-foodsystemchallenges
STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-25

8. Current partnership model will remain, while
widening the network and adding new avenues
Future partnerships
In the next five years, we have
planned for increased
South-South collaborations
Corporate Social Responsibility activities
Engagement with the United Nations organizations,
global thought leaders and influencers
Stronger association with countries having
dryland ecologies
Private sector partnerships
STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-25

9. Planning a productive future:
ICRISAT’S new Research for Development agenda
STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-25
Meet urgent ground
needs using
advanced
technologies–
• Genomics
• Big Data
• Seed systems
• Gene Bank
Accelerate crop
improvement
1
• Advanced breeding
approaches
• Biofortification
• Smart Food initiative
• Food processing
techniques
• Grow more and diverse
food to support
nutritious diets
Integrate nutrition
initiatives
2
Address climate
change issues
3
• Explore new
research avenues
• Document progress
• Initiate appropriate
course correction
from lessons
learned
Reframe agri-food
systems research
4
Replicate in Africa,
successful institutional
approaches in India –
• Agribusiness and
agri-tech
entrepreneurship
• Scaling landscape
and community
livelihood
approaches
Expand scaling
approaches
5
• Mitigate complex
food system
challenges
• Climate smart
options
• Timely weather
information
• Resilient varieties
and technologies to
reduce losses

10. ICRISAT is a thought leader and a
reliable partner with expertise in
nurturing dryland agri-food systems
STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-25
Creating Impact in the drylands of Asia and Africa

11. Nurturing the drylands since 1972
Thank you