India's Landmark BRICS Presidency Delivers 'Indore Declaration' on Agricultural Cooperation
India's recent BRICS Presidency has culminated in the groundbreaking 'Indore Declaration,' a blueprint for enhanced agricultural cooperation. This declaration outlines crucial initiatives for food security, climate resilience, digital farming, and farmer welfare across BRICS nations, marking a new chapter in global agricultural collaboration.
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Introduction to the Indore Declaration
The BRICS nations, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, represent a formidable force in global agriculture, accounting for nearly half of the world's population, approximately 42% of global agricultural land, and around 42% of global foodgrain production. Against this backdrop, India’s current BRICS Presidency has culminated in a significant milestone for international agricultural cooperation: the unanimous adoption of the 'Indore Declaration'. This landmark declaration emerged from the 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting, which concluded on June 13, 2026, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India, following a five-day intensive deliberation involving agriculture ministers and officials from member and partner countries.
Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, highlighted that the Indore Declaration serves as a powerful message of hope, trust, and collective responsibility from the BRICS nations during a period of global crises and uncertainties. The declaration emphasizes a farmer-centric approach, placing the welfare and livelihoods of small and marginal farmers at its core.
India Steers BRICS Agriculture
India's leadership during its BRICS Presidency has been instrumental in fostering consensus and driving forward the agenda for sustainable agricultural development. The BRICS Agricultural Working Group, established in 2011, has consistently provided a platform for coordinating policy, sharing research, and promoting joint projects aimed at improving agricultural productivity and enhancing food security. Over the years, BRICS agricultural cooperation has evolved through various ministerial meetings and action plans, including the Action Plan 2021-2024 for Agricultural Cooperation, adopted during India's previous virtual presidency in 2021. This ongoing collaboration has focused on areas such as agricultural technology, climate-resilient farming, and trade in agricultural products.
The recent meetings in Indore, including both Senior Officials' and Ministerial engagements, involved approximately 100 delegates, with nearly 60 foreign representatives underscoring the depth of commitment from BRICS nations to address critical issues in agriculture and food security. The discussions focused on shared farming challenges and explored avenues for enhanced cooperation through innovation, technology, and knowledge-sharing.
Key Pillars of the Indore Declaration
The Indore Declaration outlines four crucial priorities that form the bedrock of future BRICS agricultural collaboration. These pillars are designed to create a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable global food system:
- Food Security, Nutrition, and Livelihoods: The declaration reaffirms the commitment to strengthening food and nutritional security, while also improving the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers globally. Discussions specifically addressed the challenges faced by small and marginal farmers, including access to agricultural inputs, credit availability, remunerative prices, and market linkages.
- Agriculture Trade and Cooperation: Member nations reiterated their support for a fair, inclusive, and transparent multilateral trading system. The declaration also seeks to expand cooperation in agricultural trade and investment, and to ease agricultural trade between BRICS countries.
- Regenerative Farming, Climate Resilient, and Sustainable Agriculture: Recognizing agriculture's vulnerability to climate change, the declaration supports climate-resilient and sustainable farming practices. This includes promoting regenerative agriculture, climate-smart technologies, and sustainable land-use practices, with an emphasis on reducing post-harvest losses and food wastage.
- Strengthening Partnership for Innovation and Investments: A key focus is on making the agricultural and food systems future-ready through enhanced innovation, technology, and partnerships. This involves leveraging emerging technologies to directly benefit farmers and improve productivity.
Four Major Global Agricultural Initiatives
Beyond the core pillars, the Indore Declaration launched four significant institutional initiatives that will drive practical cooperation:
Global Forum on Farmers' Rights in Seed Systems
This initiative aims to promote and protect farmers' rights, preserve traditional knowledge, and conserve indigenous seed diversity linked to seed systems. India will serve as the coordinating country for this crucial forum.
BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture
To harness the power of technology, this network will strengthen cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), geospatial technologies, digital public infrastructure, and data-driven agricultural solutions. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi will undertake the initial coordination for this network.
BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence on Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture
This network is designed to promote sustainable, natural, and climate-resilient farming practices through collaborative research, training, and knowledge-sharing. The ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming System Research (IIFSR), Modipuram, India, will provide initial coordination.
BRICS AGRIN Network (Agro Inputs, Genetic Resources and Information Network)
India will also coordinate this platform, which seeks to facilitate cooperation among member countries in agricultural inputs, seeds, genetic resources, and information-sharing. This will support the exchange of superior varieties, genetic resources, and best practices to benefit farmers with limited access to such resources.
Impact and Future Outlook
The Indore Declaration, under India's BRICS Presidency, marks a pivotal moment, symbolizing the collective will and shared responsibility of BRICS nations to build a safer, more prosperous, and sustainable future through agriculture. By focusing on farmer-centric growth, climate-smart farming, and digital innovation, the declaration is expected to significantly enhance food and nutritional security, improve livelihoods, and strengthen resilience in agricultural and food systems across the BRICS bloc and beyond.
The institutional mechanisms and networks established through this declaration are poised to accelerate the transfer of scientific innovations from laboratories to farms, ensuring that new technologies, climate-resilient crop varieties, and sustainable farming practices reach farmers more quickly. This comprehensive approach to agricultural cooperation holds immense potential to address global food challenges, promote inclusive growth, and contribute significantly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The commitment to advancing sustainable agriculture and strengthening food systems through these initiatives promises to improve the lives of millions of farmers across BRICS nations, heralding a new era in global agricultural cooperation.