BRICS New Delhi Summit Puts Focus on Agro-Ecology, Digital and Climate-Resilient Agriculture
BRICS New Delhi Summit Highlights Agro-Ecology, Digital and Climate-Resilient Agriculture
Agriculture emerged as part of the broader resilience, food security and sustainability agenda at the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, held in New Delhi on September 12–13. Under India’s BRICS chairship, cooperation in agro-ecology, digital agriculture and climate-resilient agriculture was identified among the areas for continued collaboration.
The agriculture-related outcomes were outlined during press briefings held on September 12 and 13, as Indian officials presented the results of the country’s BRICS chairship and discussed the New Delhi BRICS Leaders’ Declaration.
On September 12, Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (Economic Relations) at the Ministry of External Affairs, said the New Delhi Declaration included more than 50 practical outcomes organized around four broad pillars: resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
Agro-Ecology and Digital Agriculture Under the Resilience Agenda
Agriculture featured most prominently under the resilience pillar, particularly in relation to food and health security.
Among the initiatives highlighted were the establishment of BRICS Centers of Excellence on Agro-ecology and the BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture. These initiatives form part of a broader set of measures aimed at strengthening resilience and cooperation among BRICS countries.
The resilience agenda also included initiatives such as the BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyle, cooperation on mental wellness, and collaboration on disaster risk reduction and management.
During the September 13 briefing, Dalela again highlighted food security as one of the areas where BRICS cooperation is expected to produce practical outcomes. He said there was broad convergence among member countries on strengthening cooperation in sectors including health, food security, energy, digital public infrastructure and disaster resilience.
Climate-Resilient Agriculture Included in Sustainability Agenda
Agriculture was also addressed under the sustainability pillar, with climate-resilient agriculture identified as one of the key areas of focus.
The sustainability agenda covered a wider range of areas, including smart grids, energy storage, climate-resilient urban infrastructure, sustainable urban mobility and sustainable lifestyles.
However, the briefings did not outline specific programmes, technologies, crop priorities, implementation timelines or measurable targets related to climate-resilient agriculture.
Agriculture Part of India’s Broader BRICS Development Agenda
Agriculture was also identified as part of the wider development priorities of India’s BRICS chairship.
During the September 12 briefing, Dalela explained that BRICS cooperation broadly spans three areas: political and security cooperation, economic and financial cooperation, and people-to-people collaboration.
Within this framework, India’s chairship placed emphasis on development-oriented initiatives with direct relevance to people’s lives, including trade, investment, agriculture, health and technology.
According to Dalela, BRICS will continue to strengthen cooperation across these development-focused areas.
Agriculture Initiatives Intended to Continue Beyond the Summit
The September 13 briefing provided further insight into the longer-term approach behind the outcomes of India’s BRICS chairship.
Dalela said the initiatives developed around the four pillars of resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability were intended to function as platforms, frameworks and guidelines, rather than as one-time summit activities.
These mechanisms are expected to provide a basis for continued engagement as BRICS enters its third decade. The agriculture-related initiatives on agro-ecology, digital agriculture and climate-resilient agriculture are therefore positioned within this longer-term cooperation framework.
Focus on the Global South
The summit’s outcomes were also presented as having relevance beyond the BRICS grouping, particularly for countries across the Global South.
During the September 13 briefing, Dalela said discussions focused on how BRICS could develop outcomes and deliverables relevant to developing countries. India invited representatives of developing-country groupings, including ASEAN, the African Union, CELAC, the Gulf Cooperation Council and BIMSTEC, to exchange views on BRICS initiatives and their expectations from the grouping.
During the September 13 open session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said solutions developed within BRICS should not remain limited to member countries but should be adaptable and accessible to the needs of the Global South.
Agriculture Receives Specific Attention Within a Broader Agenda
While agriculture was not the dominant subject of the two-day media briefings, it was specifically identified across several areas of the BRICS agenda.
These included food security under the resilience pillar, BRICS Centers of Excellence on Agro-ecology, the BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture, and climate-resilient agriculture under the sustainability pillar.
Agriculture was also mentioned alongside trade, investment, health and technology as part of BRICS’ broader development-oriented cooperation.
At the same time, the briefings did not provide detailed information on agriculture-specific funding, implementation mechanisms, individual projects, crop priorities or farmer-level programmes.
Overall, the agriculture-related takeaway from the New Delhi BRICS Leaders’ Summit is the inclusion of agro-ecology, digital agriculture and climate-resilient agriculture within the grouping’s wider framework for resilience, sustainability, food security and development cooperation.
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