Natural Resources and Agriculture

TAAT Wheat Compact Leader to Receive ISSCA Award for Heat-Tolerant Wheat Technologies

2 hours ago EDITOR

The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Wheat Compact has received international recognition for its contribution to advancing climate-resilient wheat production, with Dr Wuletaw Tadesse Degu, TAAT Wheat Compact Leader, set to receive an ISSCA Award for the Compact’s heat-tolerant wheat technologies.

The award recognises “TAAT Wheat Compact technologies: Heat-tolerant wheat varieties,” developed by the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and nominated for the ICRISAT Centre of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA) Awards.

The recognition celebrates the contribution of these technologies to agricultural development and highlights the growing importance of climate-resilient innovations in helping farmers and food systems adapt to rising temperatures and increasingly challenging production environments.

Recognising Innovation for Climate-Resilient Agriculture

The heat-tolerant wheat varieties developed by ICARDA and advanced through the TAAT Wheat Compact represent an important contribution to efforts to strengthen wheat production in environments where high temperatures can significantly constrain productivity.

Through the TAAT model, proven agricultural technologies are identified, validated, promoted and connected to national agricultural priorities and investment programmes, helping accelerate their deployment and adoption by farmers.

The recognition of the TAAT Wheat Compact technologies, therefore, underscores the value of South-South cooperation in taking proven agricultural innovations across borders and adapting them to the needs of farmers in diverse dryland and heat-stressed environments.

Award to be Presented on UN Day for South-South Cooperation

The ISSCA Award will be presented to Dr Wuletaw Tadesse Degu on 12 September 2026, United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, during the Valedictory Ceremony of Dryland Congress 2026 in New Delhi, India.

The ceremony will take place from 2:30 p.m. onwards at the National Agricultural Science Centre (NASC) Complex, Dev Prakash Shastri Marg, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110012, India.

Dryland Congress 2026 is being jointly organised by ICRISAT and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) from 10–12 September 2026. The Congress brings together global stakeholders to exchange knowledge, build partnerships and explore innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture in dryland environments.

A Recognition of TAAT’s Scaling Approach

For TAAT, the award represents recognition not only of an important agricultural technology, but also of the programme’s broader approach to moving proven innovations from research into use at scale.

The TAAT Wheat Compact works with research and development partners to accelerate the deployment of wheat technologies that improve productivity and resilience, particularly in environments affected by heat and other climate-related stresses.

The recognition comes at a time when African countries are intensifying efforts to reduce dependence on wheat imports and strengthen domestic production. Heat-tolerant wheat technologies are increasingly important to these efforts, particularly as climate change creates additional production challenges.

By connecting science, technology, national priorities, development investment and farmer delivery, TAAT is helping demonstrate how agricultural innovations can move beyond research stations and become part of practical food-system transformation.

Celebrating South-South Knowledge Exchange

The ISSCA Award also highlights the importance of sharing agricultural knowledge and technologies across developing regions.

South-South cooperation provides an important pathway for countries and institutions facing similar agricultural challenges to learn from one another, adapt proven solutions and accelerate innovation.

The recognition of the TAAT Wheat Compact’s heat-tolerant wheat varieties reflects this principle—showing how agricultural research developed for challenging environments can be transformed into practical solutions with relevance across countries and regions.

As TAAT continues to expand the reach of proven agricultural technologies, the award provides further recognition of the programme’s commitment to climate resilience, agricultural productivity and innovation at scale.

The ISSCA Award will be presented on 12 September 2026 in New Delhi, marking an important milestone for the TAAT Wheat Compact and the wider effort to accelerate climate-resilient agricultural transformation in Africa and other dryland regions.