LUCKNOW, October 23, 2026: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, in partnership with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS) and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (PASS), will organise a global climate-resilience summit in Lucknow on November 3–4, focusing on regenerative agriculture, water security, clean energy and sustainable rural livelihoods.
The Regional Rural-India Summit on Regenerative Agriculture, Water and Energy for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation will be organised through IIT Kanpur’s Kotak School of Sustainability (KSS), established with support from Kotak Mahindra Bank. Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is scheduled to attend as the chief guest.
The summit will focus on developing science- and policy-led approaches to strengthen climate resilience across rural India, with particular attention to the Indo-Gangetic Plains, where agriculture and rural livelihoods face mounting pressure from rising temperatures, changing monsoon patterns, groundwater stress, soil degradation and extreme weather events.
Regenerative Agriculture at the Centre of Climate Strategy
The two-day event aims to promote integrated approaches linking soil health, water management, clean energy, climate-responsive farming and resilient rural communities.
Regenerative agriculture will be a central theme, with discussions examining how improved soil health, greater water retention, groundwater recharge, biodiversity conservation and efficient resource use can support agricultural productivity while reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
Experts will also explore the role of soil science, hydrology, precision agriculture, clean energy technologies and digital monitoring in developing scalable solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation.
The focus reflects the interconnected nature of climate challenges in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, where agricultural production, freshwater availability, energy access and rural incomes are closely linked.
Global Climate Initiative Comes to India
The Lucknow summit forms part of the international climate-resilience initiative led by PAS and PASS, based on the MAST framework — Mitigation, Adaptation and Societal Transformation.
Following a global summit at the Vatican in 2024, regional dialogues have taken place in California and Massachusetts in the United States, Nairobi, Vienna, Brasília and Dakar. The India gathering will adapt the initiative’s broader framework to the agricultural, environmental and social challenges facing rural India.
The summit is expected to bring together scientists, policymakers, agricultural practitioners and innovators from India and other countries to examine practical approaches to climate resilience.
Scientists and Policymakers to Discuss Rural Sustainability
The opening plenary will feature Prof. Joachim von Braun, President of PAS; Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur; Prof. Shekhar Mande, President of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA); and Prof. Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Dean of the Kotak School of Sustainability at IIT Kanpur.
A special session will feature Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi, Padma Bhushan awardee; Prof. Ashok Gulati, Padma Shri awardee; and Dr. Rajendra Singh, widely known as the “Jal Purush” and a Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient.
The programme will also feature a session on MAST as a universal protocol for climate resilience, including video contributions from Prof. Veerabhadran Ramanathan of the Council of PAS and Prof. Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston and a member of the PASS Council.
Other international experts scheduled to contribute include Prof. Örjan Gustafsson, Dr. Ashish Jha, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Dr. Rattan Lal, Prof. Cecilia Tortajada and Prof. Raghu Murtugudde.
Discussions will cover monsoon science, regenerative agriculture, climate and public health, water security, clean energy, climate-driven migration and science-policy foresight. Community-led adaptation, women-led initiatives and experiences from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar will also feature in the programme.
Integrated Solutions for the Indo-Gangetic Plains
Prof. Joachim von Braun, President of PAS, said the summit would connect global scientific knowledge with India’s experience and grassroots initiatives to strengthen climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods.
Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur, said rural India’s climate challenges required an integrated understanding of agriculture, water and energy, with the summit intended to bring together scientific expertise and field experience to develop practical solutions.
Prof. Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Dean of the Kotak School of Sustainability at IIT Kanpur and conference chair, highlighted the importance of the Indo-Gangetic Plains as a region where climate change, agricultural production, water resources and livelihoods intersect.
He said the summit aimed to develop integrated approaches that could strengthen resilience while restoring the ecological foundations of rural prosperity.
Expected Outcomes
The summit is expected to generate policy and implementation recommendations for state and national authorities, while connecting India’s experience with international efforts to advance climate resilience.
For the agricultural sector, the discussions could help strengthen the focus on regenerative farming, water conservation, soil restoration and resource-efficient production systems. Bringing scientific research together with policymaking and community experience will be important to translating these approaches into practical interventions for farmers and rural communities.
The event will seek to establish a stronger basis for coordinated climate action across agriculture, water and energy, with the Indo-Gangetic Plains serving as a central focus for developing locally relevant and scalable solutions.