Hyderabad, Mar 21: India feeds 1.4 billion people. It also faces collapsing soil health, a crisis of farmer distress, and a food system pulling in opposite directions — producing both hunger and obesity. On Friday, the Bharti Institute of Public Policy (BIPP) at the Indian School of Business (ISB) opened Public Policy Dialogues (PPD) 2026, a three-day national conference designed to confront these contradictions head-on.
Shri Pasha Patel, Chairman, State Agricultural Price Commission, Maharashtra, delivered the keynote address, not as a technocrat, but as a farmer speaking truth to power. “If we do not reduce our carbon footprint and increase our green cover, farmers will not be able to grow food. Sustainability must be action-driven — not just words and presentations. Sustainability commitments must move from conference rooms to fields.”
Patel’s address landed with urgency, without systemic reduction in carbon emissions and restoration of green cover, India’s farming communities, already vulnerable to climate disruption, will not be able to sustain food production.
Professor Madan Pillutla, Dean, ISB, in his opening remarks, underlined that as ISB enters its 25th year, it remains anchored in the vision of its founders to study Indian problems with the scientific rigour of the highest global standards. The institution’s goal has been to capture local wisdom and translate it into reliable, generalised practices that create a positive impact on the nation. The Bharti Institute of Public Policy reflects this mission. In the context of food systems, there is also a need to address emerging complexities, including environmental degradation and the dual challenges of nutritional deficiency and caloric excess, he added.
Professor Ashwini Chhatre, Executive Director, BIPP, ISB, and Conference Chair, PPD 2026, in his welcome address, shared his vision behind this year’s theme of Food Systems. Addressing the gathering, he said, “India’s food system needs our help. It is under profound stress. But it is something that we barely understand. And what we need as a first step is to acknowledge that. The challenge is not a shortage of ideas, but a shortage of integrated thinking. Our attempt is to look at food systems through three crucial lenses, which affect the food systems the most- culture, markets and policy. The Public Policy Dialogues 2026 is our attempt to bring the right people from different walks of life into the same room: those who make policy, those who implement it, those who study it, and crucially, those who live its consequences every day”.
Over three days, PPD 2026 will convene panel discussions, roundtables, a startup showcase, a women collectives showcase, and a research and innovation showcase, all oriented toward one outcome: actionable policy for a food system India can no longer afford to leave fragmented.
