ICRISAT is managed by a full-time Director General functioning under the overall guidance of an international Governing Board.

ICRISAT has a unique role in dryland agriculture research for development, working through diverse partnerships across Asia and Africa.

This makes a difference in farmers' lives by scaling scientific innovations with due attention to the environment, policy, marketing and socioeconomics.

In the complex farming systems of the drylands where ICRISAT mandate crops including grain legumes and dryland cereals are grown, integrated solutions are needed to address the challenges of poverty, climate change, nutrition and sustainability of natural resources.

[19] ICRISAT-improved chickpea varieties have been widely adopted in a poor tribal area in Gujarat, India, with favorable impacts on yields, unit production costs, and net returns per hectare/per acre.

Two major science-based breakthroughs attributed to crop improvement research at ICRISAT relate to pearl millet and pigeonpea.

A team of researchers at ICRISAT have released the first public sector-bred, marker-assisted bred hybrid pearl millet, HHB 67.