Sorghum crops are constrained by water scarcity worldwide. Australian scientists are collaborating with sorghum researchers in the US, India and Africa to improve production in dry environments. Historically, knowledge from global collaborations has benefited Australian grain-growers greatly. This trend will continue. It has always been our intention to apply the knowledge gained in sorghum to improve drought adaptation in other major cereals (wheat, maize & rice). Discovering candidate genes associated with the ‘stay-green’ drought adaptation trait in sorghum has been the focus of an international research partnership between Australian (UQ/DAFFQ) and US (Texas A&M University) scientists for the past decade. Stay-green, defined as the retention of green leaf and stem during the grain filling period under water-limited conditions, is positively correlated with yield under terminal drought. Candidate genes underpinning stay-green have been identified in four chromosomal regions. The role of these genes in canopy development and root growth is being further investigated via expression profiling. Another collaboration with scientists at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India has yielded knowledge on how various stay-green QTL affect water uptake, transpiration efficiency and harvest index in sorghum. Furthermore, the stay-green trait has significantly improved the quality of sorghum stover in India, allowing the development of true dual purpose sorghums for grain and fodder production. African and Australian scientists are working together to develop drought adapted sorghum for Australia’s northern grain belt and Sub-Saharan Africa. This research has found that stay-green confers drought adaptation in sorghum, regardless of plant height. Germplasm enriched with stay-green QTL is currently being assessed in Mali and Ethiopia. These various collaborations have benefited Australian grain-growers by a) providing expertise in cutting edge technologies, b) validating drought-adaptation mechanisms in a range of environments, and c) expanding the genetic diversity of the Australian breeding program.