The Centre of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA) is a premier platform dedicated to accelerating agricultural innovation, collaboration, and knowledge exchange among countries of the Global South.
The Centre is led by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), a globally renowned institution with over 50 years of expertise in dryland agricultural research and development. With a strong presence across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, ICRISAT brings deep technical knowledge, field-tested innovations, and an unwavering commitment to inclusive agricultural transformation. As the catalyst and implementing agency of the ISSCA, ICRISAT plays a central role in mobilizing partnerships, curating scalable solutions, and delivering lasting impact on the ground.
The ICRISAT Dryland Academy will support the Center in the implementation of its activities, providing training, capacity strengthening, and knowledge dissemination services to accelerate adoption and scale.
ISSCA is aligned with the Government of India’s broader commitment to advancing South-South Cooperation (SSC), a priority that is operationalized through the Ministry of External Affairs via the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)—a New Delhi-based autonomous policy research institute specializing in international development, trade, investment, and technology.
In 2023, India reaffirmed its leadership in South-South Cooperation with the launch of the DAKSHIN initiative—Development and Knowledge Sharing Initiative—by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. DAKSHIN, hosted by RIS, serves as a flagship initiative to foster collaborative development across the Global South. It aims to assist stakeholders in identifying scalable, sustainable solutions that can transform economies and uplift societies.
As part of this initiative, DAKSHIN is engaging with over 327 think tanks across 123 countries to assess priority needs in agriculture, health, and digital solutions—with agriculture being a central pillar of this transformative effort.
The Centre of Excellence builds on this momentum by offering a structured, contemporary platform for co-creating, sharing, and adapting agricultural innovations that have been successfully implemented and tested in diverse contexts.
Through partnerships with national institutions, research organizations, governments, and development agencies, ISSCA catalyzes the exchange of technical know-how, good practices, and scalable innovations that promote food security, climate resilience, and inclusive rural development.
We invite partners across the Global South to collaborate with ISSCA and leverage this unique platform to shape a future where agricultural transformation is powered by collaboration, driven by innovation, and grounded in shared values—creating lasting impact for farmers, communities, and food systems throughout the Global South.
