Dr. Pathak’s leadership is executing a deliberate strategic pivot for ICRISAT, transforming it from a globally respected but traditionally structured research center into a dynamic leader for the Global South and a key instrument of India’s international agricultural diplomacy. The institute’s 2023 Annual Report, finalized before his tenure began, depicts an organization with a proud legacy, strong global partnerships, and significant achievements, including its formal reintegration into the ‘One CGIAR’ framework. This provides the baseline of a successful international institution operating within an established paradigm.
The pivot under Dr. Pathak is unmistakable, evidenced by the speed and prominence of the launch of the ICRISAT Centre of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA) in June 2025, just three months after he took office. This was not a legacy project but a priority action, signalling immediate and decisive change. The nature of this initiative reveals a clear alignment with Indian foreign policy. The formal partnership with DAKSHIN—a Government of India initiative under the Ministry of External Affairs—and the active use of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program for international capacity building create direct, undeniable links between ICRISAT’s new strategy and India’s broader diplomatic objectives. India is actively leveraging its world-class scientific institutions to build alliances, share its development experience, and extend its influence across the Global South.
Dr. Pathak’s own rhetoric powerfully reinforces this strategic reorientation. His statements emphasize supporting “countries of the Global South in leading their own agricultural transformation” and fostering “cross-border agricultural development led by and for the Global South”. This is the language of empowerment and South-led development, a cornerstone of Indian foreign policy that casts ICRISAT in a new role.
This pivot effectively transforms ICRISAT from a ‘soft power’ asset—one that showcases scientific excellence and goodwill—into a ‘smart power’ asset for India. Smart power strategically integrates soft power tools (like knowledge sharing and capacity building) with broader national objectives (like geopolitical influence and creating pathways for technology transfer). By partnering directly with India’s Ministry of External Affairs through DAKSHIN and training foreign officials through the ITEC program, ICRISAT becomes a direct vehicle for India’s development diplomacy, building a global network of partners familiar with and aligned with Indian-led approaches.
A key challenge and area of focus for this new leadership will be to navigate the dynamic between this new role and ICRISAT’s identity as an integrated ‘One CGIAR’ centre. The CGIAR system emphasizes global coherence and is largely funded by a consortium of, primarily, Western nations and foundations.The success of the “Pathak Doctrine” will hinge on the ability to frame the new South-South initiatives not as a competing agenda, but as a vital and complementary contribution to the overarching CGIAR mission. The strategy must demonstrate that strengthening agricultural capacity and resilience across the Global South through this India-centric hub ultimately strengthens the entire global food system, thereby creating a win-win scenario that satisfies all of ICRISAT’s diverse stakeholders.
–Kalyan Srinivas M
