The vision articulated by Dr. Pathak has been rapidly translated into concrete action. Since March 2025, ICRISAT has launched a series of high-impact initiatives and announced significant scientific breakthroughs that directly reflect the new strategic direction focused on frontier science, South-South cooperation, and tangible delivery.
The Flagship Initiative: ISSCA
The most significant institutional development under Dr. Pathak’s leadership is the establishment of the ICRISAT Centre of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA). Launched on June 3, 2025, in New Delhi, ISSCA is the primary vehicle for the institute’s strategic pivot. Its mandate is to create a dedicated platform to exchange knowledge, scale innovations, and forge partnerships among countries of the Global South facing similar agricultural and climatic challenges.
The operational model of ISSCA redefines development cooperation. It is centred on a dynamic digital portal that functions as a “living repository of validated innovations,” designed to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and the deployment of low-cost, high-impact technologies. The approach explicitly frames this as a “dynamic exchange of solutions, not aid,” leveraging India’s vast repository of agricultural innovations as a Launchpad while simultaneously learning from the experiences of partner nations in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Every solution promoted through ISSCA is selected for its proven scalability and adaptability and is paired with capacity building and technical support to ensure successful uptake.
The governance structure of ISSCA firmly embeds it within India’s strategic framework. It is a collaborative effort between ICRISAT and the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), a policy think tank operating under India’s Ministry of External Affairs. This partnership was cemented with the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DAKSHIN, the Government of India’s flagship initiative for promoting South-South cooperation, directly linking ISSCA to India’s diplomatic and development apparatus. This core partnership is strengthened by a coalition of other major players, including the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
| Key Partners and Roles in the ISSCA Initiative | |
| Partner Institution | Primary Role |
| ICRISAT | Scientific Innovation, Hosting the Centre, Technical Backstopping |
| RIS (Govt. of India) | Policy Leadership, Convening Power, Global South Dialogue |
| DAKSHIN (Govt. of India) | Strategic Alignment, Funding, Diplomatic Linkage (via MEA) |
| ICAR (Govt. of India) | National Research Partnership, Access to Indian Innovations |
| IRRI, ICARDA (CGIAR) | CGIAR System Collaboration, Complementary Crop Expertise |
| Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | Philanthropic Support, Co-investment in Scalable Solutions |
This structure allows ISSCA to function as an “innovation arbitrage” platform. It is designed to systematically identify, validate, and broker the transfer of successful, cost-effective agricultural solutions from one part of the Global South—primarily India—to other regions where they have high value. By transferring proven models, such as the institutional frameworks for private seed industry growth sought by Ethiopia and Kenya, ISSCA can help partner nations achieve development goals at a lower cost and with less risk than developing solutions from scratch.
-Dr S Iyer
