ICRISAT Launches Agri Cooperation Centre For Global South

New Delhi: Research institute ICRISAT in partnership with think-tank RIS on Tuesday launched a new centre of excellence aimed at strengthening agricultural cooperation among Global South countries.

The ICRISAT Centre for Excellence for South-South Cooperation (ISSCA) will facilitate partnerships between countries facing similar agricultural and climate challenges.

The launch coincided with a memorandum of understanding between International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and DAKSHIN, a Government of India initiative for capacity-building partnerships in South-South cooperation.

“In agriculture, we have got a special strength and special objective for south-south cooperation,” ICRISAT Director General Himanshu Pathak told reporters. “There are many similarities among countries of the Global South in terms of climate, soil, culture and heritage related to agriculture.”

The centre will address common challenges across developing nations including low agricultural yields, poor farmer incomes and climate change impacts, Pathak said.