The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has unveiled its official logo for the Center of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA), marking a new milestone in its journey and reflecting its continued growth in advancing agricultural innovation and collaboration across the Global South.
ISSCA’s official logo was unveiled during ICRISAT’s 55th Foundation Day celebrations on 27 March 2026 at ICRISAT Headquarters, India, by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICRISAT, said the new ISSCA identity reflects the institution’s shared commitment to building stronger agricultural systems through partnership.
“This new identity represents our shared ambition to connect science, policy, and practice in ways that create lasting change.
The strength and long-term success of agriculture depend on how well countries work together, share knowledge, and scale proven solutions that create real impact.
ISSCA reflects ICRISAT’s commitment to ensuring these innovations reach farmers faster across the Global South”, said Dr Pathak.
The logo was developed through a global design competition that received 63 entries from across the world, combining the winning concepts of Kushagra Shrivastava and Adesh Kumar, whose creative contributions were brought together into a single final design.
On behalf of ICRISAT, ISSCA, and its partners, Dr Pathak congratulated both winners for designing an identity that captures the spirit of ISSCA.
ISSCA was launched on 3 June 2025, in New Delhi, India, with the vision to serve as a global platform that advances agricultural collaboration, technology transfer, and capacity building for countries with shared agroecological and socioeconomic challenges across the Global South. ISSCA envisions transforming decades of research into scalable, context-appropriate solutions and fostering cross-country collaboration and interdisciplinary learning.
On 3 June 2025, ICRISAT and RIS launched the ICRISAT Center of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA) in New Delhi, strengthening agricultural collaboration and knowledge exchange across the Global South.
In March 2026, ISSCA hosted four international ITEC training programs, supported by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. A total of 129 participants from 25 countries took part in this intensive capacity-building initiative. The 4 international training programs were developed and designed collaboratively by ICRISAT and ISSCA partners to equip the participants with the knowledge to understand, evaluate, and adopt scalable technologies from ISSCA member institutions. The objective was to further build country-level collaborations and institutional partnerships across the domains of agriculture, climate resilience, and rural development to facilitate technology exchange and adoption.
Participants from around the world take part in demand-driven ISSCA–ITEC training programs at ICRISAT Headquarters, strengthening South-South cooperation and addressing shared challenges and opportunities in agriculture through practical knowledge exchange.
As the Center continues to strengthen its platform with new design and functionality enhancements, the new visual identity reflects ISSCA’s renewed energy to facilitate expanded partnerships, greater knowledge exchange, and stronger engagement across the Global South.
ISSCA’s momentum carries into September 2026, as ICRISAT prepares to host the Dryland Congress 2026 in New Delhi, India, from 10 to 12 September 2026. On 12 September, ICRISAT will celebrate the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, with ISSCA hosting a dedicated segment bringing together partners and member institutions from across the Global South to reflect on shared progress and strengthen agricultural collaboration.