"Delhi Declaration on Drylands Adopted at Dryland Congress 2026"
South-South Cooperation (SSC)
exchange of knowledge, technology, and resources among developing countries of the Global South.
Triangular Cooperation
SSC facilitated or co-financed by a third partner, typically a developed country or multilateral institution.
Drylands, arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid zones, cover roughly 40 percent of the Earth's land surface and support about 2 billion people, the majority of whom live in the Global South. These regions face chronic challenges: low and erratic rainfall, soil degradation, limited irrigation, and high vulnerability to climate variability. Despite their extent, drylands have historically received less research investment and policy attention than irrigated or high-rainfall farming systems.
South-South cooperation (SSC) refers to the exchange of knowledge, technology, and resources among developing countries of the Global South, as distinct from traditional North-South development aid. The Buenos Aires Plan of Action (1978) is considered the foundational multilateral framework for SSC. The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) coordinates and promotes SSC within the UN system. The UN Day for South-South Cooperation is observed annually on 12 September. Triangular cooperation adds a third partner, typically a developed country or multilateral institution, that facilitates or co-finances SSC between two or more developing countries. Importantly, SSC frameworks are characteristically voluntary and non-binding: participation rests on shared interest and mutual benefit rather than legal obligation, a feature shared by other multilateral agricultural cooperation frameworks such as the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA), where membership similarly creates no binding obligations on member states.
India's institutional architecture for agricultural research is anchored by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which functions under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) in the Ministry of Agriculture. At the international level, ICRISAT (the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics), headquartered in Hyderabad, is the premier global institution focused on dryland crops, sorghum, millets, chickpea, pigeonpea, and groundnut, and operates across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT is a member of the CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research), a global partnership of research centres working on food security.
South-South cooperation in agriculture operates through several distinct channels. Knowledge exchange involves sharing crop varieties, agronomic practices, and pest-management techniques that have proven effective in one developing-country context and can be adapted to similar agro-ecological conditions elsewhere. Capacity building transfers skills through training programmes, fellowships, and joint research. Technology transfer moves proven innovations, drought-tolerant seed varieties, conservation agriculture techniques, digital advisory tools, from one country's research system to another's farmers.
Conservation agriculture is a key practice promoted for drylands. It rests on three principles: minimum soil disturbance (minimum tillage), permanent soil cover using crop residues or cover crops, and crop rotation or diversification. These practices reduce erosion, improve water retention, and rebuild soil organic matter, all critical in low-rainfall environments. …
With reference to the 'Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA)', which of the following statements is/are correct ?
1.GACSA is an outcome of the Climate Summit held in Paris in 2015.
2.Membership of GACSA does not create any binding obligations.
3.India was instrumental in the creation of GACSA.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
With reference to the circumstances in Indian agriculture, the concept of "Conservation Agriculture" assumes significance. Which of the following fall under the Conservation Agriculture ?
1.Avoiding the monoculture practices
2.Adopting minimum tillage
3.Avoiding the cultivation of plantation crops
4.Using crop residues to cover soil surface
5.Adopting spatial and temporal crop sequencing/crop rotations
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
With reference to 'Conservation Agriculture', consider the following practices:
1.Adopting minimum tillage
2.Avoiding the cultivation of plantation crops
3.Using crop residues to cover soil surface
4.Adopting spatial and temporal crop sequencing/crop rotations
5.Avoiding monoculture practices
Which of the above are recognised components of Conservation Agriculture?
Consider the following statements regarding ICRISAT:
1.It is headquartered in Hyderabad, India.
2.It is a member of the CGIAR system.
3.Its primary mandate covers crops such as sorghum, millets, chickpea, pigeonpea, and groundnut.
4.It is a statutory body established under an Act of the Indian Parliament.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Match the following CGIAR research centres with their primary mandate/focus area:
List I (Centre) — List II (Focus)
A.ICRISAT — 1. Maize and wheat improvement
B.CIMMYT — 2. Semi-arid tropics crops (sorghum, millets, pulses)
C.ICARDA — 3. Dryland crops in West Asia and North Africa
D.Global Crop Diversity Trust — 4. Conservation of crop genetic diversity; manages Svalbard Seed Vault
Consider the following statements regarding South-South Cooperation (SSC) frameworks in agriculture:
1.The Buenos Aires Plan of Action (1978) is the foundational multilateral framework for South-South cooperation.
2.The UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) is headquartered in Geneva.
3.Membership of the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA) creates binding obligations on member states.
4.The UN Day for South-South Cooperation is observed on 12 September each year.
How many of the above statements are correct?
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