Together, India, Brazil and South Africa have nearly 1,365 billion inhabitants (World Bank,
2009), or about 20 per cent of the world’s population. Although the three countries have
demonstrated the potential for transformative development in the South, their experience has
been marked by key challenges such as relatively high levels of poverty, inequality and food
insecurity, problems that persist for significant numbers of people. This minilateral group of
countries known as IBSA is a crucial pole for increasing South-South learning and has much
potential for debate on innovative development policy initiatives.
IBSA functions as a coordinating mechanism among these three multiethnic and
multicultural democracies. Its establishment was formalised in 2003 by the Brasilia Declaration,
which mentions India, Brazil and South Africa’s democratic credentials, their condition as
developing nations, and their capacity for action on a global scale as the main reasons for the
three countries to come together. The Declaration gives priority to social inclusion and equity,
food security, health, welfare, employment, education, human rights and environmental
sustainability. It also stresses the importance of sharing knowledge and experience on
the fight against poverty, hunger and diseases.
Since IBSA’s inauguration, there has been growing interest in academic partnership
between the three countries, and several joint projects have emerged in various academic
areas. The academic forums held in 2006 and 2010 in Brazil, 2007 in South Africa and 2008 in
India were important arenas for discussing the IBSA process. These events are expected to
foster insights that could contribute to the processes of policymaking in the three countries.
There is a potential to build a network of academics and experts from Brazil, India and South
Africa, and food security is among the themes of great interest. This paper seeks to contribute
to this process by examining pertinent elements of policy dialogue.