Born in Tougan, Issouf Zerbo studied in his hometown throughout his primary and secondary education. Tougan is located in the Boucle du Mouhoun region considered to be the granary of Burkina Faso. He obtained his Baccalaureate D in Dédougou, the city closest to Tougan.
Like all the children in the region, Zerbo helped his farming parents every day in the plantations and looking after the pasture. He became interested in these rural activities in his first year of sixth form.
In addition, the adolescent Zerbo noted the increasing scarcity of rainfall as well as the spectacular transformation of the vegetation. This is one of the reasons why he chose to study Biology at university. He already knew that he wanted to be a scientist.