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Cornell University

Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition

Author: Prabhu Pingali

Determinants and Income Effects of Small Farmers Selling to Supermarkets versus Traditional Market Channels in Four Regions of India

Abstract Using endogenous switching regressions to calculate transitional heterogeneity which we have used to build counterfactual scenarios to identify the treatment effects for both sellers to supermarkets and sellers to traditional markets, the results support neither a sharp inclusion nor a sharp exclusion story, but...

Transitions to Crop Residue Burning Have Multiple Antecedents in Eastern India

Abstract Far removed from the agricultural fire “hotspots” of Northwestern India, rice residue burning is on the rise in Eastern India with implications for regional air quality and agricultural sustainability. The underlying drivers contributing to the increase in burning have been linked to the adoption...
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Women’s Empowerment and Intra-Household Diet Diversity Across the Urban Continuum: Evidence from India’s DHS

Abstract Read a policy brief based on this study. Women’s empowerment has been associated with improved nutritional outcomes in various settings. However, the gains from empowerment do not necessarily accrue to different members of the same household in the same manner. Furthermore, the relationship between...

Reducing the True Cost of Food-Based Safety Nets: Evidence from India’s Subsidized Food Program

Abstract Public procurement of food plays a pivotal role in determining the production and consumption of various food items. This is particularly true for staple grains in countries such as India, where the government procures over 40 percent of rice and wheat. This grain is...

The Future of India’s Social Safety Nets: Focus, Form, and Scope

India’s rapid economic growth and wealth creation in the past three decades have been marred by its persistently high levels of poverty and child undernutrition, along with rising inequality. Social safety nets, for those left behind, have therefore gained in eminence as a redistributive mechanism....

Did the COVID-19 Lockdown Reverse the Nutritional Gains in Children? Evidence from Rural India

Abstract Read a policy brief based on this study. To address the missing link that goes beyond the changes in dietary consumption and food expenditures to assess the impact of the pandemic on child undernutrition, specifically anthropometric outcomes, this paper uses primary panel data (pre-...
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Farmers and Consumers Pay the Price for Burdensome GM Regulations: The Case of GM Mustard in India

Policymakers in India have taken the first step to allow commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) mustard. The conditional approval for the environmental release of the Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH)-11 and its parental events bn3.6 and modbs2.99, given by the…
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Leveraging Men’s Education as an Effective Pathway for Improving Diet Quality: Evidence from Rural India

Abstract Read a policy brief based on this study. Investing in nutrition-sensitive sectors such as education can be an effective strategy for combatting malnutrition. In this paper, we analyze the role that men’s education plays in determining dietary diversity outcomes using primary data from 3600...

Hybrid Mustard and Biotechnology: Pathways for Doubling Farmers’ Incomes and Nutritional Security

Abstract The government’s decision to move ahead on the much-delayed genetically modified mustard developed by the University of Delhi signifies a turnaround and bodes well for the country’s food system. Numerous tests over the last 20 years prove its safety for food, feed, and the...
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Making Meat and Milk from Plants: A Review of Plant-Based Food for Human and Planetary Health

Abstract Interest in alternative protein sources to substitute for animal source protein-rich foods has emerged alongside calls for sustainable food systems to meet protein demands as the global population grows towards a projected 9.8 billion people by 2050. Food companies are capitalizing on sustainable diet...