David (name changed) is one of the few Naga farmers who actually works his farm, where he grows oil palm. Most other landowners appoint “caretakers” to look over their land. David is also a part-time social worker and a grassroots politician. On a hot July afternoon, I reached David’s farm with his youngest son, just…

On December 4–5, 2024, the Observatory of Public Policies for Agrifood Systems (OPSAa) held a hemispheric workshop on “The Transition to a New Generation of Agrifood Systems Policies” at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) headquarters in Costa Rica. The objective of the workshop was to “strengthen regional cooperation to develop strategies to…

Solving a problem like open defecation is not as simple as installing toilets. In 2019, after decades of work, India scored a major developmental victory by providing 600 million people with access to toilets. But while the toilets were built, they are not all being used. According to a 2022 report from the WHO and…

Shree Saha is passionate about data. “For me, it’s matching reality and the data that I find to be quite exhilarating,” she says. “I realize that’s the nerd in me speaking, but I really like working with data quite a bit.” It’s that passion for quantitative analysis that drives the TCI scholar’s doctoral research, which…

With the world’s population growing and dietary preferences changing, rising demand for animal-based food products like milk presents an opportunity for farmers in the developing world. Artificial insemination can help these farmers improve their productivity and increase their incomes, so why aren’t more taking advantage of it? A new article from the Tata-Cornell Institute for…

“Is this Ms. Sunita speaking?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. After her quick confirmation, I explained that I was outside with her order—somewhere near the intersection of her residential colony, though the app’s location marker danced uncertainly on my screen. Minutes ticked by as I scanned the quiet streets in the dark….

As India intensifies efforts to fight hunger and malnutrition, the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) are helping Indian policymakers with evidence-based strategies to include millet in the Public Distribution System (PDS) which provides food subsidies to low-income families. Known as “smart foods,”…

India has made enormous progress against hunger by incentivizing the production of staple grains like rice and wheat. Yet, as climate change advances, the country’s dependence on rice is becoming a burden due both to its large environmental footprint and its vulnerability to the climatic shifts forecast for India in the future. In a new…

On January 9 at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, the Tata-Cornell Institute (TCI) brought together a group of researchers interested in food-based safety nets to discuss future pathways for India’s Public Distribution System (PDS). Welcoming the group, TCI Director Prabhu Pingali highlighted the critical connection between agriculture, food, and nutrition in reducing poverty….

Along India’s eastern coastline in late January, the small coastal communities of Odisha are busy with preparations for the upcoming shrimp farming season. I recently interviewed around 625 shrimp farmers across five districts in the state, gaining insights into their practices, the challenges they face, and their strategies for survival. The conversations revealed a world…