“How many FPOs are there in India?” This seemingly simple question marked the beginning of an unexpected challenge when I began working on the Tata-Cornell Institute’s project on FPO-Led Small Farm Market Access Models in 2019. Farmer producer organizations (FPOs) are collaborative entities that unite small and marginal farmers, enabling them to pool resources and…

Sitting in the coastal village of Inchudi in the Baleshwar district of Odisha, India, I spoke with Raju (name changed), a generational shrimp farmer with over 20 years of experience, about the precipitous rise of shrimp aquaculture in his village and the challenges he and other farmers face. “Shrimp farming feels easy and profitable, until…

Late last year, TCI published a report examining the state of food systems in South Asia. Part of a series produced by the Institute, Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition in South Asia: Building Healthy, Sustainable Food Systems (FAN-South Asia) explores trends in agricultural production, nutrition, and food consumption across the region, offering a range of policy…

A panel of experts from Cornell University will explore the trends and challenges facing South Asian food systems at a special event launching the Tata-Cornell Institute’s new report on Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition in South Asia on Thursday, April 18, at 3 p.m. EDT in Warren Hall B73. The latest in TCI’s FAN series, the…

“A lack of dynamism in varietal change in food crop production represents a wasted opportunity that is potentially high, exacting a heavy toll on poor producers and consumers alike.” –Thomas S. Walker and Jeffrey Alwang Crop Improvement, Adoption and Impact of Improved Varieties in Food Crops in Sub-Saharan Africa Historically, shifting to improved varieties played…

Digital payment platforms have emerged as an integral component of modern India’s financial landscape. These platforms offer convenient and quick ways for individuals and businesses to complete cash-free transactions.  From the user-friendly interfaces of mobile wallets to the innovative simplicity of Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based apps, these platforms continually refine our transactional experiences, allowing for…

For my doctoral dissertation, I ventured into the field to explore the role that women’s empowerment in agriculture can play in determining their iron status. In addition to collection of survey data on agriculture, empowerment, and other socioeconomic variables, blood draws for iron biomarkers formed a major component of my fieldwork. Seeking and processing blood…

With a growing economy and increasing clout on the world stage, India is a success story among developing countries, but persistently high poverty and malnutrition rates threaten to leave millions of lives behind. A new book authored by researchers at the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) argues that India needs to rethink its…

The nutrition of Indian children suffered dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) that found a sharp rise in underweight children. In a study published in Economic and Political Weekly, TCI researchers analyzed pre- and post-pandemic survey data on children’s health and nutrition. They…

With hunger again on the rise across South Asia, a coordinated approach that aligns activities on the local, national, and international levels is needed to address the region’s malnutrition challenges, according to a new report from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI). Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition in South Asia: Building Healthy, Sustainable Food…