What types of households have more diverse farms, and why does it matter? Spatial crop diversity — growing more than one crop in a field or on a farm simultaneously — has been associated with higher levels of biodiversity, soil quality, and yields. It can also help to buffer farms from climate and market shocks…

TCI Director Prabhu Pingali was interviewed for an episode of the Cornell Policy Review podcast, where he discussed food systems and related issues. Speaking with Cornell MPA student Shivanshu Sharma, Pingali spoke about the nature of food systems transformations, gender empowerment, and the roles of large international donors and national programs. “Large donors focusing on…

Prabhu Pingali, founding director of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI), has been named to the Indian government’s technical advisory committee for evaluation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013. The committee comprises more than a dozen Indian government officials, researchers, and academics. It will provide guidance to the Development Monitoring…

A new initiative at the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) will chart a path for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with agriculture while meeting the nutritional demands of growing populations. The two-year research project will develop accurate and precise metrics to measure the emissions of various agricultural production systems in India. Based…

COVID-19 has shown countries around the world that they must work to make their food systems resilient against biosecurity risks, Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) Director Prabhu Pingali told attendees at the Crawford Fund’s annual conference on December 14. Pingali delivered the morning keynote address at the conference, which focuses on agricultural development…

A trio of TCI researchers writing in The Print argued that the farm waste fires contributing to dangerously high air pollution in North India can best be addressed by incentivizing farmers in the region to grow less rice. Director Prabhu Pingali, researcher Payal Seth, and Associate Director Bhaskar Mittra contend that the fires are a…

The Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) is now accepting applications for its 2022 summer internship program. The program places Cornell University graduate students with research projects across India, where they contribute to TCI’s ongoing research. The internship lasts 6-8 weeks and typically occurs between June and August. Interns may be asked to perform a…

Two new scholars joined the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition in the fall of 2021, while another began a PhD program after earning his master’s degree. The new scholars, Apurva Borar and Whitman Barrett, are pursuing doctoral degrees in applied economics and management and soil and crop sciences, respectively. Kasim Saiyyad, who earned a…

By promoting farmer cooperatives and farmer producer organizations (FPOs), Pakistan can help its agricultural sector meet the rising demand for food brought on by structural changes to the country’s economy, argues Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) research support specialist Muhammad Ali Ilahi in a Pakistan Today op-ed. Ilahi notes that structural trends in…

India’s plan to increase domestic production of palm oil could have detrimental effects on the environment and farmer livelihoods, argue Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) researcher Payal Seth and Associate Director Bhaskar Mittra in a Financial Express op-ed. Seth and Mittra question a government plan to help India achieve self-sufficiency in edible oil…