When one-third of the world’s population went into lockdown in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, challenges of global food security came to the fore. In India, the country-wide lockdown threatened the entire food system. Disrupted food production and supply chains induced by an external shock in the form of the pandemic exposed multiple…

A panel of experts at a webinar hosted by the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) on Tuesday, February 15, spoke about the links between agriculture and climate change and the potential to create zero-hunger, zero-carbon food systems in India. “How do we get to our zero-hunger goal while at the same time being…

India’s falling birth rate will necessitate some policy changes to effectively manage the fiscal and health-related challenges associated with aging populations, TCI Director Prabhu Pingali and gender and nutrition specialist Shubh Swain argue in an op-ed published in The Financial Express. Recent survey data shows that India’s fertility rate has fallen below the replacement rate,…

Can India achieve zero hunger while significantly lowering the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its agricultural sector? The Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) at Cornell University will host a webinar with leading experts to tackle this question and understand the significant challenges in achieving a zero-hunger, zero-carbon agricultural system in India. Entitled “Zero-Hunger,…

Prabhu Pingali, director of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI), was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on Wednesday, January 26. Pingali was honored “for distinguished contributions to the field of agricultural and applied economics, particularly for his work on agricultural development and food systems improvements.”…

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…