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…

In the spring of 2021, the world’s eyes turned to India as the second wave of COVID-19 wreaked havoc in the country. While the media focused on the breakdown of the healthcare infrastructure, a second crisis simmered below the surface, as households dealt with food insecurity and rising food prices due to supply chain disruptions….

Indian policymakers can create targeted programs that more effectively reduce stunting by accounting for regional differences in environmental factors like climate, according to new research from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI). In a two-part study published in Current Science, TCI researchers identify possible contributors to stunting in Karnataka, India, and use the…

A Fulbright Fellow from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore is visiting the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) at Cornell University this year. Gopi Sankar Gopikuttan will attend classes and study under TCI Director Prabhu Pingali during the 2021-22 academic year. A doctoral student studying public policy, Gopikuttan is continuing his research while…

Fatma Rekik, an alumna of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI), is the recipient of the 2021 Truog Soil Science Outstanding Dissertation Award. Presented by the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), the award recognizes a recent PhD recipient who has made outstanding contributions to soil science as evidenced by their thesis or…

In an effort to empower India’s 125 million smallholder farms to take advantage of growing opportunities in the agricultural sector, the Tata-Cornell Institute (TCI) for Agriculture and Nutrition launched a Hub for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) within its Center of Excellence in New Delhi. The Hub features a first-of-its-kind Database of Indian FPOs. Created with…