Investments in soil health infrastructure have boosted efforts by the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) to promote a holistic approach to soil health in India. Two doctoral candidates trained by TCI at a special lab at the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (DRPCAU) in Bihar recently presented studies using the comprehensive soil…

The Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI), together with the Coalition for Food & Nutrition Security, and BAIF Development Research Foundation, is hosting a special, web-based policy discussion series on food, nutrition, and agriculture in India. The first event, “India Achieving Zero Hunger by 2030,” was delivered by TCI Director Prabhu Pingali on December 17. With around 200…

Out of the 892 million people across the world who practice open defecation, the majority live in India. Most reside in the country’s rural areas. Inadequate sanitation is one of the leading causes of fatal diarrhea and infant mortality in India, and is known to cause severe, long-term health repercussions like low height-for-age, sub-optimal cognitive…

For developing countries like India, the growth and expansion of cities brings economic opportunities to those living in impoverished rural areas. But those opportunities come at a price. According to a new study from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI), the urbanization of rural areas in India is closely associated with a rise in rural…

A new study co-authored by researchers at the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) identifies household risk factors for exposure to mycotoxins—harmful chemicals produced by fungi—that can be targeted in food safety interventions. The study focuses on aflatoxin, a particularly harmful mycotoxin that plays a role in numerous adverse health and nutrition outcomes, including cancer. Published…

Prabhu Pingali, director of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI), has been named chair of the governing board of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). ICRISAT is an international organization that conducts development-related scientific research focused on reducing hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation in the dryland tropics. It is one of…

Five new scholars joined the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) at the start of the 2020-21 academic year: Kiera Crowley, Shivranjani Baruah, Sonali Uppal, Shree Saha, and Chanchal Pramanik. “I am thrilled to welcome five talented new students into the TCI scholars program,” said Prabhu Pingali, director of TCI. “With their diverse set of…

Five scholars from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) completed their PhDs over the past few months, despite restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shiuli Vanaja, Anthony Wenndt, Kathryn Merckel, Fatma Rekik, and Rohil Bhatnagar each earned their doctorates over the course of the spring and summer. “These five scholars—the most we’ve had graduate in a single year—have done…

Naveen Sunder, who graduated from Cornell University with his PhD in economics in May 2019, didn’t join the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) until midway through his graduate studies, but nearly a year after graduating, he is still contributing to TCI’s research work. Now an assistant professor of economics at Bentley University, Sunder…

Just one year after graduating with her PhD in applied economics and management, Vidya Vemireddy is continuing her research at one of India’s top universities. Vemireddy is an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), where she teaches MBA- and PhD-level courses on food and agribusiness. As a TCI scholar, Vemireddy’s research focused on how women’s…