UPDATED NOV. 14, 2023: A recording of Bina Agarwal’s lecture is now available on YouTube: Bina Agarwal, professor of development economics and environment at the University of Manchester’s Global Development Institute, will deliver a distinguished lecture at Cornell University on Tuesday, October 31, from 3-4:40 p.m. EDT in Warren Hall B73. The lecture is titled,…

Madhura Swaminathan, a professor of economics at the Indian Statistical Institute in Bengaluru and a visiting professor at the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI), will deliver a lecture on food security in India on Wednesday, September 27, at 12:20 p.m. ET. The hybrid lecture will be held in Cornell University’s Emerson Hall 135…

Two economists have joined the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) as visiting faculty members. Madhura Swaminathan, a professor of economics at the Indian Statistical Institute in Bengaluru, will be at TCI for the fall 2023 semester. Ting Meng, an associate professor at the Academy of Global Food Economics and Policy in the College…

In the pursuit of a society where every woman finds solace within her home and community, away from the clutches of domestic violence and with assured equal rights, the state government of Bihar implemented a profound policy shift in 2016—a comprehensive alcohol ban, meticulously designed to provide a sanctuary of safety for women within their…

Today, 56% of the global population resides in urban areas. This proportion is expected to increase to 70%, with the change driven largely by Asian countries. In India alone, it is estimated that by 2050 the number of people living in urban areas will increase by 416 million people. This rise in urban populations will…

As a source of income generation during crop failures, goat-rearing offers many advantages to smallholder farmers in India. But a lack of established markets and infrastructure leaves many farmers dependent on natural breeding practices instead of the more beneficial artificial insemination. A new Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) study aims to improve farmer…

Dr. Nagesh Gavirneni, a faculty fellow at the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) and professor of operations management in the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, died in Ithaca at the age of 56. Gavirneni was a frequent fixture at TCI events. As a faculty fellow, he played an advisor role…

Jocelyn Boiteau, a postdoctoral associate at the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI), was quoted by CNN on India’s recent spike in tomato prices. The cost of tomatoes rose more than 400% due to crop failures, leaving many unable to afford the staple of Indian cuisine. Boiteau told CNN that the tomato shortage driving…

Is your burger made of beef or pea protein isolate mixed with coconut oil? As efforts to stop climate change ramp up, increased attention is being given to swapping out meats and dairy items for plant-based alternatives designed to replicate the real thing. However, a new study from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition…

Price volatility affects all members of the agricultural value chain, but smallholder farmers in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to adverse prices. In general, price hedging mechanisms for smallholder farmers are limited and, in many cases, not used. With appropriate infrastructure (physical, market, and institutional), price hedging strategies that improve farmers’ livelihoods could be made…