The Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) is embarking on the next phase of its project to support smallholder farmers in India through the promotion of effective farmer producer organization (FPO) models. The centerpiece of this effort is the further development of TCI’s Database for Indian FPOs within the FPO Hub of its Center…

The average size of farms in developing countries of the world is 2 hectares or less. Smallholder farmers who rely on agriculture as their primary source of income often live in poverty. By joining together with other smallholders, farmers can reap the benefits of scale and see increased income. A new annotated bibliography from the…

Through the Public Distribution System (PDS), the Indian government ensures the food security of its most impoverished citizens. However, new research from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) reveals that the production of food grain for the PDS carries significant hidden environmental and health costs. In 2019-20, those costs increased the overall cost…

Rikin Gandhi, co-founder and chief executive officer of the development organization Digital Green, will deliver a virtual lecture on December 7 at 11 a.m. EST/9:30 p.m. IST. The lecture, entitled “Elevating Farmer Voices by Digitizing Rural Networks,” is part of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition’s 10th Anniversary Distinguished Lecture Series. The event will…

As India’s population grows and the country continues to urbanize, it will need to produce greater amounts of diverse agricultural products. A new report from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) contends that India can achieve a sustainable increase in agricultural production by embracing a range of existing and emerging technologies. While productivity…

Each year, India spends tens of billions of dollars on the Public Distribution System (PDS), a food subsidy program that helps to ensure the food security of more than 800 million people. The largest such program in the world, the PDS is a monumental achievement for food security. But with high transaction costs and a…

After arriving in Sadaivigha village in Lakhisarai, Bihar, on a hot day in June, Anurag and I followed a field technician, Abhay, to the farmhouse where we would conduct our first focus group discussion of the day. It was my second day in the field with Anurag, a field scientist based at CIMMYT’s Patna office…

In mid-August, I traveled to Bihar, India as part of a team of researchers from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition to study strategies to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with agriculture. With the trip scheduled during monsoon season, I was prepared to spend most of my time soaked from the rains. It…

In national and international media, Pakistan and India are often portrayed as threats to each other, but less attention is paid to a threat both countries have in common: malnutrition. According to the World Food Programme, malnutrition costs Pakistan $7.6 billion annually, or roughly 3% of the country’s GDP. On the other hand, according to…

Some of the world’s foremost experts on food systems will visit Cornell University this year as part of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition’s (TCI) 10th Anniversary Distinguished Lecture Series. The lectures will be held in a hybrid format, with virtual attendees participating via Zoom. The series begins on October 19 with a lecture…