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Cornell University

Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition

Tag: Agricultural Transformation, Food Systems & Nutrition Transition

Millets Make Sense for India’s PDS

Replacing some of the rice provided through India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) could lower the costs associated with the subsidized food program by $770 million, according to new research from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI). In a…
Policy brief on promoting millets in the PDS

Promoting Millets in the Public Distribution System

This special policy brief provides cost-saving estimates associated with the potential introduction of millets into India’s Public Distribution System (PDS), which provides subsidized food to more than 800 million people. This analysis provides policymakers and other stakeholders with valuable information that can be used to...
Prabhu Pingali

TCI Director Delivers Lecture on Food Insecurity in South Asia

Prabhu Pingali, director of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) delivered a virtual seminar hosted by the South Asia Section of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) on October 25. The seminar was entitled, “How to Fight…
Plant-based hamburger patties

Plant-Based Meats May Not Measure Up for the Developing World

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…
A woman carrying wood from a forest in Thuamul Rampur. (Photo by Amrutha Jose Pampackal/TCI)

Are Forests Still Relevant for the Nutrition Security of Traditional Forest Dwellers? Insights from One Year of Fieldwork in Kalahandi, Odisha

Forests have garnered a lot of attention in international policy discussions in recent years because of their role in addressing the rising challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change. Less discussed is the importance of forests for the sustainability of…
A buffalo on a tea estate

The Battle for Space: Human vs Animal

“They [wild animals] want the best and the most expensive tea leaves,” remarked a tea estate staffer during my visit to an estate in The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. While the purpose of my visit was to primarily understand the adoption…

Are the Lessons from the Green Revolution Relevant for Agricultural Growth and Food Security in the Twenty-First Century?

In Jonna P. Estudillo, Yoko Kijima, and Tetsushi Tenobe (Eds.), Agricultural Development in Asia and Africa: Essays in Honor of Keijiro Otsuka, Springer 2023
Close-up of a cashier's hands using a POS machine

Environmental and Health Effects Add Billions in Hidden Costs to India’s Public Distribution System

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…
True Cost of the PDS Special Policy Brief

Revealing the Hidden Production Costs of India’s Public Distribution System

This policy brief presents preliminary estimates of the environmental and health-related costs associated with the production of food grain for India’s Public Distribution System (PDS), a program that provides subsidized food to more than 800 million Indians. This new analysis provides government policymakers, advocates, and...