Skip to main content

Cornell University

Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition

Tag: Bhaskar Mittra

Several goats lying down

These Are the Keys to Promoting Artificial Insemination for Livestock

With the world’s population growing and dietary preferences changing, rising demand for animal-based food products like milk presents an opportunity for farmers in the developing world. Artificial insemination can help these farmers improve their productivity and increase their incomes, so…
EPW logo

Understanding the Determinants of Farmers’ Adoption of Artificial Insemination in Livestock

Abstract Read a policy brief based on this study. The adoption of artificial insemination (AI) in livestock is a crucial factor in enhancing breeding efficiency, livestock productivity, and income opportunities for farmers. However, the adoption of AI among farmers can vary significantly, influenced by a...
A young goat eating a leaf

Improving Livelihoods Through Enhanced Goat Breeding

Goat rearing holds significant promise for smallholder farmers in India, offering resilience and income generation even during crop failure. However, reliance on natural breeding practices limits productivity due to issues like inbreeding and disease transmission. Artificial insemination presents a viable…

Nutrition-Sensitive Food Systems and Biofortified Crops

Abstract The realization that economic growth is a necessary but insufficient condition for improving the nutritional status has led to a paradigm shift in addressing malnutrition through nutrition-sensitive development. Biofortification is one such nutrition-sensitive food system intervention designed to supply crucial micronutrients through staple diets...
Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition in Bihar

Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition in Bihar: Getting to Zero Hunger

TCI’s 2022 report on Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition in Bihar (FAN-Bihar) provides a detailed reassessment of the food system approach for achieving the 2nd Sustainable Development Goal (SDG2) — zero hunger by 2030 — in Bihar. The report emphasizes the high rates of malnutrition in...
Solar panels powering irrigation pumps on a paddy field

Ambitious Initiative Aims to Achieve Zero-Hunger, Zero-Carbon Food Systems

A new initiative at the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) will chart a path for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with agriculture while meeting the nutritional demands of growing populations. The two-year research project will develop accurate…
A man watches smoke from a crop fire in India

Crop Diversification Can Curb Farm Waste Fires

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…
Oil palm trees

TCI Researchers Urge India to Rethink Palm Oil

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.…
A bus at a gas station

Sowing Trouble: The Beginnings of an Alcohol Problem?

On June 2, 2021, the Indian government announced a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for several key sectors of the economy. Under this scheme, the fuel companies will be required to sell gasoline containing up to 20 percent ethanol by 2023, with the view to reduce dependency on oil imports and lower carbon dioxide emissions in cities. (Ethanol adds extra oxygen to petrol which lowers the emission of harmful gases and is shown to significantly reduce air pollution.) This target implies that India will need 1,000 crore liters of ethanol against the nation’s current capacity of 684 crore liters.
Gas station

Op-Ed Warns Increased Ethanol Production Could Affect Nutrition Security

The Indian government’s plan to incentivize sugarcane production to boost the supply of fuel-grade ethanol could hurt efforts to improve nutrition outcomes in the country, according to researchers from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI). In an op-ed…