Amid India’s efforts to provide its growing populace with nutritious foods, increasing agricultural production is paramount. A new study by Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) alumnus Chanchal Pramanik identifies India’s agricultural “hotspots,” districts with high crop yields. Lessons…

Abstract We analyze district‑level data for paddy, wheat, and millets (2010–2019) across India to identify yield hotspots with consistently high or rising productivity and coldspots with persistent declines. Spatial clustering and regression analyses show that weather, irrigation, fertilizer use, and farmers’ mobile-based information access shape...

Every day, India’s Kisan Call Centers field thousands of calls from farmers seeking information or advice from agricultural extension agents. Do all those calls add up to improved outcomes on the farm? New research from an alumnus of the Tata-Cornell…

Abstract We examine the influence of information access on seasonal paddy yields in 10 selected Indian states using decade-long (2009–2019) data from the Government of India’s Kisan (farmers) call center (KCC) initiative. Based on 17 million farmers’ queries at the KCC, we isolate two most frequent...

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…

Chanchal Pramanik received a PhD in regional science from Cornell University in 2024. His primary research interest is rural-urban dynamics and how they can benefit rural economies, with a focus on digital technologies. Prior to Cornell, Chanchal worked as a…