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Cornell University

Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition

Tag: Payal Seth

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Women’s Empowerment and Intra-Household Diet Diversity Across the Urban Continuum: Evidence from India’s DHS

Abstract Read a policy brief based on this study. Women’s empowerment has been associated with improved nutritional outcomes in various settings. However, the gains from empowerment do not necessarily accrue to different members of the same household in the same manner. Furthermore, the relationship between...
A group of women smiling

Empowerment Programs Can Improve Nutrition of Women Left Behind by India’s Urban Transformation

New research from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) reveals that Indian efforts to improve household nutrition through women’s empowerment could have a greater impact with a more targeted approach that takes into account different levels of urbanization.  …
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…

Did the COVID-19 Lockdown Reverse the Nutritional Gains in Children? Evidence from Rural India

Abstract Read a policy brief based on this study. To address the missing link that goes beyond the changes in dietary consumption and food expenditures to assess the impact of the pandemic on child undernutrition, specifically anthropometric outcomes, this paper uses primary panel data (pre-...
Children wearing masks wait in line for food

COVID-19 Pandemic Linked to 14% Increase in Underweight Children in India

The nutrition of Indian children suffered dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) that found a sharp rise in underweight children. In a study published in Economic and Political…
A female goat with kids

Why Aren’t More Farmers Using Artificial Insemination for Goat Rearing?

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…
Red blood cells

Op-ed Highlights Anomaly in India’s Anemia Figures

While anemia has declined in India from 2005-2015, the latest round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) shows that it is now on the rise, increasing from 53-57% in women and 58-67% in children in the past five years.…
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.