Research Area: Food & Ag-Science Innovations

Transforming Food Systems for a Rising India
The Indian growth story is a paradoxical one. Despite economic progress over the past two decades, regional inequality, food insecurity, and malnutrition problems persist. Simultaneously, recent trends in obesity along with micro-nutrient deficiency portend to a future public health crisis. This book explores various challenges...

Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition in India 2020: Leveraging Agriculture to Achieve Zero Hunger
TCI’s 2020 report on Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition in India (FAN 2020) provides an analysis of India’s progress towards achieving the second sustainable development goal—zero hunger. Using district-level data and maps, the report highlights stark spatial differences in the extent of the hunger problem and identifies potential...

Phil Frost
Phil was a TCI scholar until his graduation in December 2016. Phil’s research in the field of soil health centered on the development of an appropriate soil health assessment framework for Indian agriculture. He worked in collaboration with TCI’s partner…

Dr. Maureen Valentine
Maureen Valentine completed her PhD in animal science at Cornell University in August 2018. Her research focused on enhancements to the productivity of goat production systems in rural India through improved animal nutrition. Livestock production in India faces a widespread…

Dr. Rohil Sahai Bhatnagar
Rohil Sahai Bhatnagar received his PhD in food science and technology at Cornell University in 2020. He is now a senior research scientist at PepsiCo. His research focused on developing novel iron-rich microalgae composites and exploring their utility as potential…

Dr. Fatma Rekik
Fatma Rekik graduated from Cornell University in 2020 with a PhD in soil science with minors in agronomy and nutritional sciences. She is currently a knowledge management fellow in the monitoring, evaluation, and learning unit of the International Center for…

Dr. Kathryn Merckel
Kathryn Merckel completed her PhD in international nutrition in 2020. She is currently the associate director for nutrition and food systems at the international development nonprofit ACDI/VOCA. Kathryn studied biofortification and its role in diversifying diets, particularly those of women…

Dr. Harold van Es
Harold van Es is a professor of soil and water management and former chair of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Cornell University. He received degrees from the University of Amsterdam, Iowa State University, and North Carolina State…

Kiera Crowley
Kiera Crowley is a PhD student in the field of soil and crop sciences and a FLAS fellow studying Hindi. Kiera is interested in innovation diffusion and the adoption of conservation agriculture technologies among farmers in India’s Indo-Gangetic Plain. She…

Dr. Bindvi Arora
Bindvi Arora earned her PhD in food science and technology in 2022. Her research interests include the development of novel food products and improving existing popular foods that can cater to nutritionally deficient populations through innovations in processing technology and…