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Cornell University

Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition

Research Area: Markets & Value Chains

Making Supermarkets Profitable for India’s Small Farms

This policy brief presents the results of a study examining the impact of supermarkets on smallholder farmers in India. Using field survey data collected from 795 farm households across four states representing India’s varied agroclimatic and socioeconomic regions, researchers found that farmers who sold to...

Determinants and Income Effects of Small Farmers Selling to Supermarkets versus Traditional Market Channels in Four Regions of India

Abstract Read a policy brief based on this study. Using endogenous switching regressions to calculate transitional heterogeneity which we have used to build counterfactual scenarios to identify the treatment effects for both sellers to supermarkets and sellers to traditional markets, the results support neither a...

Identifying the Number of FPOs Promoted in India

This special policy brief provides an estimate of the number of active farmer producer organizations (FPOs) promoted in India from 2003 to 2024 and makes the case for a centralized system for tracking FPOs. A system to identify and track FPO promotion and performance in...
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Essays in Agriculture Economics, Climate Change, and Nutrition

Abstract The dissertation consists of three essays in the field of agriculture economics, climate change, and nutrition. I have structured it as three chapters, namely ‘Fertilization Impact Of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide On Agricultural Yield’, ‘Are Production And Consumption Decisions Independent? Identifying Separability In Indian Agriculture’,...

Reducing the True Cost of Food-Based Safety Nets: Evidence from India’s Subsidized Food Program

Abstract Public procurement of food plays a pivotal role in determining the production and consumption of various food items. This is particularly true for staple grains in countries such as India, where the government procures over 40 percent of rice and wheat. This grain is...

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-...
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...

Can We Agree on a Food Loss and Waste Definition? An Assessment of Definitional Elements for a Globally Applicable Framework

Abstract Recent strategies for achieving sustainable food systems have called for reducing food loss and waste (FLW), most notably Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 12.3. This review aims to compare FLW definitions that are relevant to SDG target 12.3 and opportunities to harmonize the FLW definition. Using the FAO...
Cover of "Aggregation Models and Small Farm Commercialization"

Aggregation Models and Small Farm Commercialization: An Annotated Bibliography of Relevant Literature

Smallholder aggregation models around the globe have the potential to contribute significantly to agricultural growth and productivity by facilitating improved access to credit, inputs, markets, and information. Aggregation models, including farmer producer organizations (FPOs) and cooperatives, are institutional arrangements by which small and marginal farmers,...
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Aggregation Models and Small Farm Commercialization – A Scoping Review of the Global Literature

Abstract Aggregation models where small farms jointly access credit, inputs, information, and product markets are not new to global agricultural systems. For over a century, agricultural cooperatives worldwide have tried rectifying small farm disadvantages in market access. In the last two decades, newer aggregation models...