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Global Development

For a flourishing world

We confront the most urgent and complex challenges facing people and the planet.

By uniting critical scholarship and practice at the intersections of agricultural, environmental, life, and social sciences, we advance a more equitable, sustainable, and food-secure world for all. Side-by-side with our diverse network of global and community partners, we engage in education with impact and create a flourishing world now and for future generations.

With a focus on education with impact, our transdisciplinary approach emphasizes real-world engagement on a global scale — with communities in New York State, across the United States, and around the world. Our dynamic learning atmosphere and academic culture goes beyond purely technical work to provide a balance of skill-building and analytical coursework toward transformative solutions.

Catalyzing change to build a more just world.

Students in Global Development engage with life-changing research and social impact through our two majors, four minors, innovative graduate programs, impact-driven professional development and projects spanning 30+ countries. 

Learn more about degrees & programs in Global Development
A student works with a teacher

60+

Faculty and academic staff

200+

Undergraduate students

70+

Graduate students

New undergraduate major in Global Development

Engage in critical scholarship and global field training while exploring some of the most urgent challenges facing people and the planet

Discover more about the major
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The world is complex. But we believe understanding is possible.

We take a multidisciplinary approach to tackle the biggest challenges of our time.

Food Security & Nutrition

Feeding 9 billion people by 2050 

Development Sociology

Understanding human behavior and interactions

Rural & community development

Solving local problems with homegrown solutions

Climate change

Sustaining a healthy Earth

Gender, race and ethnicity

Fighting for equality for everyone, everywhere

Economics

Confronting the cycle of poverty 

Education & leadership

Cultivating next-generation leaders  

Plant Sciences

Breeding crops for a food-secure world

Demography

Studying the structure of the human population

On the international stage

A home of global thought leaders.

We work to build an equitable, environmentally sustainable world through boots-on-the-ground practice, cutting edge research, innovative teaching and community-based extension.

Explore our 27 programs and projects.
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A woman with glasses on the top of her head sits at a desk in an office
Engaged research
Play Jump Start your Career in International Agriculture with IARD 6020 - Global Development at Cornell
Experiential learning

54+

Visiting scientists & fellows

from over 20 countries

Land acknowledgement

Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' (the Cayuga Nation). The Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign Nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York State and the United States of America. 

We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' people, past and present, to these lands and waters.

Making a sustainable impact

Recent insights, news and events in the Department of Global Development

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News

Capitalizing on time in the race to breed inclusive, resilient crops
Cowpea breeders across Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania, with the support of the Feed the Future Innovation for Crop Improvement, are making it possible to expand breeding operations in less time by making more efficient use of water.
  • Department of Global Development
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section
A Cornell building on campus in the winter

News

Faculty build network of community-engaged teachers, scholars
From teaching food science at the Ithaca Farmers Market to researching how youth feel about their race and ethnicity, this year’s Engaged Faculty Fellows are demonstrating the range of work that’s possible through community-engaged learning and research. The 2021-22 cohorts include 15 faculty from eight Cornell schools and colleges.
  • Department of Global Development
  • Microbiology
Prabhu Pingali

News

Prabhu Pingali Named to Advisory Committee on Indian National Food Security Act
The committee comprises more than a dozen Indian government officials, researchers, and academics. It will provide guidance to the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of the Niti Aayog (Planning Commission) as it evaluates food...
  • Department of Global Development
  • Food
  • Global Development
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