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.
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
A multidisciplinary approach
The world is complex. But we believe understanding is possible.
Our signature strengths
We take an integrated and holistic approach to development. With a mission to advance a more equitable, sustainable, and food-secure world for all, we engage at the intersections of development to create a flourishing world now and for future generations.
Wellbeing and inclusion
“A World that Leaves No One Behind”
Studying the causes, manifestations and consequences of poverty and inequality in the global political economy, the histories and legacies of development projects, and alternative models to promote wellbeing
Environmental sustainability
“A Greener World and Greener Economies”
Addressing strategies to mitigate or reverse the effects of climate change, helping people and communities adapt to new environmental realities, and researching the social and political dimensions of human-environment interactions
Food and nutritional security
“Sustainable and Sustaining Food Systems”
Identifying pathways to sustainable food systems while investigating the social and political dynamics of these systems across the cycle from cultivation to distribution, consumption, and recycling
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.
54+
Visiting scientists & fellows
from over 20 countries
Land acknowledgement
Making a sustainable impact
Recent insights, news and events in the Department of Global Development
Field Note
Each year, high school students from around New York State gather at Cornell University to explore ways they can help develop real-world solutions to the greatest challenges in agriculture and food systems. At the 2022 New York Youth Institute...
News
Public investment in agricultural research supports farmers, food security, economic development and environmental sustainability, Cornell researchers told New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado during a tour Aug. 26 of Cornell AgriTech facilities in...
Field Note
Public plant breeding programs play a central role in tackling local food security challenges around the world, but how can we be sure that they are operating effectively and optimally at the institutional level? In this blog series, the Feed...