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Global Development

Working to improve lives, reduce inequality and protect the environment

The world is complex, and the challenges can seem overwhelming. Here in the Department of Global Development, we unlock the energies and talents of experts from a range of disciplines to address some of the biggest problems facing humanity. We know solutions are hard. But we never stop asking questions, seeking answers and partnering with people and communities to make life better, everywhere. 

With a focus on education with impact, our transdisciplinary approach emphasizes real-world engagement with communities in New York state and around the globe. Our dynamic learning atmosphere and academic culture goes beyond purely technical work to provide deep analysis and transformative solutions.

This is what we do. We catalyze change and provoke fresh understanding. We develop next-generation leaders through engaged and active learning that connects students with field experiences. This is who we are. We are committed to justice, to science, to people and we never stop striving to make direct social impact all around the globe.

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+

Researchers

186

Undergraduate students

54

Graduate students

Now hiring: associate/full professor of the practice

We are searching for a dynamic individual to shape our new undergraduate Global Development program through a deep commitment to engaged learning and research. 

Apply today
A man standing outside cacao and talking to men and women listening
Karthikeyan Palanisamy, left, of Regal Chocolates speaks with IARD students about production and marketing techniques at his pesticide-free cacao farm in India. Photo by Chris Knight/Cornell University

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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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

Making a sustainable impact

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

Leadership development group receives training outdoors

Field Note

The business case for investing in leadership training
LeadNY Executive Director Larry Van De Valk reflects on the value of leadership development and professional training as the 35 year old program recruits its 19th class. LeadNY is for committed leaders in the agriculture and food industries who...
  • Department of Global Development
Professor Scott Peters

Multimedia

News

Leading Through Extension: Experimenting Together
Historian and professor Scott Peters has dedicated over two decades to examining the dynamic relationships that scientists, scholars, and extension educators at land-grant universities have with the communities they serve.
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Department of Global Development
  • Global Development
Group of Malawian farmers pose for picture in a field

Spotlight

A farmer-led approach to food justice

  • Department of Global Development
  • Agriculture
  • Global Development
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