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Discover CALS

See how our current work and research is bringing new thinking and new solutions to some of today's biggest challenges.

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Redesigning 21st Century Agri-Food Systems

Moonshot thinking

Nourishing people and planet as interconnected systems that create opportunities for digital agriculture, circularity, markets and economic development, and impactful local solutions from New York to the world. 

Resilient agri-food systems are essential to human existence. Global food networks must adapt to feed a population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, while also contending with land, water and energy shortages caused by a warming planet. CALS seeks to develop novel ways to boost food production and nutrition and conserve resources—ensuring a nutritious, accessible, equitable, and sustainable food supply for all.

Research spotlight

Mario Herrero

Mario has found that plant-based alternatives to beef have the potential to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but their growth in popularity could disrupt the agricultural workforce, threatening more than 1.5 million industry jobs.

Learn more about Mario Herrero and his work.

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Opportunities to support

Faculty, program support & research

CALS globally recognized faculty are the cornerstone of our reputation as a premier institution of scientific learning. Support CALS faculty and graduate students working on a multitude of issues around 21st century agri-food systems.

Student support & affordability

Scholarships enable Cornell to recruit and enroll the most promising scholars and garner a diverse student population. CALS supports students to ensure their success through programs such as peer mentoring, E3, CALS navigator, and experiential learning opportunities.

Flexible impact

Establishing a named Moonshot fund or supporting the established Redesigning 21st Century Agri-Food Systems Moonshot fund offers CALS leadership the greatest flexibility to take advantage of innovative and emerging opportunities, and will be used to bolster CALS' strengths in support of initiatives focused on 21st century agri-food systems.

Show your support

Make your gift to a moonshot
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The impact of giving

Cattle at Centerdale Farm in Black River, New York.

News

Northeast farmers could profit from grass-fed beef if they expand, join forces

A new analysis finds that grass-fed beef can compete with grain-fed beef in New York state and New England, particularly if production is scaled up.

  • Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
  • Agriculture
Leah Crenshaw, pictured here, will continue research that examines how surrounding landscapes influence bird ecology in shade‑grown coffee farms.

News

Cornell Atkinson research grants support future sustainability leaders

Cornell Atkinson has announced 40 research grants to support undergraduate and graduate student researchers whose work will support sustainability, biodiversity and agriculture.

  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Lab of Ornithology
  • Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment