The Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) was awarded a US$13.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote a more nutrition-sensitive food system in India that enhances the availability and affordability of diverse, high-quality and nutrient-rich foods for the rural poor. It does this by generating evidence and building the capacity of partner institutions to refocus agricultural policy for improved nutrition outcomes at both the national and state levels. It also provides field-based, technical assistance for designing agricultural initiatives committed to delivering adequate food to local populations, primarily in the states of Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.

TCI aims to achieve this goal by connecting policy-focused academics with impact-focused non-governmental organizations and development partners through a consortium, called Technical Assistance and Research for Indian Nutrition and Agriculture (TARINA). The TARINA Consortium brings together the kind of collective expertise that is today essential for promoting convergent action to combat the problem of hunger and malnutrition in India.

As the primary grantee, TCI provides leadership and overall direction to ensure effective delivery of project outcomes. TARINA was launched on December 1, 2015.