Research networks between high‐and low‐income countries further understanding of global agro‐climatic challenges

In the modern world it has become increasingly urgent to balance human food security needs with environmental needs. These needs are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and can be synergistic. The Cambridge‐India Network for Translational Research in Nitrogen (CINTRIN) seeks to reduce nitrogen fertilizer overapplication (and the resulting environmental pollution) in Indian agriculture: a situation with various scientific and sociopolitical drivers, which equally have various sociopolitical and scientific solutions. By listening to the needs of local farmers and applying the knowledge and resources of global plant science research, achieving higher crop yields with less nitrogen is an achievable prospect for India. Read the report co-authored by Stephanie Smith of the Sainsbury Lab, Cambridge.

Interdisciplinary approaches are also being increasingly prioritized by funding bodies. For agriculturally focused projects such as CINTRIN, this is an excellent example where social science disciplines can make a key contribution. CINTRIN’s sister project Transforming India’s Green Revolution by Research and Empowerment for Sustainable food Supplies (TIGR2ESS) aims to define the requirements for a “second green revolution” in India by looking at policy agenda, academic and non‐academic stakeholders, NGOs, and industrial partnerships.

The question is often asked “what can high‐income nations do to help low‐and middle‐income countries improve their food security?” To use a medical metaphor, we humbly suggest the answer is: “listen to the patient and their unique symptoms before you prescribe the cure—and be prepared to learn something yourself!”