Pell, Alice N.
Professor & Vice Provost
Many of my activities are related to the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD), Cornell`s program for poverty alleviation and sustainable rural development for developing countries which I direct. Most of my research focuses on tropical farming systems, with an emphasis on Africa and Asia. The centerpiece of my research is an interdisciplinary project on the relationship between poverty and environmental degradation in the densely populated Kenyan highlands. This project is funded by the National Science Foundation`s Biocomplexity program for Coupled Natural and Human Systems. We have been working with a team of economists, soil scientists and rural sociologists to develop a dynamic bioeconomic model of smallholder crop-livestock systems. Understanding how farmers respond to decreases in soil fertility resulting in reduced crop and animal productivity is an important step in poverty reduction. Our collaborators on this project are the Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute and the International Center for Research in Agroforestry. We have been involved in the development of the livestock component of the model and have been exploring the roles of animals in nutrient cycling and maintenance of soil fertility in areas with severe soil degradation.
In addition, I have been involved in the West Africa Water Initiative (Mali, Niger and Ghana) that includes an interdisciplinary approach to improving water quality and the efficiency with which water is used. This project represents a novel collaboration between NGOs, foundations, industrial trade associations, universities and a service club. We are working on community forestry projects and university strengthening in Afghanistan. CIIFAD also has initiated an M.P.S. project in International Agriculture and Rural Development in integrated watershed management for twenty Ethiopian students in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. For more details on these projects, see the CIIFAD website (http://ciifad.cornell.edu).
research
research and scholarship focus
My research emphasis is on the roles of livestock in smallholder farming systems. Adequate nutrition constrains animal production in many of these systems but animal requirements must be considered in the context of the other elements of the agricultural system (crops, labor, soils, water etc.).
primary investigator of
- CORNELL AFRICAN FOOD SECURITY AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM | Research Grant
- CORNELL AFRICAN FOOD SECURITY AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM | Research Grant
- HOMEOSTASIS AND DEGRADATION IN FRAGILE TROPICAL AGROECOSYSTEMS. | Research Grant
- IMPROVING THE CAPACITY OF THE AFGHANISTAN MINISTRY OF AGRICULTUE, IRRIGATION AND LIVESTOCK TO DELIVER EXTENSION SERVICES | Research Grant
- PRIVATE AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY FOR NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES FOR VILLAGE- AND FARMER-BASED FORESTRY INITIATIVES | Research Grant
co investigator of
- AFRICAN FOOD SECURITY AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT - SECOND COHORT FIELD RESEARCH | Research Grant
- AGRICULTURAL ECOLOGY PROGRAM: UNDERSTANDING SOURCES AND SINKS OF NUTRIENTS AND SEDIMENT IN THE UPPER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN | Research Grant
- AGRICULTURAL ECOLOGY PROGRAM: UNDERSTANDING SOURCES AND SINKS OF NUTRIENTS AND SEDIMENT IN THE UPPER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN | Research Grant
- INSTITUTION CORNELL/BDU GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAM (MPS) IN INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AT BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY (BDU) | Research Grant
- USING IMPROVED PULSE CROP PRODUCTIVITY TO REINVIGORATE SMALL HOLDERS MIXED FARMING SYSTEMS | Research Grant
research areas
- animal science | collaborative research area (CALS)
- environmental sciences | collaborative research area (CALS)
- international agriculture | collaborative research area (CALS)
- international development | collaborative research area (CALS)
- microbiology | collaborative research area (CALS)
international geographic focus
- Africa | continent
- Kenya | country
- Malawi | country
- Mozambique | country
- Sub-Saharan Africa | trans-national region
- Zimbabwe | country
submitted impact statement
- Poverty and environmental degradation in the Kenyan highlands | 2007 Impact statement
- Cornell International Institute for Food Agriculture, and Development (CIIFAD) activities in Afghanistan| | 2007 Impact statement
- Activities of the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Development (CIIFAD) | 2005 Impact statement
- Poverty and environmental degradation in the Kenyan highlands | 2004 Impact statement
affiliations
head of
- Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Development (CIIFAD) | research institute
faculty appointment in
- Animal Science (AN SC) | Cornell department
administrative appointment
- Office of the Provost | administrative office
member of graduate field
- Animal Science | graduate field
- International Agriculture and Rural Development | graduate field
- International Development | graduate field
- Microbiology | graduate field
- Nutrition | graduate field
- Public Affairs | graduate field
other Cornell affiliations
- African Food Security and Natural Resources Management (AFSNRM) | academic program office
teaching
teaching focus
International outreach is part of my responsibility as director of CIIFAD. This involves both field-based presentations based on data from on-going research in Kenya and elsewhere and reports on other research and training programs of use to our target population. For example, this year I have given talks in both Afghanistan and South Africa on how we integrate the natural and social sciences to understand why farmers often do not adopt seemingly beneficial technologies. We also have conducted several workshops in Kenya with those who have been participating in our research to inform them of what we have found and have helped them use this information to improve their incomes or farm management. In addition, I have met with a number of officials to develop programs in the area of sustainable rural development, CIIFAD’s mandate.
teaches
- ANSC 4970 - Individual Study in Animal Science (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- ANSC 4980 - Undergraduate Teaching (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- ANSC 4990 - Undergraduate Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- ANSC 7900 - Graduate-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- ANSC 8900 - Master's-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- ANSC 9900 - Doctoral-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- IARD 4970 - Independent Study in IARD (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- ANSC 4970 - Individual Study in Animal Science (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- ANSC 4980 - Undergraduate Teaching (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- ANSC 4990 - Undergraduate Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- ANSC 7900 - Graduate-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- ANSC 8900 - Master's-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- ANSC 9900 - Doctoral-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- ANSC 9900 - Doctoral-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | fall 2008 class
service
outreach focus
Because most of my work has an international focus, most of my collaborations are with universities, non-governmental organizations and government agencies in Africa and parts of Asia. Our goals in these partnerships are to address poverty and environmental degradation while strengthening local institutions. We place a special emphasis on strengthening linkages with universities that have programs focusing on rural development and poverty alleviation.
background
featured in
- $3.2 million NSF grant trains grad students to tackle food systems and poverty problems | Cornell Chronicle feature
- A chat with Alice Pell, Cornell's new vice provost for international relations | Cornell Chronicle feature
- Alice Pell named vice provost for international relations | Cornell Chronicle feature
- CU to offer its first degree program in Africa, with faculty traveling to Ethiopia to teach water management course | Cornell Chronicle feature
- Einaudi Center grants fund research on African nutrition, Egyptian cinema and more | Cornell Chronicle feature
- Meeting developing-world challenges requires large-scale vision, vice provost tells conference | Cornell Chronicle feature
- New Cornell-China center for humanities will foster interdisciplinary research | Cornell Chronicle feature
- Ralph Christy named director of CIIFAD | Cornell Chronicle feature
- Skorton to speak at Ethiopian university's graduation on East Africa trip | Cornell Chronicle feature
publications
linked articles
- Fecal bacterial diversity in a wild gorilla | journal article
- Plant choice in the construction of night nests by gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda | journal article
- Response from selection for pectin concentration and indirect response in digestibility of alfalfa | journal article
speaker at Cornell event
Keywords: afghanistan, africa, animal nutrition, international agriculture, international agriculture and development, international development, modeling, nutrient cycling, nutrition, rumen function, rumen microbiology, ruminant nutrition, sustainable agriculture