We explore the changing nature of food procurement, preparation and consumption as regions undergo urbanization at varying degrees. Locating the study in the urban, peri-urban and rural areas of Baramati, Maharashtra, and urban Bangalore in Karnataka, this research explores the ways in which diets are responding to the urbanization processes.
We employ a gender lens to examine the inter- and intra- household changes in diets, and unpack the economic, social and cultural drivers of these changes. We also present some insights on the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on diet-related vulnerabilities among people across rural, urban, and peri-urban areas. We find that while urbanization eases the access to food, it also intensifies the gendered differences in intra-household consumption of some food groups, affecting certain vulnerable groups disproportionately.

Pollination is a crucial ecosystem service responsible for about 40% of the global supply of nutrients. Unfortunately, there is growing evidence of a pollinator crisis from around the world. Loss of natural habitat exacerbated by intensive agricultural practices has lead to a significant decline in pollinators.
What is the pollinator situation in India? With just a few studies spanning spatial or temporal scales, it is difficult to paint an accurate picture. Additionally, most pollination-based research is centred on honey bees, grossly overlooking a large suite of non-honey bee species that are important pollinators of wild and cultivated plants. With disappearing green spaces and a growing demand for pollination service, it is important to understand how pollinators can be supported in human-dominated landscapes. But can bees be sustained in the highly altered city environment? This is a major concern as more and more land is getting built up and urban populations are growing at unprecedented rates.
We share findings from a study of bee diversity along a gradient of urbanization that brings to light the presence of lesser-known bees in Bengaluru. Yet another study conducted in a vegetable hub on the outskirts of Bengaluru demonstrates that facilitating pollinator diversity in a production landscape might be critical to coping with climatic vagaries. Our work brings to focus the pollinator-environment-health nexus. Against this backdrop, our online survey of diets of Bengalureans indicates a heavy dependence on pollinators. Based on these studies, we highlight the potential that cities hold for supporting pollinators and explore key pointers for designing pollinator-integrated urban landscapes.