Rural development, food security and agriculture are Shalini’s key area of interest. At IDRC, partnering with IFAD, she managed research in the use of information for farmers and farming towards poverty alleviation. She set in place a knowledge management and exchange system among field, national and regional level IFAD partners for improved rural development information flows across the Asia-Pacific. Further, she advised on similar initiatives in Africa and the Middle East.
Prior to this, at the UN World Food Program, she helped create evidence in refining its strategy for India towards a more holistic approach to support vulnerable populations in a food-surplus country. Most of her early years of over twenty years of professional life were spent researching agricultural issues and designing/implementing initiatives targeted at farmer wellbeing and improved farming methods.
She is currently an independent consultant and among other things is advising GIZ on the process of advocacy to promote better governance for climate change adaptation.
She trained in economics at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi (M.Phil.) and Delhi School of Economics (M.A.).