  We estimate the contributions by double-parton interactions to the cross
sections for pp->pi^0 pi^0 X and dA->pi^0 pi^0 X at RHIC. We find that such
contributions become important at large forward rapidities of the produced
pions. This is in particular the case for dA scattering, where they strongly
enhance the azimuthal-angular independent "pedestal" component of the cross
section, providing a natural explanation of this feature of the RHIC dA data.
We argue that the discussed processes open a window to studies of double quark
distributions in nucleons. We also briefly address the roles of shadowing and
energy loss in dA scattering, which we show to affect the double-inclusive pion
cross section much more strongly than the single-inclusive one. We discuss the
implications of our results for the interpretation of pion azimuthal
correlations.
