People have utilized indigenous and underutilized crops available in the marginal land for their ... more People have utilized indigenous and underutilized crops available in the marginal land for their food. However, little is known about the contribution of these crops to food security. To assess the contribution of these crops to food security of local people, a survey was done with 107 respondents selected from community forest users of the eastern Chitwan of Nepal in 2020. The findings revealed that fiddle head fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris L.), air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera L.), stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.), and white yam (Dioscorea alata L.) were consumed mostly compared to other indigenous and underutilized crops. Community forest was a major source of underutilized crops followed by marginal land. Though air potato was available only for four months, its contribution to food security was higher than the other crops. Indigenous crops were found gradually disappearing due to producers' poor access to land to cultivate, misuse of land, and ineffective implementation ...
The livelihood options of landless households of far western Nepal are wage labor, farming and se... more The livelihood options of landless households of far western Nepal are wage labor, farming and seasonal migration to India. Food sufficiency is barely enough for 0-3 months a year for most. When food is scarce, they cope by borrowing money, buying food, occasional wager labor as domestic servants, less popular and cheaper or wild food, skipping meals and eating less. These options are embedded with social relation in terms of class, caste and gender and social institutions. This paper argues that this situation is a product of, and regulated by, local age-old feudal social institutions like Khalo Pratha, Haliya Pratha, share cropping, etc which exhibit positive and negative relationships as well as structural constraints in land holding patterns, the existing caste system and gender disparity. Most of these institutions are discriminatory and exploit the land poor by giving them unfair wages, burdening them with debt and treating them inhumanly like semislaves.
Land based livelihood options overwhelmingly predominate in an agrarian society like Nepal becaus... more Land based livelihood options overwhelmingly predominate in an agrarian society like Nepal because nonagricultural sectors, namely, trade, commerce and industry have not flourished and also have not been able to generate employment opportunities to a large number of people. This paper is based on a survey research conducted in the Far Western Region of Nepal during July 2007-Nov 2008. The study reveals that food is barely enough for 0-3 months for the majority in the region. In fact, the poor engage themselves in wage earning in agriculture and non-agriculture sectors, they move to India as seasonal labor migrants, supplement their earning by cutting and sale of fire wood, and engage themselves in caste based occupation etc (true for Dalit) as livelihood options. The paper argues that this situation is a product of, and also regulated by, various local age long feudal social institutions like Khalo Pratha (System), Haliya Pratha (System), Land Mortgage System (Mate Bandaki), Share cropping, etc which exhibit positive and negative relationship. It is also because of structural constraints in land holding pattern (class), existing caste system, and gender disparity. By and large, the most of these institutions have been found as discriminatory and exploitative to the land poor by giving them unfair wage, debt burden, and treating them inhumanly like semi-slavery and social discrimination.
Prashasan: Nepalese Journal of Public Administration
The contemporary challenges in the current field of public service of developing countries have l... more The contemporary challenges in the current field of public service of developing countries have led the scholars to explore new methods to increase the efficiency of the service mechanisms. South Asia, in specific, requires new and innovative policy making initiatives that promise much more efficient mechanisms than of the current standing to mitigate the contemporary challenges posed by the governments of the nations of the region. In doing so, a very unique academic program and approach stands out which proposes the integration of academicians and scholarly experts in the actual policy making processes and mechanisms of the governments. Consequently, in 2019 Kathmandu University have launched academic program (Master of Public Policy and Management - MPPM) and researchers, primarily academicians, developed more innovative policy labs where new and in-use policies are analyzed, tested and critiqued upon. This mechanism not only promises a more efficient model of policy making mecha...
Survey Offices established at the districts under Survey Department are supporting with cadastral... more Survey Offices established at the districts under Survey Department are supporting with cadastral survey and the updating the parcels according to the land transactions. Almost all of the district offices among 131 of such are conducting its daily activities in digital environment. At present all the district survey offices have their own server and individual desktop applications are running to conduct the daily activities. In the recent development, Survey Department has developed three tier client-server based system architecture where application and database server are managed in central server hosted in Government Integrated Data Centre and clients access these server to provide the service. This system has enabled to integrate all the cadastral data from district survey office to single central archive. “Nepal Land Information System (NeLIS)” for daily service delivery from the survey offices and “MeroKitta” to get online service facility from survey offices has been develope...
Journal of Underrepresented & Minority Progress, 2021
The institutionalization of federalism has created a space for Nepal with an opportunity to trans... more The institutionalization of federalism has created a space for Nepal with an opportunity to transform into a more inclusive and equitable society with a vibrant economy. Towards this transformation, adoption of the elements of the Land Grant model in the higher education system of Nepal can be a key to break the long-stagnant agrarian economy characterized by persistent inequality, structural poverty, and stunted economic growth. This paper attempts to present a perspective analysis of US-based Land Grant Universities/ Institutions (LGUs/LGIs) and Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) mission and its possible implications in the agrarian landscape with priority laid on the inclusive agrarian transformation of Nepal through consideration of these models in the spirit of social inclusion and agrarian justice as envisaged in the constitutional provisions, policies and the structural features of country’s stagnant economy. The grand design of American higher education in the...
New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy, 2016
Land issue is complex, dynamic and contentious in Nepal. After Nepal became a democratic country ... more Land issue is complex, dynamic and contentious in Nepal. After Nepal became a democratic country in 1951, land reform has been a highly discussed issue. Slogan like, ‘land to the tiller’ became a popular agenda for each political parties having different understandings and interpretations on land issue specifically during the last decades’ armed conflict (1996-2006). To move ahead in this direction, scientific land reform has been laid a top priority in Comprehensive Peace Agreement 2006, Interim Constitution 2007 and newly promulgated constitution of Nepal 2015 to address equity and efficiency issues. There is a big debate going on equity and efficiency in the country. Realizing strengths of both issues, following analytical framework such as agrarian political economy and democratic and pro-poor land governance, it is found that civil society monitoring is playing a pivotal role in converging equity and efficiency issues of land reform. Such monitoring initiatives generate evidenc...
New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy, 2016
Public land management (PLM), a community based common property land management approach, was ini... more Public land management (PLM), a community based common property land management approach, was initiated since 2003 in the southern Tarai of Nepal to generate agroforestry resources and support the livelihoods of local people. Contemporary researches demonstrate that PLM practice has been able to bring positive changes at local level but also warn that issues related to tenure security are challenging to sustain the current practice. In this context, this paper explores the prospects of public land and then critically examines issues related to tenure security. From an in-depth case study in the five purposively selected PLM groups of Nawalparasi and Rupandehi districts, we concluded that PLM has been instrumental in promoting the livelihood of poor, women and religious minorities including environment conservation and safeguarding the common-property land. Similarly, the tenure related issues we examined are: loose contractual arrangement among government authority and local people,...
Responsible Education, Learning and Teaching in Emerging Economies, 2020
Objective: The objective of this paper to examine the major limitations of past efforts in Nepal ... more Objective: The objective of this paper to examine the major limitations of past efforts in Nepal regarding the link between agriculture research, education, and extension and to highlight the government’s strategy and policy measures to overcome these limitations in the new federal structure in Nepal. Methodology: The paper is based on the government policy paper, articles, books, reports, and website. Policymakers, faculties, and researchers from three major stakeholders of REE blended through key informant interviews. Result: Paper concluded that linkages between the research, education, and service delivery are the weakest. Lack of extension policy, lack of joint ventures or common programs, no functional link between universities, agricultural ministry, research institute, and private sector in policy forums are weakening REE linkages. Rural extension and community development can be developed as a three-way partnership. i) land-grant university/college in each state includi...
In the global context, the use of land and its resource has been considered as one of an integral... more In the global context, the use of land and its resource has been considered as one of an integral part of sustainable development. The Agenda 21 an outcome from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) which was held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro — highlighted the importance of an integrated approach to planning and management of land for achieving the goals of sustainable development. Among various goals (17 goals) of sustainable development, goal 2 ―Zero Hunger" seems to have more direct linkages with the use of land resources for food production and also goal 15 ―Life on Land‖, which focuses on the achievement of sustainable land management and land degradation, by providing a suite of targeted, appropriate land management practices that prevent the loss of healthy land and maintain or improve the land‘s productivity. The Food Agriculture Organizations (FAO) has also documented the importance of land resource planning for food security. Therefore, p...
Scientific Land Reform is at centre of decades' conflict and even during Peace Process in... more Scientific Land Reform is at centre of decades' conflict and even during Peace Process in Nepal. In this regards, land reform attempts to address equity and efficiency so as to address historical inequity and injustices for promoting peace process in Nepal. From equity perspective, landlessness, unequal power structure and social relation, injustices and discrimination for long centuries are key land issues. Along with this, economic efficiency is the fundamental for enhancing agricultural growth leading to economic growth. In particular, this article argues that, in the given prevailing condition, i.e. traditional and subsistence and rampant rural poverty and unequal power structure and injustices, small farms perform better leading to food and livelihood security at household level. Consequently, 'Scientific Land Reform' has been defined by taking into account the essence of equity and efficiency.
Land acquisition is accumulation by dispossession, resulting skewed land ownership, decreased loc... more Land acquisition is accumulation by dispossession, resulting skewed land ownership, decreased local agricultural productivity, and increased land conflicts. The process of land accumulation by real estate and agrobased companies dispossesses small holder farming communities through stategic and forced land deals. Economic interests of national and multinational companies are sole drivers of land acquisition. Increasing concretization of Abbal land (best quality land) induces the shifting of local cropping pattern and thus ultimately reduces local food production and productivity. Land acquisition can have both positive and negative effects. However, most locals perceive land acquisition as elites acting for elites. Most locals are overtly and covertly resisting towards land acquisition projects. Abstract
Squatter settlements are inevitable in most of the urban areas. Livelihood situation of squatter ... more Squatter settlements are inevitable in most of the urban areas. Livelihood situation of squatter settlements seem poor, vulnerable and miserable. Living condition in these settlements suffered from overcrowding, inadequate accommodation, limited access to clean water and sanitation, lack of proper waste disposal system and degraded air quality. Using case study approach in the selected study area along the Bagmati river bank in Kathmandu city named Thapathali Squatter Settlement (TSS), Shankhamul Squatter Settlement (SSS) and Kirtipur Squatter Resettlement (KSR), this paper presents the livelihood of squatter settlements and analyze from tenure security perspective. Moreover, this paper basically attempts to understand and analyze livelihood situations of the squatter settlements with reference to tenure security. Specifically, it includes the importance and the role of tenure security in squatter settlement with regard to livelihood, as well as to analyze improvement of it over the...
Examining International Land Use Policies, Changes, and Conflicts, 2021
In the global context, land-use policies have been considered as one of the significant aspects t... more In the global context, land-use policies have been considered as one of the significant aspects to obtain sustainable land management. Although this is a situation, it is not always achievable. Therefore, the critical analysis of land use policies is required. This chapter aims to understand the state of the art in land-related policies in Nepal after 1951 that contribute towards SLM. The methodology applied is the desktop review approach. The analytical framework namely sustainable land management (SLM) consisting of parameters: productivity, security, protection, viability, and acceptability, is developed. Under the basis of the SLM framework, content analysis has been carried out. The results show that although the policies take into account all the components of sustainability, the lack of implementing the integrated land use policy has triggered the questions for sustainable land management. The chapter recommends innovative approaches like parcel-based land use planning to obt...
People have utilized indigenous and underutilized crops available in the marginal land for their ... more People have utilized indigenous and underutilized crops available in the marginal land for their food. However, little is known about the contribution of these crops to food security. To assess the contribution of these crops to food security of local people, a survey was done with 107 respondents selected from community forest users of the eastern Chitwan of Nepal in 2020. The findings revealed that fiddle head fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris L.), air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera L.), stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.), and white yam (Dioscorea alata L.) were consumed mostly compared to other indigenous and underutilized crops. Community forest was a major source of underutilized crops followed by marginal land. Though air potato was available only for four months, its contribution to food security was higher than the other crops. Indigenous crops were found gradually disappearing due to producers' poor access to land to cultivate, misuse of land, and ineffective implementation ...
The livelihood options of landless households of far western Nepal are wage labor, farming and se... more The livelihood options of landless households of far western Nepal are wage labor, farming and seasonal migration to India. Food sufficiency is barely enough for 0-3 months a year for most. When food is scarce, they cope by borrowing money, buying food, occasional wager labor as domestic servants, less popular and cheaper or wild food, skipping meals and eating less. These options are embedded with social relation in terms of class, caste and gender and social institutions. This paper argues that this situation is a product of, and regulated by, local age-old feudal social institutions like Khalo Pratha, Haliya Pratha, share cropping, etc which exhibit positive and negative relationships as well as structural constraints in land holding patterns, the existing caste system and gender disparity. Most of these institutions are discriminatory and exploit the land poor by giving them unfair wages, burdening them with debt and treating them inhumanly like semislaves.
Land based livelihood options overwhelmingly predominate in an agrarian society like Nepal becaus... more Land based livelihood options overwhelmingly predominate in an agrarian society like Nepal because nonagricultural sectors, namely, trade, commerce and industry have not flourished and also have not been able to generate employment opportunities to a large number of people. This paper is based on a survey research conducted in the Far Western Region of Nepal during July 2007-Nov 2008. The study reveals that food is barely enough for 0-3 months for the majority in the region. In fact, the poor engage themselves in wage earning in agriculture and non-agriculture sectors, they move to India as seasonal labor migrants, supplement their earning by cutting and sale of fire wood, and engage themselves in caste based occupation etc (true for Dalit) as livelihood options. The paper argues that this situation is a product of, and also regulated by, various local age long feudal social institutions like Khalo Pratha (System), Haliya Pratha (System), Land Mortgage System (Mate Bandaki), Share cropping, etc which exhibit positive and negative relationship. It is also because of structural constraints in land holding pattern (class), existing caste system, and gender disparity. By and large, the most of these institutions have been found as discriminatory and exploitative to the land poor by giving them unfair wage, debt burden, and treating them inhumanly like semi-slavery and social discrimination.
Prashasan: Nepalese Journal of Public Administration
The contemporary challenges in the current field of public service of developing countries have l... more The contemporary challenges in the current field of public service of developing countries have led the scholars to explore new methods to increase the efficiency of the service mechanisms. South Asia, in specific, requires new and innovative policy making initiatives that promise much more efficient mechanisms than of the current standing to mitigate the contemporary challenges posed by the governments of the nations of the region. In doing so, a very unique academic program and approach stands out which proposes the integration of academicians and scholarly experts in the actual policy making processes and mechanisms of the governments. Consequently, in 2019 Kathmandu University have launched academic program (Master of Public Policy and Management - MPPM) and researchers, primarily academicians, developed more innovative policy labs where new and in-use policies are analyzed, tested and critiqued upon. This mechanism not only promises a more efficient model of policy making mecha...
Survey Offices established at the districts under Survey Department are supporting with cadastral... more Survey Offices established at the districts under Survey Department are supporting with cadastral survey and the updating the parcels according to the land transactions. Almost all of the district offices among 131 of such are conducting its daily activities in digital environment. At present all the district survey offices have their own server and individual desktop applications are running to conduct the daily activities. In the recent development, Survey Department has developed three tier client-server based system architecture where application and database server are managed in central server hosted in Government Integrated Data Centre and clients access these server to provide the service. This system has enabled to integrate all the cadastral data from district survey office to single central archive. “Nepal Land Information System (NeLIS)” for daily service delivery from the survey offices and “MeroKitta” to get online service facility from survey offices has been develope...
Journal of Underrepresented & Minority Progress, 2021
The institutionalization of federalism has created a space for Nepal with an opportunity to trans... more The institutionalization of federalism has created a space for Nepal with an opportunity to transform into a more inclusive and equitable society with a vibrant economy. Towards this transformation, adoption of the elements of the Land Grant model in the higher education system of Nepal can be a key to break the long-stagnant agrarian economy characterized by persistent inequality, structural poverty, and stunted economic growth. This paper attempts to present a perspective analysis of US-based Land Grant Universities/ Institutions (LGUs/LGIs) and Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) mission and its possible implications in the agrarian landscape with priority laid on the inclusive agrarian transformation of Nepal through consideration of these models in the spirit of social inclusion and agrarian justice as envisaged in the constitutional provisions, policies and the structural features of country’s stagnant economy. The grand design of American higher education in the...
New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy, 2016
Land issue is complex, dynamic and contentious in Nepal. After Nepal became a democratic country ... more Land issue is complex, dynamic and contentious in Nepal. After Nepal became a democratic country in 1951, land reform has been a highly discussed issue. Slogan like, ‘land to the tiller’ became a popular agenda for each political parties having different understandings and interpretations on land issue specifically during the last decades’ armed conflict (1996-2006). To move ahead in this direction, scientific land reform has been laid a top priority in Comprehensive Peace Agreement 2006, Interim Constitution 2007 and newly promulgated constitution of Nepal 2015 to address equity and efficiency issues. There is a big debate going on equity and efficiency in the country. Realizing strengths of both issues, following analytical framework such as agrarian political economy and democratic and pro-poor land governance, it is found that civil society monitoring is playing a pivotal role in converging equity and efficiency issues of land reform. Such monitoring initiatives generate evidenc...
New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy, 2016
Public land management (PLM), a community based common property land management approach, was ini... more Public land management (PLM), a community based common property land management approach, was initiated since 2003 in the southern Tarai of Nepal to generate agroforestry resources and support the livelihoods of local people. Contemporary researches demonstrate that PLM practice has been able to bring positive changes at local level but also warn that issues related to tenure security are challenging to sustain the current practice. In this context, this paper explores the prospects of public land and then critically examines issues related to tenure security. From an in-depth case study in the five purposively selected PLM groups of Nawalparasi and Rupandehi districts, we concluded that PLM has been instrumental in promoting the livelihood of poor, women and religious minorities including environment conservation and safeguarding the common-property land. Similarly, the tenure related issues we examined are: loose contractual arrangement among government authority and local people,...
Responsible Education, Learning and Teaching in Emerging Economies, 2020
Objective: The objective of this paper to examine the major limitations of past efforts in Nepal ... more Objective: The objective of this paper to examine the major limitations of past efforts in Nepal regarding the link between agriculture research, education, and extension and to highlight the government’s strategy and policy measures to overcome these limitations in the new federal structure in Nepal. Methodology: The paper is based on the government policy paper, articles, books, reports, and website. Policymakers, faculties, and researchers from three major stakeholders of REE blended through key informant interviews. Result: Paper concluded that linkages between the research, education, and service delivery are the weakest. Lack of extension policy, lack of joint ventures or common programs, no functional link between universities, agricultural ministry, research institute, and private sector in policy forums are weakening REE linkages. Rural extension and community development can be developed as a three-way partnership. i) land-grant university/college in each state includi...
In the global context, the use of land and its resource has been considered as one of an integral... more In the global context, the use of land and its resource has been considered as one of an integral part of sustainable development. The Agenda 21 an outcome from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) which was held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro — highlighted the importance of an integrated approach to planning and management of land for achieving the goals of sustainable development. Among various goals (17 goals) of sustainable development, goal 2 ―Zero Hunger" seems to have more direct linkages with the use of land resources for food production and also goal 15 ―Life on Land‖, which focuses on the achievement of sustainable land management and land degradation, by providing a suite of targeted, appropriate land management practices that prevent the loss of healthy land and maintain or improve the land‘s productivity. The Food Agriculture Organizations (FAO) has also documented the importance of land resource planning for food security. Therefore, p...
Scientific Land Reform is at centre of decades' conflict and even during Peace Process in... more Scientific Land Reform is at centre of decades' conflict and even during Peace Process in Nepal. In this regards, land reform attempts to address equity and efficiency so as to address historical inequity and injustices for promoting peace process in Nepal. From equity perspective, landlessness, unequal power structure and social relation, injustices and discrimination for long centuries are key land issues. Along with this, economic efficiency is the fundamental for enhancing agricultural growth leading to economic growth. In particular, this article argues that, in the given prevailing condition, i.e. traditional and subsistence and rampant rural poverty and unequal power structure and injustices, small farms perform better leading to food and livelihood security at household level. Consequently, 'Scientific Land Reform' has been defined by taking into account the essence of equity and efficiency.
Land acquisition is accumulation by dispossession, resulting skewed land ownership, decreased loc... more Land acquisition is accumulation by dispossession, resulting skewed land ownership, decreased local agricultural productivity, and increased land conflicts. The process of land accumulation by real estate and agrobased companies dispossesses small holder farming communities through stategic and forced land deals. Economic interests of national and multinational companies are sole drivers of land acquisition. Increasing concretization of Abbal land (best quality land) induces the shifting of local cropping pattern and thus ultimately reduces local food production and productivity. Land acquisition can have both positive and negative effects. However, most locals perceive land acquisition as elites acting for elites. Most locals are overtly and covertly resisting towards land acquisition projects. Abstract
Squatter settlements are inevitable in most of the urban areas. Livelihood situation of squatter ... more Squatter settlements are inevitable in most of the urban areas. Livelihood situation of squatter settlements seem poor, vulnerable and miserable. Living condition in these settlements suffered from overcrowding, inadequate accommodation, limited access to clean water and sanitation, lack of proper waste disposal system and degraded air quality. Using case study approach in the selected study area along the Bagmati river bank in Kathmandu city named Thapathali Squatter Settlement (TSS), Shankhamul Squatter Settlement (SSS) and Kirtipur Squatter Resettlement (KSR), this paper presents the livelihood of squatter settlements and analyze from tenure security perspective. Moreover, this paper basically attempts to understand and analyze livelihood situations of the squatter settlements with reference to tenure security. Specifically, it includes the importance and the role of tenure security in squatter settlement with regard to livelihood, as well as to analyze improvement of it over the...
Examining International Land Use Policies, Changes, and Conflicts, 2021
In the global context, land-use policies have been considered as one of the significant aspects t... more In the global context, land-use policies have been considered as one of the significant aspects to obtain sustainable land management. Although this is a situation, it is not always achievable. Therefore, the critical analysis of land use policies is required. This chapter aims to understand the state of the art in land-related policies in Nepal after 1951 that contribute towards SLM. The methodology applied is the desktop review approach. The analytical framework namely sustainable land management (SLM) consisting of parameters: productivity, security, protection, viability, and acceptability, is developed. Under the basis of the SLM framework, content analysis has been carried out. The results show that although the policies take into account all the components of sustainability, the lack of implementing the integrated land use policy has triggered the questions for sustainable land management. The chapter recommends innovative approaches like parcel-based land use planning to obt...
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