About Me and My Interests
I was blessed to be born and raised on a family farm. I received my B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Agriculture from Nepal. I was awarded the prestigious Chancellor's Gold Medal at Tribhuvan University for having stood first in the final examination of the master’s degree of 2005. Subsequently, I received my first PhD in International Agriculture from the University of Tokyo (2010) and a second PhD in Plant Science (Crop Agronomy) from the University of British Columbia (2014). I have also had an opportunity to work as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow (Field Agronomist) for over 18 months at the University of Alberta, where I studied production gaps and nitrogen use efficiency in rainfed wheat, barley and canola in Alberta with funding support from the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund (ACIDF) and Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA). It has been over two years since I joined the University of Guelph as a Research Associate and Cropping Systems Agronomist for an IDRC (International Research Development Centre) funded project ($2.3 million) involving testing and promotion of novel agronomic strategies (e.g., genetic selection and optimal crop and soil management practices such as cover crops/intercropping, crop rotation, conservation tillage, adoption of 4R nutrient management strategies, etc.) and a novel precision agriculture tool (i.e. field testing of GlnLux technique). Recently, I collaborated on a long-term project ($900,000) to compare different cover crop strategies either in a corn-soybean or a corn-soybean-wheat rotation under plow-till and strip-till systems in terms of nutrient cycling (N, P, C), drought resiliency, yield and quality, and economics of major cash crops in Northern and Southern Ontario. The project is funded by Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
Beyond agronomic research, I am privileged to have worked in diverse team of agriculturists, ecologists, economists and social scientists at I/NGOs, universities, industry and government affiliated organizations in Canada and abroad as a team leader, project coordinator and a subject matter specialist. In addition to project design and management, my duties were to provide technical support to leader farmers and other stakeholders in the food systems, and to establish sound working relationships with concerned agencies, local communities and other stakeholders at both the regional and international levels. Therefore, I have a strong interest and experience in extension initiatives, and activities related to community empowerment, and rural development.
Underlying extension is the ability to teach and explain difficult concepts. I have had the pleasure of being a lecturer, an instructor, a teaching assistant and a problem-based learning (PBL) tutor. I have guest lectured for two years in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph in a course entitled ‘Introduction to Canadian Agri-Food Systems’. Also, I was a sessional instructor for a course entitled ‘International Agriculture’ in the Department of International Studies, University of Tokyo, in 2008. I also served as an instructor in the Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences (IAAS), Nepal, for a course entitled ‘Fruit and Plantation Crops’ in 2004. In addition, I have worked as a teaching assistant for a web-oriented course entitled ‘Key Indicators of Agroecosystem Sustainability’, and also as a problem based learning (PBL) tutor for ‘Introductory Plant Breeding’; both courses were designed for under/graduate students in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
As noted above, I have led several research and extension projects in Canada, Japan and Nepal. These projects aimed to design innovative practices for sustainable intensification of on-farm production systems with an emphasis on developing adaptive measures to climate change. In these contexts, my research and outreach interests now include development and dissemination of science-based solutions with a focus on growth, competitiveness, sustainability and adaptability of the agrifood sector by: 1) evaluating cultivars of major cash/specialty crops for regional adaptability and profitability in low input organic production systems; 2) optimizing nutrient requirements of major field crops, using the 4R principles; 3) designing low cost and sustainable agro-ecosystems that reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers in crop production, replacing them with more natural, biological resources; and 4) providing tools and practices that sustain ecosystem services, input efficiency and environmental quality, while adapting to climatic extremes. My general areas of interests include cropping systems and agronomy, semi-arid and dryland agroecology, integrated soil fertility management, carbon sequestration, intercrop interactions, nitrogen use efficiency, water productivity, root physiology, biotic and abiotic stress resistance and edaphic selection.
Beyond agronomic research, I am privileged to have worked in diverse team of agriculturists, ecologists, economists and social scientists at I/NGOs, universities, industry and government affiliated organizations in Canada and abroad as a team leader, project coordinator and a subject matter specialist. In addition to project design and management, my duties were to provide technical support to leader farmers and other stakeholders in the food systems, and to establish sound working relationships with concerned agencies, local communities and other stakeholders at both the regional and international levels. Therefore, I have a strong interest and experience in extension initiatives, and activities related to community empowerment, and rural development.
Underlying extension is the ability to teach and explain difficult concepts. I have had the pleasure of being a lecturer, an instructor, a teaching assistant and a problem-based learning (PBL) tutor. I have guest lectured for two years in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph in a course entitled ‘Introduction to Canadian Agri-Food Systems’. Also, I was a sessional instructor for a course entitled ‘International Agriculture’ in the Department of International Studies, University of Tokyo, in 2008. I also served as an instructor in the Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences (IAAS), Nepal, for a course entitled ‘Fruit and Plantation Crops’ in 2004. In addition, I have worked as a teaching assistant for a web-oriented course entitled ‘Key Indicators of Agroecosystem Sustainability’, and also as a problem based learning (PBL) tutor for ‘Introductory Plant Breeding’; both courses were designed for under/graduate students in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
As noted above, I have led several research and extension projects in Canada, Japan and Nepal. These projects aimed to design innovative practices for sustainable intensification of on-farm production systems with an emphasis on developing adaptive measures to climate change. In these contexts, my research and outreach interests now include development and dissemination of science-based solutions with a focus on growth, competitiveness, sustainability and adaptability of the agrifood sector by: 1) evaluating cultivars of major cash/specialty crops for regional adaptability and profitability in low input organic production systems; 2) optimizing nutrient requirements of major field crops, using the 4R principles; 3) designing low cost and sustainable agro-ecosystems that reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers in crop production, replacing them with more natural, biological resources; and 4) providing tools and practices that sustain ecosystem services, input efficiency and environmental quality, while adapting to climatic extremes. My general areas of interests include cropping systems and agronomy, semi-arid and dryland agroecology, integrated soil fertility management, carbon sequestration, intercrop interactions, nitrogen use efficiency, water productivity, root physiology, biotic and abiotic stress resistance and edaphic selection.