Manohara Khadka
Country Representative – Nepal
Areas of expertise
Livelihoods Livestock and rangeland Agriculture Climate Community engagement Governance Natural resource management development cooperation program management feminist political ecology BiodiversityManohara Khandka was Natural Resource Management Portfolio Manager and Senior Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor at the Embassy of Switzerland in Nepal. She managed natural resource management, social studies, research portfolios and GESI integration in programs of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Khadka was also a focal point for SDC’s global program on water and served as a gender specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
Khadka brings strong expertise in handling multilateral and bilateral programs, project management and coordination from her experience with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Finland; UK Department for International Development; Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia; United States Agency for International Development; United Nations Population Fund; Asian Development Bank; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in the natural resource management sector, and integrating governance and gender perspectives in policy, research and studies, organizational systems and development projects.
Khadka has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, manuals, strategy papers, books, policy briefs, blogs, guidelines, op-eds and newspaper articles on policy, gender, inclusivity, and livelihood dimensions of water, forestry, climate change, watershed management, decentralized agricultural services, pastoral livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. She has reviewed over 70 external project proposals, policies, conference abstracts and papers, peer-reviewed articles, working papers, and Masters of science and Doctor of Philosophy theses on Natural resource management, gender and governance issues. Khadka received the Netherlands and Norwegian fellowships for higher education. She has also received the ‘Nepal Vidhya Bhusana’ award from Nepal’s Ministry of Education in 2012.
Current projects
Latest news for Manohara Khadka
Nepal among CGIAR pilot countries to co-design Country Strategy Framework
Equity and inclusion must guide water solutions
Mitigating the Madhes water crisis
Nepal examines strategies to transform its agrifood system
What happens when a marginalized village gets water?
Stakeholders in Nepal work together to enhance collective action for municipal groundwater management
Women in Nepalese farming community take lead to tackle disaster-induced challenges
Collective action for healthy rivers
IWMI is working with governments to build water resilience at COP29
Climate change threatens water and sanitation facilities in Nepal
Extreme flooding and landslides worldwide highlight need for anticipatory action
Opinion: Nepal’s women leaders champion inclusive development
Latest publications by Manohara Khadka
Water, sanitation and hygiene in Federal Nepal: strengthening local government actions and citizen rights
Gender responsive Water-Energy-Food-Environment Nexus approach for local level planning in Nepal: a manual
The need to revisit agricultural policies to promote mixed farming systems in Nepal’s mid-hills
