Climate Smart Agriculture and Capacity Building: Fellows from South Asia Collaborate with MSU Faculty

What better place for climate change research than Michigan State University? In August 2024, Michigan State University formally concluded its active work on a program titled "Managing Water for Climate Smart Agriculture in South Asia," sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through its Scientific Exchange Program (SEP). This project, organized and hosted by the MSU Visiting International Professional Program, brought eight fellows from five countries in South Asia to MSU with the goal of developing the fellows’ research capacity in climate-smart agriculture (CSA), with a focus on managing water for agricultural food productivity. The fellows were partnered with six MSU faculty mentors to conduct research related to the program topic from September to December 2023. The on-campus part of the program was followed by faculty mentor visits to the fellows' home countries. Since the formal end of the program, the fellows have continued a strong and sustained on-going collaboration with MSU not only to advance their research projects from the program, but to also lay the foundations for new research and new institutional links.

The fellows include Dr. Haroon Rashid from Pakistan, Dr. Nani Maiya Sujaku, Dr. Bim Shrestha, and Professor Bibhuti Ojha from Nepal, Ms. Farzana Akter and Dr. Mir Nurul Hassan Mahmud from Bangladesh, Dr. Sujeet Desai from India, and Dr. Prasad Neelawala from Sri Lanka. The fellows worked with MSU faculty members Dr. Mywish Maredia, Professor of Development Economics in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, and Interim Co-Director of the department’s Food Security Group,  Dr. David Skole, Professor of Global Ecology, Climate Change, and Earth Observations in the Department of Forestry, Dr. Wei Liao, Professor and Director of the Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Dr. Raju Pokharel, Assistant Professor of Forest Resource Economics in the Department of Forestry,  Dr. Younsuk Dong, Assistant Professor in Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, and Dr. Yadu Pokhrel, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

The fellows started their program with a stop in Washington, D.C., highlighted by a visit to the USDA Federal Building. There they had an opportunity to network with other fellows from different countries and hosted at different American universities, speak to policymakers and program directors, and meet the Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service, Mr. Daniel Whitley. During their time at MSU, the fellows worked with their faculty mentors to develop their projects, spending time in the lab, and participating in weekly workshops on climate-smart agriculture featuring multi-disciplinary experts from within and outside MSU. One of the most impactful program experiences for the participants during their time in the United States was the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue and World Food Prize Conference in Des Moines, Iowa from October 24 - October 26, 2023. While there, the participants experienced the World Food Prize award ceremony in the Iowa State Capitol Building, and were able to share their research work with peers from around the world. MSU enjoyed a moment in the spotlight during this prestigious event, as fellow Dr. Bim Shrestha was selected to address the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Tom Vilsack. Beyond the lab and professional collaborations and connections, the fellows shared that their time at MSU left a lasting impression on them personally and emotionally. The fellows truly became part of the campus community, taking part in cultural events such as the VIPP Thanksgiving Home Hospitality and the VIPP and ISP tailgate parties, attending MSU football games, making friends in the local community, and traveling to destinations around Michigan. The fellows enjoyed learning about American culture, and showcasing their own cultures including sharing their music, food, and traditions.

Since their departure from MSU, the research work of the fellows has continued, with an important component being visits from their assigned MSU faculty mentors to their home countries. These in-country visits and continued remote collaboration on their program research projects have made the biggest contributions for sustained future collaborations and have created many opportunities to engage with new stakeholders in the participants’ home countries and neighboring countries. One example of such continuous engagement and collaboration since the completion of the project was the offsite meetings during the MSU 2024 Asia Hub Annual Meeting, held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from November 11 - 13, 2024. Asia Hub is a network of more than 30 universities and organizations across Asia led by MSU to facilitate and support multidisciplinary research across Asia. The topic of this year’s annual meeting was "Challenges in Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus Research in Asia" and was co-hosted by MSU and Chiang Mai University. This event was attended by many MSU faculty involved in the program including VIPP director Dr. Xinyu Wu, and the two academic directors for the MWCSA program Dr. Jiaguo Qi, who is also the director of Asia Hub, and Dr. Karim Maredia. Also attending the meeting was the MSU mentor and Associate Director and South Asia Liaison for Asia Hub, Dr. Yadu Pokhrel, along with his two program mentees from Nepal and India.

The MWCSA program outcomes have been very impressive, resulting in two joint publications, three joint grant proposals, including one over $100 million, a prototype development proposal to the United Nations Development Program, and many new institutional partnerships, including joint projects between MSU and universities in Nepal and Bhutan, as well as fellow Farzana Akter returning to MSU to earn her PhD through a program sponsored entirely by World Bank. MSU faculty mentor Dr. Wei Liao and fellows Dr. Bim Shresha and Dr. Nani Sujakhu submitted two proposals focusing on water economy and global sustainability to the MacArthur Foundation 100 & Change competition. The proposals collaborate with Kathmandu University, University of Costa Rica, Canterbury University in New Zealand and Rhode University in South Africa. We look forward to seeing how this remarkable group of fellows and their dedicated faculty mentors will continue to work together to impact the world, and what the future will bring for the many partnerships this project has fostered.

Learn more about the fellows and the program at vipp.msu.edu/climatesmart, or watch the video overview of the fellows' program at MSU.