Dr. Nirmal Kumar BK

Visiting Fellow

PhD (Food security, resource Scarcity)

Dr.Nirmal Kumar Bishokarma

Visiting Fellow

Dr.Nirmal Kumar Bishokarma is a professional expert in international relations, food aid and trade and social justice. He has PhD from Kathmandu University and International Graduate School North- South Switzerland in in the funding of NCCR North-South South Asia Programme in 2016. His research focuses on foreign relation, international trade, food aid and exclusion/inclusion issues. Prior to his PhD, he had worked for UK Department for International Development (DFID) for 10 years from 2000 to 2010. He has published half a dozen scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals on food security, climate change, market and trade as well as inclusions/exclusion issues.

Professional Experiences

UK Department for International Development: Livelihoods and Forestry Programme

• Deputy/Acting Regional Programme Coordinator: July, 2007 to July, 2010 in Eastern Region
• District Manager/Programme Officer:April 2000 to April 2007 in Parbat district

International Training/Workshops

• Fifteen Days training on Human security and Humanitarian responses conducted by Brown University in USA in 2014.
• Fifteen Days training on Sustainable Development and livelihoods conducted by NCCR North-South in Cote D' Ivoire in 2013.
• Fifteen Days training on Global Change, Sustainable Livelihoods and Institutions conducted by NCCR North-South in Switzerland in 2012.
• Thirty Days training on Climate Change, Livelihoods and Forestry conducted by University of Cumbria in 2010.

Peer-reviewed Articles:

• Bishokarma, N.K. and Amir, R.M. (2014). Gender and Food In/Security: Food entitlement in resource scarce areas in the far-western region of Nepal.
  Journal of Global Innovations in Agricultural and Social Sciences. Vol. 2 No. 1 pp. 45-51
• Bishokarma, Nirmal Kumar and Sharma, Sagar Raj (2013). Climate Change and Food Insecurity: Institutional Barriers to Adaptation of Marginal Groups in the Far-western Region of Nepal. In: Gaby Kissinger and Mohamed Behnassi (eds). Sustainable Food Security in the Era of Local and Global Environmental Change. Springer
• Bishokarma, N.K. (2013). Hunger breeds human insecurity: a case from far-western region of Nepal. In S.S. Anil, U.T. Haroon and I, Niazi (eds). Sustainable Development in South Asia: Shaping the future. SDPI-Pakistan
• BK, N.K. (2011). Community Forestry and Resource Scarcities to the Poor dalit: A Political Ecology of Community Based Forest Resource Management in Nepal. Journal of Participatory Development. Vol. 13, No 12
• BK, N.K. (2010). Maoist People's War and community adaptation: a case of Community Forestry User Groups Nepal. Journal of Forest and Livelihood. Vol.10 No.1.
• BK, NK and Gyawali, N.R. (2009). Ethno-political Ecology of Social Exclusion: A Discourse in Community Forestry of Nepal. Vikas: Journal of National Planning Commission of Nepal. Vol.30. No.2
• BK, N.K., Shrestha, R., Acharya, S.G. and Ansari, A.S (2009).Maoist Conflict, Community Forestry and Livelihoods: Pro-poor Innovations in Forest Management in Nepal. Journal of Forest and Livelihood. Vol.8. No.2. Pp. 93-109.

Edited NepaliBooks:

1) Dalit and Federalism

2) Dalit related provisions in draft papers prepared by constitutional assembly (2064BS)

Paper Presentations in International Conference

• United Kingdom (October, 2009): Community forestry and livelihoods Practices in Nepal (2009): Paper presented in University of Cumbria.
• Philippines (September, 2011): Social dimension of climate change, food insecurity and forced migration. Paper presented in Climate Change and Forced Migration organized by ADB (Asian Development Bank).
• Germany (5-9 December 2010): Climate change and food security: Implications of social exclusion in vulnerability of food security. European Science Foundation, Belfield University.
• Thailand (August 2011): Participated in community forestry and climate change adaptation workshop organized by RECOFTC (Regional Community Forestry Training Centre for Asia Pacific)
• Switzerland (20-22 August 2012): Food entitlement: factors and institutions in resource scarce areas: a study from far-western region of Nepal. Paper presented (With Ass. Prof. Dr. S.R. Sharma) in 3rd International Conference on Research for Development (ICRD 2012) in Bern.
• Indonesia (5-7 September 2012): Intra-household food insecurity: Gender dimension of food entitlement in resource scarce areas in the far- western region of Nepal. Organized by Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA) in Jakarta.
• Finland (28-29 September 2012): Livelihoods and climate change adaptation: a case of Community Forestry Program of Nepal. Organized by UNU-WIDER conference on ‘Climate Change and Development Policy' in Helsinki.
• Pakistan (11-13 December 2012): Hunger breeds human insecurity: a case from far-western region of Nepal. Paper presented a paper at SDPI's (Sustainable Development Policy Institute) Fifteenth Sustainable Development Conference held in Islamabad.
• Tanzania (14-17 February 2013): Food security, livelihood futures and social exclusion. Paper presented at NCCR North-South Synthesis Workshop: Livelihoods Futures (RP2) in Arusha.
• Malaysia (24-26 May 2014): Cases and evidence on the role and impact of social forestry in livelihoods and climate change mitigation and adaptation in Nepal. Paper presented in fifth Asian Social Forestry Network international conference in Sabah.
• South Africa (3-12 September 2015): Participated in the pre-Congress training workshop and the XIV World Forestry Congress, in Durban. Supported by International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO).
• Bangladesh (22-23 October 2016): Presented paper in the International Conference on Anthropology, Adaptation and Resilience in Climate Change Regime in Dhaka. Organized by University of Dhaka.

High Level Government Committee

• Member:Bhagat Sarbajit Manav Maryada prize selection committee of Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation(MOCTCA)
• Member:High-Level Advisory Committee for Education Sector Plan (2020-2030), Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST)

International Affiliation

• Fellow: Brown University, USA
• Fellow: International Graduate School, Switzerland
• Member: Human Development and Capability Association, USA