Kedar Nepal

The two years of Master of Science in International Horticulture (Economics) at Leibniz Universität Hannover with DAAD scholarship has finally come to an end with excellent grades. During this two years study (2019 - 2021), I did a Master's research on Voluntary Sustainability Standards in Coffee and their impacts on smallholder farmers. The year 2019 started normally unlike previous years but was seen with unprecedented Covid -19 affecting daily lives, studies, and social life. However, with all the hardships and adapting to new conditions and rules, the academic journey of a Master's degree has been accomplished by me in Germany.

It is a pleasure to participate in a virtual conference of Tropentag 2021 with the theme of Towards shifting paradigms in agriculture for a healthy and sustainable future . With the diversity of professionals from varying backgrounds with bottom-up and interdisciplinary approaches, as a young researcher, it is a great opportunity to broaden the knowledge in this sector and contribute my own research in the form of poster presentations. The annual interdisciplinary conference on research in tropical and subtropical agriculture, natural resource management and rural development (TROPENTAG) is organised as a virtual conference by the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany and ATSAF e.V., Germany with a few live sessions directly from Hohenheim and Prague, Czech Republic.  

After gaining some years of experience in the development and humanitarian sector in Nepal, I was in search of a degree that could match my interests, notions and justify my academic accolades. With months of dedication, I was offered a German Academic Service Exchange (DAAD) scholarship to pursue a Master’s in Germany with a major in development economics. It was really a game-changer for me to escalate my skills, communicate with the international community and broaden my knowledge in the desired field. And the journey to Germany was set with my beloved wife who left an attractive job to be with me during my studies. Accordingly, with all the hardships, we began to embark on our exploration of Europe. Though I had already explored some European countries in the past, being with my better half was heart soothing support to me. After some months of habitual activities in Germany, as mature husbands and wives, we also decided to become parents without thinking a second about caring for ...

The word sustainable has been used extensively in all the development and research works after the embarkment of Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainable means using resources or actions that do not have deleterious impacts for the present and can equally be exercised by future generations. Having worked with different development and emergency projects, using of word sustainable was a kind of fashion. But the major challenge was how to pursue sustainability, how to perceive it, and how to make cities sustainable? Recently, with the inquisitive session of United People Global on Sustainability Leader, I was nominated for the class of 2021 and engaged in workshops, training, seminar, group discussions, and activities that I have been pursuing in my field. Now, I can proudly say I am a Sustainability Leader. Now the gate is open for other sustainability exercises in my projects and vicinity that I work.

The global impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) that originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China has spread all around the world with prominent effect in every aspect of the economy. Health conditions of people around the world are highly impeded. Also, due to unprecedented lockdown and restrictions of human movement to combat the pandemic, the economy of different countries is severely affected.  The most noticeable impact of coronavirus is on the agriculture sector affecting agricultural operations and supply chain in agriculture ( Sahoo, 2020 ). Farmers face problems of reduced prices of crops, disruption in transportation due to lockdown and difficulty in harvesting as well. The market prices of the commodity are rising but the prices received by farmers are low resulting in a huge gap in prices. Different incentive and relief packages on behalf of the farmers are also found less effective. Shortage of labour force for agriculture value chain is also another problem affec...

The essence of acquiring a foreign degree coupled with professional experience demands working with veterans and organizations that can shape your career. Having been through extensive Economic Analysis studies on a profound basis, I was keen to work in an international organization setting to explore new environments, learn and excel in my skills. With this motivation in mind, I am lucky to work as a Market Research Analyst for Thünen Institute, Bundesalle, Braunschweig, Germany. I am contibuting to a Project- Reducing German Soy Imports? Feasibility, Requirements, Consequences. The Project is interesting and harnesses different market-based instruments and experts' views and models that are commendable. The major task focuses on the analysis of the demand for protein animal feed, estimate future market-driven demand for GMO-free or regionally produced animal feed in Germany or Europe deploying official statistics, expert discussions, and web analysis, determine the agronomic a...

Having been through different fresh vegetable and fruit markets in Nepal, I was typically wondered if there were some in Germany. After exploring Germany, I came to know that in Hannover, there is also a farmers market that offers fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, bread to consumers. The product is also offered at competitive prices compared to big supermarkets. The major astonishing factor of the market is the diversity of buyers and sellers. They are from different regions of the world- This market helps to achieve fresh products with diverse and seasonal fruits and vegetables.