YPARD is glad to welcome our very first YPARD Nepal representative, Dinesh Panday!
Dinesh Panday has a B.Sc. in Agriculture (2011) from the Tribhuvan University (TU), in Nepal. He is currently enrolled as Research Assistant in Soil Science Division of Nepal Agriculture Research Council (NARC), Nepal. His areas of research interest include soil fertility, sustainable soil management and geographical information system (GIS). He is also active in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) for rural and agricultural development.
Youth have key role in every country's national socio-economic and political life and youths in Nepal constitutes more than 39 percent of total population. However, youth migration and brain drain are most serious problems in developing countries including Nepal because of unemployment.
"One of the things missing in todays agriculture is imagination, Dinesh says. Agri-culture has lost the word culture from its name, and so for tackling bigger concerns of economic boost, self-employment, entrepreneurship, sustainability and societal wellbeing, we need to think of adding more innovative terms next to the word Agri, such as Agri-enterprise, Agri-business, and so on. Innovative thought is needed indeed!
This is real; there is absence of a support network or platform to voice young professionals ideas, opinions and concerns in Nepal. So to remove such burden and to broaden opportunities for young professionals, we need to focus on dedicated project on educational and vocational based with considering all the stakeholders of agriculture. We need to correct our concept that farmers from graduate students, in fact are also the technology driven messenger in ARD."
Dinesh has lots of experience from youth networking like World Student Committee for Sustainable Development, Nepalese Youth Climate Action, Climate Messenger-2011, 350.org, etc. with significant contributions.
After joining YPARD, he is promoting agriculture among youths in different Nepalese universities through series of workshops, seminars and awareness programs to strengthen youth networking with an approach of enhancing capacities in youth, enabling the voice of youth to be heard at key ARD debates and making agriculture more attractive to young people.
Dinesh believes that to achieve sustainable YPs activities, it should be linked with economy which creates auspicious environment to the youths for their better recognition.
Welcome Dinesh, keep up the insightful and fruitful work you have been doing with YPARD - you are a true Leader!
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