Management In Nepal Research Articles

Perception of Nepalese dental hygiene and dentistry students towards the dental hygienists profession.

This study investigates student and stakeholder perceptions of the role of the dental hygienist in Nepal. The impact of these perceptions on the professionalization of dental hygienists is described whilst exploring the consequences for oral health workforce planning. Dentistry and dental hygiene students from one dental college in Nepal were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire; 171 students returned the questionnaire containing a mix of forced response and open-ended items. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS® 22. These data were complemented with qualitative information from survey open questions and from semi-structured interviews with key informants from several relevant organizations. Qualitative data were manually analysed and coded. Data were triangulated to contextualize quantitative data. A high level of positive regard for the role of the dental hygienist in Nepal was evident amongst dentistry and dental hygiene students in this college. Both groups believe that the dental hygienist can play a major role in raising oral health awareness in Nepal. The scope of practice of the dental hygienist was unclear with issues surrounding the scope of practice and reports of illegal practice by dental hygienists. Significant differences (P < 0.001) were noted between dental hygiene and dentistry students in relation to their opinion regarding independent practice and the need of supervision by a dentist. Supervision of the dental hygienist by dentists and issues surrounding the scope of practice are polarizing the relationship between dentists, dental hygienists and the relevant professional organizations. This could hinder cooperation between these oral health professionals and might lead to underutilization of the dental hygienist. To improve the understanding about the roles of each oral health professional, establishing functional relationships and intraprofessional education involving dentistry and dental hygiene students needs to be introduced. This will benefit the introduction of preventative oral health services in Nepal. Government jobs and incentives to increase the retention and distribution of oral health professionals should be created. The government and professional organizations need to consider professionalizing the dental hygiene workforce and formalize the scope of practice. The unique demographic details of Nepal require a paradigm shift in oral health workforce management in Nepal.

A review on important maize diseases and their management in Nepal

In Nepal, maize ranks second after rice both in area and production. In recent years, maize area and production has shown a steady increase, but productivity has been low (2.46 t/ha). The major maize producing regions in Nepal are mid hill (72.85%), terai (17.36%) and high hill (9.79%) respectively. A literature review was carried out to explore major maize diseases and their management in Nepal. The omnipresent incidence of diseases at the pre harvest stage has been an important bottleneck in increasing production. Till now, a total of 78 (75 fungal and 3 bacterial) species are pathogenic to maize crop in Nepal. The major and economically important maize diseases reported are Gray leaf spot, Northern leaf blight, Southern leaf Blight, Banded leaf and sheath blight, Ear rot, Stalk rot, Head smut, Common rust, Downy mildew and Brown spot. Information on bacterial and virus diseases, nematodes and yield loss assessment is also given. Description of the major maize diseases, their causal organisms, distribution, time and intensity of disease incidence, symptoms, survival, spreads, environmental factors for disease development, yield losses and various disease management strategies corresponded to important maize diseases of Nepal are gathered and compiled thoroughly from the available publications. Concerted efforts of NARC commodity programs, divisions, ARS and RARS involving research on maize pathology and their important outcomes are mentioned. The use of disease management methods focused on host resistance has also been highlighted.Journal of Maize Research and Development (2015) 1(1):28-52DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.34292

Evaluating the Impacts of Forest Management Policies and Community-Level Institutions in the Buffer Zone of Chitwan National Park, Nepal

A Master Plan for Nepal’s Forestry Sector (MPFS), enacted in 1989, and subsequent legislation laid the foundation for modern community-based forest management in Nepal. In 2014, the MPFS reached the end of its 25-yr lifespan, after successfully ushering in significant institutional changes that fundamentally transformed the management of Nepal’s forests, mostly through devolving management and benefits from the national level to local communities. Here, we use the 25-yr anniversary of the MPFS to explore forest cover trends in the buffer zone surrounding Chitwan National Park (CNP). Landsat imagery was used for the years 1989, 2005, and 2013 to compute a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to analyze trends in forest cover for 36 buffer zone village development committees (VDCs). The analysis, covering approximately 1,267 km2, found that since the MPFS was enacted, there was first a continued decrease in forest cover, followed by a significant recovery. These data offer insight into the success of modern community-based forest management policies and supporting institutions, and provide a model for other efforts to conserve forest resources in Nepal and elsewhere.

Biomedical Waste Management in Nepal: a Review

Available with full text. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jucms.v2i4.12070Journal of Universal College of Medical Sciences (2014) Vol. 02, No. 04, Issue 08Page : 45-52

The relative distribution: An alternative approach to evaluate the impact of community level forestry organisations on households

Community forest management in Nepal has shifted from protection to distribution due to a failure of community forestry to have a significant impact on the level of poverty. The failure to have a positive impact on poverty is often attributed to governance issues, which in Nepal are typically associated with differences in the social status of those holding positions of decision-making power and those who have the most need. Using a modified elite theory that characterises decision-making in terms of relative wealth and caste of decision-makers, the study looks at the effect of community structure on governance and on distribution of forest products. The results show that when the poor and disadvantaged households participate in decision-making, either as members of the executive committee or in public assemblies, the relative distribution of firewood, timber and fodder from community forests to poor and disadvantaged households increases. The results provide empirical evidence of the commonly held belief that participation of poor and disadvantaged households in decision-making is a key element of poverty reduction through community management of resources. Based on these results, efforts to increase participation of poor and disadvantaged households in decision-making should be a critical part of planning community forest governance.

Production efficiency of community forest management in Nepal

Nepal's forests have been transferred to community management with the twin objectives of supplying forest products and addressing local environmental problems. Community forests provide a range of benefits, from direct forest products such as timber and non-provisioning ecosystem services such as soil protection. There is a need to understand the extent to which environmental and community benefits are joint products or substitutes. Stochastic frontier production analysis (SFPA) was used to study the production relationship between environmental and community benefits and production efficiency analysis to study the extent to which communities were able to achieve maximum benefits. SFPA indicated that the magnitude of direct forest product benefits was influenced by various socioeconomic and forest related factors such as distance to the government office, community forest size, and group heterogeneity negatively affect community forest products benefits. On the other hand, links to the market, forest products dependency, and the number of households in the community augment benefits from community forests. In addition, forest product benefits and environmental benefits were complementary to each other. Production efficiency analysis showed that communities were not producing forest products efficiently. Factors such as social capital contributed positively to production efficiency, whereas caste heterogeneity in the executive committees of community forest user groups was negatively associated with efficiency. These findings can contribute to better implementation of community forestry programmes in Nepal, improving the welfare of communities by increasing direct forest product benefits without environmental harm.

Incentives for community participation in the governance and management of common property resources: the case of community forest management in Nepal

Devolution of resource management access rights, from the state to local communities, has been an important policy tool in Nepal over the last two decades. One of the major goals of this policy is to increase the participation of local users in decision-making and for them to gain benefits from the forests. However, a lack of meaningful participation amongst users in resource governance has resulted in a failure to include socially marginalised groups in community decision-making. The main objective of this research is to explore what incentives are most likely to enhance the effective participation of local users in the governance and management of common property resources. In this study of community forestry management regimes in Nepal, access to resources and benefits, and enforcement of legal property rights are identified as the key influential incentives that determine the effective participation of users in resource governance. This study proposes proportional allocation of the most productive part of a community forest to a sub-group (formed within a user group) of the poor and disadvantaged members, and the transference and enforcement of legal property rights to this sub-group over the allocated forest, in order to protect their access rights to resources and to secure their greater participation in resource governance.

Disaster vulnerability in Nepal

This article explores Nepal׳s vulnerability from a local perspective. Nepal currently has a disaster management policy and legislative framework yet it is perceived as not trickling down effectively to make significant progress in reducing the impact of disasters at the local level. The article uses the case study method to explore local disaster vulnerability in the Mountain, Hill and Terai regions of Nepal. It concludes that a lack of micro-disaster vulnerability analysis is a problem that remains for effective disaster risk management in Nepal. On the one hand, disaster management practitioners create and enforce disaster management programmes without location-specific knowledge. On the other hand, traditional, less scientific and less disaster risk reduction-centred administrative approaches dominate and push local people into situations where they are vulnerable to disasters.

Cultivating “success” and “failure” in policy: participatory irrigation management in Nepal

Introduced over a decade ago and considered largely successful by irrigation professionals, Irrigation Management Transfer and Participatory Irrigation Management (IMT/PIM) policies were recently reviewed and seen to have resulted in more cases of “failure” than “success”. Primary research on two IMT/PIM projects in Nepal, which were among the few “successes” in the assessment supporting a “failed” PIM, shows how such policy-driven evaluations, when defining success, overlook incongruities between policies, institutions, and the evolving dynamics around class, caste, ethnicity, and gender. Without exploring the dynamics of practice, the process of “cultivating” success and/or failure in evaluations provides little insight on how irrigation management works on the ground.

Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) services and its role in HIV/AIDS prevention and management in Nepal

HIV/AIDS has emerged as a serious epidemic in Nepal, concentrated amongst the most-at-risk populations. Volun-tary Counseling and Testing (VCT) is a proven strategy for the prevention and management of HIV/AIDS especially in developing countries. Given that the utilization of VCT is low in Nepal, it is important to understand the barriers and challenges that Nepal is facing in the provision and utilization of these services. This study aimed to provide recommendations for policy makers to improve the utilization of VCT services in Nepal. A qualitative study of VCT health service providers and government officials was undertaken in 4 cities of Nepal. Sixteen interviews, three joint interviews and one focus group discussion were conducted, audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were then analyzed using a thematic analysis framework and major themes were identified. Various barriers including socio-cultural issues, geography, the presence of stigma and discrimination faced by people with HIV/AIDS and a lack of knowledge and awareness were identified as important factors limiting the utilization of VCT services. Current gov-ernment efforts to improve VCT service provision, although promising, require ongoing development. Systemic barriers included the sustainability of the temporary NGO VCT services, lack of staff and training, inadequate moni-toring and evaluation and limited access to services for people living in rural areas. To increase the sustainability and utilization of VCT services, the Government can intervene in a number of areas including the integration of VCT services with existing primary health care services and addressing ongoing education and quality assurance. South East Asia Journal of Public Health 2013; 3(1): 10-16 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/seajph.v3i1.17705

The Local Environmental, Economic and Social Tragedies of International Interventions on Community Based Forest Management for Global Environmental Conservation: A Critical Evaluation

This study reviewed the policies and outcomes of international support for forest management in Nepal and answered whether international support on forest management in developing countries resulted in positive socioeconomic and environmental outcomes at local communities. The evaluation is based on the socio-ecological theory and synergies-tradeoff model of forestry ecosystems goods and services. The study shows that the international interventions influenced national policies and community forestry practices, which contributed to the remarkable increase of forest stock. The new forestry institutions increased timber product supplies to urban users and contributed to offsetting of greenhouse gas emission of affluent societies in overseas. However, the intervention spoiled centuries of old forestry practices, which had contributed to the evolvement of socio-ecological condition, sustained local economy and environment systems. The new forestry institutions and practices locked local opportunities of multipurpose uses of forest, worsened water yield and local knowledge, and hampered local economic activities. Consequently they affected habitat diversities for forest based species, and forest resource supplies for sustaining agrobiodiversities and local food security. In reality the interventions increased benefit to distant users (urban users in the country and affluent societies in overseas) and further marginalized local communities and particularly socially disadvantaged people. The paper shows that the international forestry policies and supports are technically wrong or poorly based on science which is against their promise of providing better technical supports and benefiting local communities in developing countries. It argues that the interventions created many complexities in forestry institutions and practices which require too costly endeavor to change and address the local socioeconomic and environmental problems. The paper has explained the root cause of the international policy problem on many schools of thought.

Assessing spatiotemporal changes in tiger habitat across different land management regimes

Human‐induced habitat loss and degradation are increasing the extinction probability of many wildlife species worldwide, thus protecting habitat is crucial. The habitat of thousands of imperiled wildlife species occurs in a variety of land management regimes (e.g., protected areas, multiple‐use areas), each exerting differing effects. We used the globally endangered tiger (Panthera tigris) to examine the relationships between habitat change and land management in Nepal's Chitwan district, a global biodiversity hotspot. We evaluated the effects of environmental and human factors on tiger habitat based on data acquired by motion‐detecting cameras and space‐borne imaging sensors. Spatiotemporal habitat dynamics in Chitwan National Park and a multiple‐use area outside the park were then evaluated in three time periods (1989, 1999, and 2009). Our results indicate that tigers preferred areas with more grasslands and higher landscape connectivity. The area of highly suitable habitat decreased inside the park over the entire 20 year interval, while outside the park habitat suitability increased, especially from 1999 to 2009. The loss of highly suitable habitat inside the park may be associated with an increasing trend of unauthorized resource extraction by a rapidly growing human population, coupled with natural processes such as flooding and forest succession. In contrast, community‐based management of natural resources and the prohibition of livestock grazing since the late 1990s likely improved tiger habitat suitability outside the park. Results of this study are useful for evaluating habitat change and guiding conservation actions across the tiger range, which spans 13 countries. Moreover, quantitatively assessing habitat change across different land management regimes in human‐dominated areas provides insights for conserving habitat of other imperiled wildlife species around the world.

Using Network Analysis to Explore if Professional Opinions on Japanese Encephalitis Risk Factors in Nepal Reflect a Socio-ecological System Perspective

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia and a significant public health problem in Nepal. Its epidemiology is influenced by factors affecting its amplifying hosts (pigs), vectors (mosquitoes), and dead-end hosts (including people). While most control efforts target reduced susceptibility to infection either by vaccination of people or pigs or by reduced exposure to mosquitoes; the economic reality of Nepal makes it challenging to implement standard JE control measures. An ecohealth approach has been nominated as a way to assist in finding and prioritizing locally relevant strategies for JE control that may be viable, feasible, and acceptable. We sought to understand if Nepalese experts responsible for JE management conceived of its epidemiology in terms of a socio-ecological system to determine if they would consider ecohealth approaches. Network analysis suggested that they did not conceive JE risk as a product of a socio-ecological system. Traditional proximal risk factors of pigs, mosquitoes, and vaccination predominated experts' conception of JE risk. People seeking to encourage an ecohealth approach or social change models to JE management in Nepal may benefit from adopting social marketing concepts to encourage and empower local experts to examine JE from a socio-ecological perspective.

Role of Civil Society in Human Resources for Health Management in Nepal

Role of Civil Society in Human Resources for Health Management in Nepal

Role of Survey Department In Disaster Management In Nepal

The Himalayan Range is a young mountain system of the world and about 83% of the total area of Nepal is covered by high hills and mountains. Major river systems of Nepal originate from the glaciers and are perennial in nature. According to the preliminary results of the Census 2011, more than 50% of total population live in Terai and are vulnerable to flood. Since Nepal falls under the seismically active zone earthquake has been one of the major disasters experienced in the country. Fire, Glacier Lake Outburst Flood, lightening, hail storm are some other natural disaster claiming lives of Nepalese people. It is not possible to stop disasters, but the consolidated effort of different organization may make us better prepared to overcome the negative impacts of such disasters. This article tries to explore the role of Survey Department in this context.

Assessing the accuracy and applied use of satellite-derived precipitation estimates over Nepal

Accurate observational precipitation data supplied at a fine spatial resolution is vital for informing sustainable water resources management in Nepal. Livelihoods in Nepal are acutely impacted by precipitation. The amount of monsoon precipitation determines water available for drinking, hydropower and irrigation. Extreme precipitation events often result in landslides, flash flooding and crop damages. Freely available satellite-derived precipitation data products have the potential to substantially inform water policy. Such products could advocate sustainable use of water resources and enhance the adaptive capacity of rural populations in Nepal to future precipitation changes. In this research, statistical measures were used to assess the accuracy of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite-derived precipitation estimates (TRMM 3B42) relative to ground-based precipitation data (APHRODITE), seasonally from 2001 to 2007. In all seasons the majority of satellite precipitation estimates were significantly correlated with ground-based precipitation. However, satellite precipitation estimates consistently overestimated the amount of precipitation, with error greatest in the monsoon season. The satellite precipitation product inaccurately detected extreme precipitation events, 'rainy days' and precipitation intensity in the monsoon season. Results suggest that precipitation estimates derived from this satellite product have limited use in agricultural planning, water resource management and developing mitigation measures to the impacts of extreme events in Nepal. Currently, ground-based precipitation measurements still provide the most accurate information for use in water resources management. Maintaining and developing precipitation gauge networks in Nepal, particularly in regions of high relief, is extremely important for increasing the accuracy of both ground-based and satellite-derived precipitation products.

Comparing a top-down and bottom-up approach in the identification of criteria and indicators for sustainable community forest management in Nepal

Policy makers, scientists and civil society are involved in the development of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management (SFM), reflecting the growing worldwide demand for addressing sustainable development and environmental governance management goals. Such frameworks have been largely derived from expert-led or community-based approaches. This article details the identification process of criteria and indicators (C & I) based on the international principles of SFM through the analysis of a hybrid approach that uses both a top-down (TD) and a bottom-up (BU) approach. The aim of this article is to discuss how the two approaches have worked to incorporate the different views, opinions and experiences of experts and stakeholders. National-level C & I are then compared with those at the local level, making specific reference to sustainable community forest (CF) management. For the TD approach, a Delphi survey was conducted where 121 experts shared their knowledge, experience and judgements in assessing a set of 72 indicators with regard to the applicability, practicality and importance of national, regional and CF management in Nepal. For the BU approach, C & I for CF management were developed with the direct involvement of various stakeholders. It was shown that such a hybrid approach is feasible from a methodological point of view, but a framework is needed by the government to more fully utilize the opportunities of the C & I development process in the SFM context. The results of this study also help to bridge the gap between the ad hoc planning of decision makers and the requirement for a holistic management system, which includes participatory processes. Based on the conclusions of this study, general recommendations for the methodological design of C & I development in similar studies are given.

The Carbon Sequestration Potential of Community-based Forest Management in Nepal

The Carbon Sequestration Potential of Community-based Forest Management in Nepal

Rules and collective action: an institutional analysis of the performance of irrigation systems in Nepal

Abstract:This paper focuses on understanding rule systems by documenting existing rules and their development in irrigation management in Nepal. We analyze the rule formation of a sample of irrigation systems based on the ADICO syntax (Crawford &amp; Ostrom, 1995; Ostrom, 2005). Farmer-managed irrigation systems generally are autonomous in devising their own rules based on local context considering the ideas, norms and beliefs shared within the community. Rule formation in agency-managed irrigation systems, however, is mostly done by external officials. Strong rule enforcement mechanisms were found in farmer-managed systems compared with agency-managed systems. Better rule enforcement created favorable conditions for collective action among the users and ensured better performance of the irrigation systems. Results imply that the formation of new rules should fully consider biophysical attributes as well as community beliefs and ideas.

Applying Scenario Planning to Park and Tourism Management in Sagarmatha National Park, Khumbu, Nepal

We used participatory scenario planning to support strategic-level analysis by stakeholders in tourism and park management issues in Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal. Authority and responsibility for protected area management in Nepal are gradually being devolved to local communities. Tourism growth and globalization are strengthening the links between social-ecological change in mountain protected areas and drivers of change at national, regional, and global scales. Park management needs to become forward looking, and local communities need to increase their grasp of potential long-term changes and associated uncertainty. Scenario planning is a tool for dealing with long-term uncertainty and complexity and for guiding adaptive management. We developed scenarios together with representatives of the tourism industry, park comanagement institutions, and communities. Stakeholders described their understanding of the social-ecological system of the park. They formulated and tested 4 scenarios of system change, based on plausible changes in governance systems and the role of outside tourism industry actors. Stakeholders can use scenarios to reflect on the inherent uncertainty of long-term change, to address potentially conflictual issues by exploring multiple perspectives, and to assess the need to negotiate strategic goals and long-term visions for the park.