Project Partners and Collaborators in Nepal: Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), Nepal Development Research Institute (NDRI), Nepal Water Conservation Foundation (NWCF), Kathmandu University (KU), Institute of Engineering (IoE) and Institute of Forestry (IoF)
International Partners: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Australian National University (ANU)
Funder: Australian Centre for Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
Duration: October 2024 – September 2028
Project Description:
Springwater management, agriculture, and resilient livelihoods in Nepal (Muhan) is a development research project that aims to generate interdisciplinary and holistic knowledge about spring water use, management, and control and its linkages with livelihoods, empower communities and strengthen local water governance in the mid-hills of Nepal. The project intends to support inclusive and climate-resilient rural livelihoods in Nepal’s mid-hills by enhancing springwater management. It will do so by piloting socio-technical interventions, fostering participatory learning, generating transdisciplinary knowledge, exploring governance pathways, building stakeholder capacities, and integrating springshed management into public policy and development planning.
Muhan is implemented in collaboration with three local partners and two universities in Nepal. The research is being carried out in Kamalamai Municipality and Sunkoshi Rural Municipality of Sindhuli District, Bagmati Province. Through this collaboration, the project seeks to deepen understanding of spring water governance and generate new insights into springshed management and its implications for agriculture and rural livelihoods.
As an interdisciplinary initiative, Muhan brings together a multidisciplinary team to examine both the biophysical and social dimensions of springshed management. SIAS, in collaboration with ANU, leads the social and governance component of the project. One focus of social and governance team is understanding the institutional dynamics that influence inclusive and sustainable management of springwater sources. The team also explores how changing springwater availability and use driven by climate change and broader socio-economic transformations affect water access and local livelihoods. By examining how these hydro-social dynamics shape patterns of inclusion and exclusion, Muhan aims to promote inclusive springwater governance and foster equitable and sustainable livelihood opportunities, particularly for women and marginalised communities.