Association of Nepalese Agricultural Professionals of Americas (NAPA)

Webinar Series Committee (2024-2026)

Chair

Nityananda Khanal, PhD, PAg

Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada

Dr. Nityananda Khanal is a NAPA life member. He feels an honor being entrusted with the role of Chair of the NAPA Webinar Committee for 2024-2026. He has previously served in the NAPA as General Secretary (2022-2024), Executive Member (2020-2022), Chair of the Resource and Capacity Building Committee (2020-2022), and Editor-in-Chief of the NAPA quarterly online newsletter Agri-Connection (2018-2020). Meanwhile, he delivered the tasks of Co-Chair for the 2020 NAPA International Scientific Conference Organizing Committee, Chair of Research Mini-Grant Symposium in the NAPA 2022 International Scientific Conference, Judge of competitive NAPA Agri-Poem programs held in conjunction with NAPA Scientific Conferences (2020, 2022),  Coordinator of the NAPA Day’s Agri-Poem program (2018, 2019), editor of Krishika Susheleeharu – an agri-poem compendium  (2021), and member of the NAPA by-laws revision committee (2020 & 2021). Dr. Khanal was featured as NAPA Member of the Quarter in the Agri-Connection newsletter and recognized with the certificates of Outstanding Service Awards by NAPA Presidents and Executive Committees in different tenures.

As a research scientist, Dr. Khanal leads Forage Research Program at Beaverlodge Research Farm in the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He has developed a diversified research program advancing forage seed crop agronomy, cropping systems design, population improvement, and cultivar adaptation to support the forage seed sector in western Canada. His research innovations have been published in peer reviewed journals, conference proceedings, industry magazines and extension media. He serves as a science advisor to various industry associations and is invited to deliver talks in industry events in western Canada. He earned a PhD in Plant Science from University of Saskatchewan, an MSc in Agricultural Systems from Chiang Mai University, and a BSc in Agriculture from Tribhuvan University. He received 14 academic scholarship awards including Outstanding PhD Student Award, and numerous recognitions for his dedicated professional work. Prior to his doctorate and post-doctoral career in Canada, Dr. Khanal served in his motherland Nepal as a teacher, researcher and developmental specialist for over a decade. After coming to Canada, Dr. Khanal has helped hundreds of Nepalese individuals and families in various wayand taken initiatives in cultural promotion activities. Dr. Khanal originally hails from Arghakhanchi, Nepal.

Members

Bharat Shrestha, PhD, PAg

Soil Biology Study Lead, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada

Email: shresthabm@gmail.com

Bharat is originally from Gorkha, Nepal. He earned his Ph.D. in Soil Science from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) in Ås, Norway in 2008. Same year, Bharat came to Canada as a postdoctoral researcher at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Since then, he has worked at different institutions in Canada. Over these years, Bharat has developed an extended network of experts in soil, crop and livestock science, and associated disciplines. Bharat joined Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Beaverlodge Research Farm as a Soil Biology Study Lead. Bharat has a track record of publications from his research dealing with climate change, carbon and greenhouse gas dynamics associated with land use, land use changes and agricultural management.

Bharat is involved in different philanthropic institutions especially those connecting his motherland Nepal. He loves to work in the field of social awareness for eco-justice, scholarly and literary contribution in the field of environment, forestry, and Agriculture. Dr. Shrestha is a life member of Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) Canada, Canada Foundation for Nepal (CFFN), International Nepali Literary Society Canada (INLS), and founding president of the Himalayan Conservation Group (HICOG), Pokhara. He is an executive member of Forest and Environment Literary Group (FELG). Bharat has been hosting Webinars with CFFN as a lead of KTT initiative, with HICOG as a founding president and with FELG as a team member.  

Bharat joined the NAPA as a life member in 2021 and has been contributing since then in different capacities.  Bharat served in the Research and Capacity Building Committee (RCBC) of NAPA, organized agri-poem competitions and published two books named “Krishika Suseliharu”. He has been serving NAPA as a member of the Webinar Committee for 2024-2026 term.

Subodh Adhikari, PhD

Research Assistant Professor, University of Idaho, USA

Email: subodh.adhikari1@gmail.com

 Dr. Subodh Adhikari is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Idaho. His research focuses on cereal-legume-based dryland cropping in the inland Pacific Northwest, with expertise in the impacts of farming systems on biodiversity, plant-insect interactions, and ecosystem services. Dr. Adhikari is dedicated to promoting climate-smart agriculture, including cover cropping and cropping system diversification, and studying how these alternative systems impact insect pest management, insect ecology, and invasive species.

Subina Tripathi 

PhD student, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA

Email: st1686@tamu.edu 

Subina Tripathi is a PhD student at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, specializing in plant pathology. Her research focuses on managing kernel smut in rice, with the ultimate goal of contributing to plant health in the US and globally. Subina holds a Master's degree in plant pathology from Mississippi State University, where she investigated efficacy of fungicides on managing southern blight in peanuts, soybeans, and cotton. With a passion for mycology and plant disease management, Subina is dedicated to advancing the field of plant pathology and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. 

Sabin Saurav Pokharel

PhD final-year student, Nanjing Agricultural University, China

Email: pokharelsabin93@gmail.com 

Mr. Sabin Saurav Pokharel, originally from Nepal is currently pursuing a PhD in Environmental Entomology at Nanjing Agricultural University, China. His doctoral research involves characterization of physiological and biochemical attributes of tea and industrial plantation crops with the aim of reducing chemical inputs through biocontrol of pests. The research also covers the aspects of climate change mitigation and natural pest control. He obtained his MS majoring in Agricultural Entomology and Pest Control from Nanjing Agricultural University, China, and BSc in agriculture sciences from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences (IAAS), Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Mr. Pokharel feels an honor and privilege to join the multidisciplinary panel of the NAPA Webinar committee, and appreciates it as an opportunity to enhance knowledge, broaden study, and improve communication skills.