Dil Khatri

I hold a doctoral degree in Rural Development from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (2018), Uppsala, Sweden focusing on the interface of international climate agenda and community forestry in Nepal. I did my master's degree in Development Studies from the International Institute for Social Studies (ISS), The Hague.

I am a researcher at the Division of Rural Development, Department of Urban and Rural Development at SLU. Besides, I also lead a Kathmandu-based research organization called Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS) as Executive Director. I am also involved as an adjunct professor at the Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University. Earlier,  I worked as a post-doc researcher for two years (2020-2021) at the division.  

My earlier work with ForestAction (a Kathmandu-based research organization) was related to policy-oriented research on forest and climate change. Before joining ForestAction in 2010, I  had worked as a development practitioner on community forestry and rural livelihoods. 

I have been teaching a number of courses under the international master program of 'Rural Development and Natural Resources Management'. The courses I have been teaching include Governance of Natural Resources (LU0093); International Rural Development (LU0086); and Global Food Systems and Food Security (LU0092). 

My research focus has been on the broader themes related to environmental governance and natural resources management. Lately, I have been exploring socio-ecological changes in the mountain landscapes and what these changes mean for the vulnerability and resilience of smallholder farmers and the reconfiguration of resource governance. Broadly, my work concerns changing forest-people relations and new forms of resource governance and livelihood challenges in the Himalayan mountains.   Theoretically, my works are informed by the interrelation between knowledge, power and access to and control over resources. 

Currently, I am part of a number of research projects as follows. 

1. PI and project leader in the FORMAS (Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development) funded a research project (5 m SEK for 2022-2027) entitled ‘Wild animals - biodiversity or pest? Creating local dialogues for dealing with farming-wildlife conflicts in rural Himalayan landscapes’ with Kristina Marquardt and Dinesh Paudel. 

2. Co-PI in a VR (Swedish Research Council) funded project ( 4.5 m SEK for  2023-2027) entitled ‘Building synergies between biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and rural prosperity through community forest governance’ with  Harry Fischer (PI) and  Meghna Agarwala. 

3. CO-PI in a  VR (Swedish Research Council) funded research network grant (800k) 2022 – 2024,  ‘Living with uncertainty in South Asia Mountains’ (Bhutan, Nepal and India) with Adam Pain, Kristina Marquardt and Jelle J.P. Wouters (Bhutan and Jyotsna Krishnakumar (India). 

CO-PI and project leader in an IDRC (International Development Research Center, Canada) funded research grant (about 1 m Canadian Doller), 2022-2024 [extended until April 2025], ‘Co-producing a shock resilient ecosystem for women-led enterprises in Nepal’. Granted to the Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies, a Kathmandu-based policy research institute where Dil is partly involved as a senior researcher. 

4. Co-PI in the Swedish Research Council (VR) funded project (2020-2024) entitled 'The practice of resilience in mountain landscapes: exploring risk and landscape investments in rural Nepal'. This research funded under the 'sustainability and resilience' special call investigates Nepalese smallholders’ adaptive capacity in the context of chronic structural risk generated by climate change and deeper socio-political factors as practiced and reflected in long-term landscape investments in mountain landscapes.

5. Co-PI in the Swedish Research Council (VR) funded project (2020-2024) led by Prof Andrea Nightingale entitled 'Governing Climate Resilient Futures: gender, justice and conflict resolution in resource management'. The research funded under the 'sustainability and resilience' explores the question of 'How can new,- fair and inclusive- mechanisms of conflict resolution on forest and water resources be fostered to build resilience in the face of climatic changes?'. The project draws cases from Nepal, Kenya and Nicaragua. 

6. Co-PI in the Swedish Research Council (VR) funded project (2019-2024) called INSA (Institutional networks and self-organized adaptation: Tracing the democratic architectures of climate response). The research questions of What is the role of democratic politics in enabling vulnerable groups to confront climate challenges — and what characteristics of a democratic political system generate more effective and equitable state support?. This is comparative research between the Nepalese mountains and the western Himalayas (Himachal) of India. 

I am currently serving as the chief editor of the New Angle (Nepalese Journal of Social Science and Public Policy).

Most of my researches are collaborative projects between the Department of Urban and Rural Development at SLU and the Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), a Kathmandu-based think tank. I am building a new network in India and Bhutan and developing new projects with Royal Thimphu College (Bhutan) and Keystone Foundation (India). 

I have a long experience and deep interest in locally-engaged and policy-oriented research and my association with SIAS is helpful in this aspect. 

I have supervised about a dozen masters students. I am co-supervising 4 PhD students, Binod Adhikari and Anamika Menon from SLU  Kamal Devkota (KU Leuven, Belgium) and Mahendra Thapa (Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal). 

Selected peer-review articles: 

Marquardt, K; Khatri, D.B. and Pain, A. (submitted to the Journal of Peasant Studies). Less people - more animals? Understanding labour, land and livestock dynamics and smallholder futures in the Nepalese mountains.*

Pain, A.; Khatri, S.; Khatri D.B. and Marquardt K. (first revision submitted to the Progress in Development Studies). “Dancing with Uncertainty in the Himalayas in times of multiple crises”. 

Fischer, Harry W.; Devkota, Kamal; Gupta, Divya; Khatri, Dil; Sahlström, Emma; Carly Nichols (submitted to the Global Environmental change). Decentring climate from vulnerability analysis: On the fullness of life and aspirations of thriving in uncertain times.

Hajdu, Flora; Rigg, Jonathan; Bergman-Lodin, Johanna; Fischer, Klara; Marquardt, Kristina; Khatri, Dil Bahadur; Leder, Stephanie; Varley, Gwendolym; Chiwona-Karltun, Linley; Sandström, Emil; Bartholdson, Örjan; Engström, Linda; Beckman, Malin; Alarcón, Crstián (in press). Rendering smallholders social: Taking a Social Relations Approach to Understanding the Persistence of Smallholders in the Rural Global South. Journal of Rural Studies. 

Khatri, Dil, Dinesh Paudel, Bishnu Hari Poudyal, Sanjaya Khatri, Dilli P. Poudel, and Kristina Marquardt (2024). Examining socio-ecological transitions and new human–wildlife relations in farming landscapes of the Nepal Himalaya.  Journal of Agrarian Change n/a (n/a):e12594. 

Devkota, Kamal, Dil Khatri, and Maarten Loopmans. 2023. Mobilizing rurality in peri-urban water contestation: A case from Dhulikhel, a lower Himalaya town of Nepal.  Belgeo. Revue belge de géographie (3).

Khatri, D.B.; Maskey, G., Ojha, H., Neupane, K.R. and Nightingale, A., 2022. Governing disaster risks locally: Insights from COVID-19 responses by local governments in a federalising Nepal. New Angle: Nepal Journal of social science and Public Policy, 8(1), pp.1-25.

Poudel, Dilli Prasad, Kristina Marquardt, Adam Pain, and Dil Khatri. "De-agrarianisation and re-agrarianisation in patches: understanding microlevel land use change processes in Nepalese smallholder landscapes." Forests, Trees and Livelihoods: 1-22. 

Poudyal, Bishnu Hari, Dil Khatri, Dinesh Paudel, Kristina Marquardt, and Sanjaya Khatri. 2023. "Examining forest transition and collective action in Nepal’s community forestry." Land Use Policy 134: 106872. *

Khatri, D.B.; Marquardt, K.M.; Fischer, H.; Khatri, S.; Singh, D.; and Poudel, D.P. (2023). Why is farming important for rural livelihood security in the Global South? COVID-19 and changing rural livelihoods in Nepal’s mid-hills. Front. Hum. Dyn. Sec. Environment, Politics and Society, 5. doi: 10.3389/fhumd.2023.1143700 

Khatri, D. B., Nightingale, A. J., Ojha, H., Maskey, G., & Lama ‘Tsumpa’, P. N. (2022). Multi-scale politics in climate change: the mismatch of authority and capability in federalizing Nepal. Climate policy, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2022.2090891

Khatri, D., Paudel, D., Pain, A., Marquardt, K. and Khatri, S. . (2022). Reterritorialization of Community Forestry: Scientific Forest Management in the Terai and Chure Region of Nepal. Political Ecology. 

Ojha, H.; Nightingale, N.; Gonda,  Noémi; Muok, Ben; Eriksen, Siri; Khatri, D. and Paudel, D. (forthcoming in Sustainability Science). Deliberate Transformation of Environmental Governance in the Global South: Critical Action Intellectuals and Fields of Possibilities. 

Ojha, H.; Khatri, D. Shrestha, K.K.; Adhikari, B.; and Pokharel, K. (2022). . Living with the landslide: Investigating institutional limits to adaptation in the Nepal Himalayas. New Angle: Nepalese Journal for Social Science and Public Policy) . 

Gupta, D., Fischer, H., Shrestha, S., Shoaib Ali, S., Chhatre, A., Devkota, K., Khatri, D.B., Rana, P. (2021). Dark and bright spots in the shadow of the pandemic: Rural livelihoods, social vulnerability, and local governance in India and Nepal. World Development, 141, 105370. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105370

Eriksen, S., Schipper, E. L. F., Scoville-Simonds, M., Vincent, K., Adam, H. N., Brooks, N., Khatri, D.B. . . . West, J. J. (2021). Adaptation interventions and their effect on vulnerability in developing countries: Help, hindrance or irrelevance? World Development, 141, 105383. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105383

Pain, A., Marquardt, K. and Khatri, D. (2020) Secondary Forests and agrarian transitions: insights from Nepal and Peru. Human Ecology 49: 249-258.

Marquardt, K., Pain, A., & Khatri, D. B. (2020). Re-reading Nepalese landscapes: labour, water, farming patches and trees. Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, 29(4), 238-259. doi:10.1080/14728028.2020.1814875

Ojha, H., Neupane, K. R., Khatri, D., Devkota, K., Maskey, G., Dahal, N., . . . Kovacs, E. K. (2020). Urban water security in South Asia: Crucial policy lessons from the Nepalese town of Bidur. World Water Policy 6(2), 259-266. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/wwp2.12041

Fleischman, F., Basant, S., Chhatre, A., Coleman, E. A., Fischer, H. W., Gupta, D., Khatri, D.B. . . . Veldman, J. W. (2020). Pitfalls of Tree Planting Show Why We Need People-Centered Natural Climate Solutions. BioScience, 70(11), 947-950. doi:10.1093/biosci/biaa094 %J BioScience

Pandey, C.L., Khatri, D.B. and Ojha, H.R., 2020. Editorial Introduction: Understanding Water Insecurity in South Asia. New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy, 6(1), pp.1-8.

Ojha, H., Maraseni, T., Nightingale, A., Bhattarai, B., & Khatri, D. (2019). Rescuing forests from the carbon trap. Forest Policy and Economics, 101, 15-18. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2019.01.007

Leder, S., Khatri, D. and Ojha, H., 2019. Water security and inclusive water governance in the Himalayas (editorial introduction). The New Angle: Nepal J. Soc. Sci. Public Policy, 5(1): 1-6.

Devkota, K., Khatri, D. and Neupane, K.R., 2018. Water conflicts in urbanizing regions in the Himalaya: Case studies from Dhulikhel and Bidur in Nepal. The New Angles, 5. 

Khatri, D.B., Marquardt, K., Pain, A. & Ojha, H. 2018. Shifting regimes of management and uses of forests: What might REDD+ implementation mean for community forestry? Evidence from Nepal. Forest Policy and Economics (in press).

Khatri, D., K. Shrestha, H. Ojha, G. Paudel, N. Paudel & A. Pain 2017. Reframing community forest governance for food security in Nepal. Environmental Conservation, 44(2): 174-182. 

Khatri, D.B., Pham, T.T., Di Gregorio, M., Karki, R., Paudel, N.S., Brockhaus, M. and Bhushal, R., 2016. REDD+ politics in the media: a case from Nepal. Climatic Change, 138(1-2): 309-323.

Marquardt, K., Khatri, D.B. and Pain, A., 2016. REDD+, forest transition, agrarian change and ecosystem services in the hills of Nepal. Human Ecology, 44(2): 229-244.

Ojha, H.R., Khatri, D.B., Shrestha, K.K., Bhattarai, B., Baral, J.C., Basnett, B.S., Goutam, K., Sunam, R., Banjade, M.R., Jana, S. and Bushley, B., 2016. Can Evidence and Voice Influence Policy? A Critical Assessment of Nepal's Forestry Sector Strategy, 2014. Society & Natural Resources, 29 (3): 357-373.

Ojha, H.R., Ghimire, S., Pain, A., Nightingale, A., Khatri, D.B. and Dhungana, H., 2016. Policy without politics: technocratic control of climate change adaptation policy making in Nepal. Climate Policy, 16(4): 415-433.

Ojha, H., D. Khatri, K. K. Shrestha, B. Bushley and N. Sharma 2013. Carbon, community and governance: is Nepal getting ready for REDD+? Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, 22(4): 216-229.

Ojha, H., Sharma, N.S., Khatri, D.B. and BK, D. 2012. Can policy learning be catalyzed? Ban Chautari Experiment in Nepal’s Forestry Sector. Journal of Forest and Livelihoods, 10 (1): 1-27.

Book/Manuscripts
 Kamal Devkota, Dil Khatri, Kaustuv Raj Neupane, Rachana Upadhyaya, Suchita Shrestha, and Hemant Ojha (2021). Pani Chautari: A Facilitation Guidebook for Evidence Informed Dialogue on Urban Water Issues. Southasia Institute of Advances Studies, Kathmandu. 

Khatri, D., Neupane, K.R. and Devkota, K. (2021) (eds).  Dhulikhel’s Journey towards Water Security: Insights from policy and practice. Southasia Institute of Advanced studies and Dhulikhel Muniipality, Kathmandu. 

Khatri, D. (2018). Climate and development at the third pole: dynamics of power and knowledge reshaping community forest governance in Nepal. PhD Dissertation, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden. 

Khatri, D. B. (2009). Compromising the Environment in Payments for Environmental Services? Master thesis, Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University, The Hague, The Netherlands.

Popular science (Policy briefs and media articles/OPED) 

Ojhaa, H., Neupane, K.R., Khatri, D., Devkota, K., Dahal, N., Joshi, T., and Kovácsc, E.K. 2020. Water security in times of disaster risks. Policy perspectives on climate and development in South Asia. 

Devkota, K., Upadhyaya, R. and Khatri, D.B. 2020. Challenges and Opportunities of Local Governments in and after the Pandemic. New Spotlight. 

Khatri, D.B. 2019. Emerging issues in Scientific Forest Management (SFM). SIAS blogpost. 

2016 (with Kamal Devkota). Local bodies in limbo. 
http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/printedition/news/2016-10-18/local-bodies-in-limbo.html 

2016 (with Ojha, H.) Talking about trading. An OPED in the Kathmandu Post. 
http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/printedition/news/2016-05-27/talking-about-trading.html 

Pain, A., Khatri, D.B., Ojha, H., Adkhkari, B. Joshi, T., Dhungana, H. and Gurung N. 20015. Responding to Landslides in Nepal. ForestAction policy brief 38. Kathmandu, ForestAction Nepal

Paudel, N.S., Paudel, G., Karki, R., and Khatri, D.B., 2014, Revenue and employment opportunities from timber management in Nepal's community forests, Policy Brief No. 29, ForestAction Nepal.

Khatri, D.B., Paudel, N.S. and Karki, R. 2013, Challenges of community-based adaptation initiatives in Nepal, Policy Brief No. 27, ForestAction Nepal

Khatri D.B. and Paudel N.S. and Bhushal, R. 2014. Only money talks: how REDD+ discourses in the Nepalese media overlook the politics of policymaking and governance. CIFOR Infobrief no. 73. Center for International Forestry Research. 

Khatri, D.B., Bista, R. and Paudel N.S. 2012. Timber Enterprises and National Economy: Existing hurdles of timber trade from CF. Policy brief series 21. ForestAction Nepal. 

Paudel, N.S., Khatri, D.B., Ojha, H., Luintel, H.S. and Banjade, M.R. 2012. Forest Act Amendment Proposal: Analysis and Suggestion. Policy Note Series 2012:1

Khanal, D.R., Paudel, G., Paudel, D. and Khatri, D.B. 2011. Micro-enterprise Based on Forest Product: Existing Policy, Obstacles and Alternatives (in Nepali). Policy Brief Series 24. ForestAction Nepal. 

For more information, please see my Google Scholar Profile.