Breaking out of silos: Nexus thinking for natural resource management in Nepal

By Surendra Phuyal and Sanju Koirala

The integrated and sustainable management of water, energy, food, and ecosystems (WEFE) requires systems thinking that optimizes synergies and addresses trade-offs between different sectors. By looking at all interactions holistically, the nexus approach enables government ministers and natural resource professionals to make better informed decisions and improve stakeholder alignment.

This was the message put forward and discussed in a workshop held on July 26, 2024 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Hosted by the Center for Water Resources Studies (CWRS) from the Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, and supported by the CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains, the workshop attracted more than 20 key Nepalese policymakers – from the water, energy, agriculture, and forestry sectors.

The workshop enabled these experts and officials to share insights and experiences – enhancing their knowledge and awareness, and facilitating discussion. As a result, the workshop participants called for further collaboration between key partners in Nepal on developing a nexus approach that could improve the integrated management of water, energy, land, biodiversity, and forests nationwide.

The workshop also introduced a series of courses on the WEFE nexus, delivered by CWRS and developed in partnership with NEXUS Gains through the Alliance of Biodiversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, and the International Water Management Institute.

Nexus courses for academics and professionals

The rationale behind the new courses is to bring nexus thinking to the fore in Nepal, with the aim of making it standard practice in the development of policies relating to the management of water, energy, food, and ecosystems. In running these courses, CWRS is fast emerging as a pioneer in education on nexus solutions.

According to Professor Vishnu Prasad Pandey, Deputy Director of CWRS, governments, stakeholders, and investors struggle to manage systems change, particularly in response to climate change. “There needs to be increased sensitization on the topic among policymakers, professionals, and graduate students,” said Professor Pandey.

Three new courses on the WEFE nexus are on offer at CWRS: a sensitization course for policymakers; a professional course – to be offered as a regular training program for early to mid-career professionals; and an academic course for postgraduate students. The third course has been integrated into curricula of the Institute of Forestry, as a three-credit course, and into an existing course at the Institute of Engineering, as a 10-credit component. Both institutes are based at Tribhuvan University.

Nexus thinking for sustainable development

At the CWRS workshop, Professor Pandey observed that “Water, land, energy, forests, and biodiversity are critical to nutrition, health and food security, poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs, gender equality, youth and social inclusion and cohesion, climate adaptation and mitigation, and environmental health and human wellbeing at multiple scales through multiple pathways”.

Dr Bharat Pokharel, Chairperson for GREAT International, declared that “It [the nexus approach] really opened our eyes”, adding that nexus thinking has already started making a difference when dealing with issues like agricultural fragmentation in Nepal. Dr Pokharel set out a seven-step process for the nexus approach – covering entry point, dialogue, streamlining, co-designing, and seeking cross-sectoral solutions for the nexus to work.

Topics discussed at the workshop included gender equality, river basin and hydropower development, climate change interactions, and agricultural policy. Participants agreed that collaboration was essential in implementing a nexus approach. “Policy provision may not be a problem but our silo mindset is”, said Deepa Oli, Under Secretary at the Ministry of Forests and Environment.

Dr Dinesh Chandra Devkota, Member of Parliament for Bagmati Province, echoed this sentiment, arguing that “Professionals, policy-makers, and other stakeholders should forget the hat they are wearing and should not only think from the sectoral perspective. Instead, they should think with a nexus lens if they want to achieve sustainable development”.

Investing in the future

The workshop and new courses at CWRS are timely. Already, the center has implemented more than a dozen projects worth nearly NPR 90 million (USD 670,000) – all aimed at bringing together representatives of all sectors and strengthening the WEFE nexus.

Through these initiatives, CWRS, together with NEXUS Gains, is making sure that nexus thinking continues to grow through all sectors – for the benefit of Nepal and beyond.

Surendra Phuyal is Communications Consultant at IWMI Nepal; Sanju Koirala is Researcher – Social Science–Water and Natural Resources at IWMI Nepal.

This work was carried out under the CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains, which is grateful for the support of CGIAR Trust Fund contributors: www.cgiar.org/funders

Header image: Participants discuss inclusivity in the WEFE nexus at a sensitization workshop for policymakers in Nepal. Photo by IWMI Nepal.