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04 October 2018 | Story UFS | Photo UFS
Prof Ashok Chapagain, recently appointed as Senior
Prof Ashok Chapagain, recently appointed as Senior Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State, is looking forward to working with key water-related sectors.
Prof Ashok Chapagain has recently been appointed as Senior Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS). 

Water hub key in collaborations with research institutes

According to Prof Chapagain, the position provides a unique opportunity to help establish the university at the forefront of water research in South Africa. He is looking forward to cross-departmental collaborations on innovative research projects working with key water-related sectors, such as agriculture, business, mining etc., and establishing a water hub that would be key in external collaborations with other research institutes in South Africa and beyond.

Prior to his formal appointment at the UFS, Prof Chapagain has been remotely involved with the Department of Agricultural Economics since 2017 through his support to a number of research projects funded by the Water Research Commission (WRC). 

He is experienced in managing and coordinating international and interdisciplinary projects, ensuring technical quality and project delivery. He has vast cultural and geographical work experience, and specific water-related experience in the fields of integrated water resource management, water footprint assessment, industrial and agricultural efficiency and sustainability, irrigation, hydrology and watershed modelling, flood-risk management, river-basin planning and management, and environmental impact assessment. He has recently left the Water Footprint Network (The Netherlands), where he worked in the capacity of Science Director. Prior to joining the WFN, Prof Chapagain worked as Senior Water Adviser at WWF-UK for about six years.

Systems approach to address water issues

Prof Chapagain holds a PhD in the field of Water Resources Management and Policy Analysis from Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands), an MSc degree in Water and Environmental Resources Management from UNESCO- IHE Institute for Water Education (The Netherlands), and a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from IIT Roorkee (India). His professional career of 28 years can be broadly grouped under two inter-related blocks: development projects for 10 years (as an irrigation engineer in Nepal); research and application for 18 years (academia for eight years and applied work for 10 years in the Netherlands and UK). During his MSc and PhD research, he specialised in water resources and environmental management, integrated river-basin management, policy analysis, and systems analysis.

He regularly reviews articles for several scientific journals. Currently he serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the recently launched open access scientific journal H2Open, published by IWA Publishing. In addition, he serves as editor for five scientific journals, and frequently guest edits specific issues for peer-reviewed scientific journals. He has published four books, and 64 other articles and reports (25 scientific journal articles, 40 papers in conference proceedings, book chapters, and technical reports). His publications are widely cited, with 10 436 citations, and has an h-index of 34 and i10-index of 44. He applies a system approach in addressing issues on water, energy, and food securities, where managing local resources also includes global dimensions where key stakeholders are often cross-sectoral and situated outside the boxes. He has been involved in many national and international projects as a team leader, project leader, and international expert in several Asian, European, and South American countries.

For more information about Prof Chapagain and his role in the Department of Agricultural Economics, please contact Prof Chapagain at ChapagainAK@ufs.ac.za, or Dr Frikkie Maré at MareFA@ufs.ac.za or +27 51 401 2824 

News Archive

Conference on religion and reconciliation
2011-07-25

 
At the conference were, from the left, front: Dr Frank Chikane, President of AFM International; Dr Mathole Motshekga, Chief Whip of the ANC; at the back: Rev. Maniraj Sukdaven, Head of our Department of Religion Studies; and Dr Alan Boesak, connected to our International Institute for Studies in Race, Reconciliation and Social Justice, as well as a minister in the United Reformed Church.

In recent times, reconciliation has mainly been politically driven, Dr Alan Boesak stated during a conference on religion and reconciliation. He was one of a number of prominent academic leaders from various religions who participated in the conference: Exploring religious understanding for reconciliation.The conference was presented by our Faculty of Theology and the International Institute for Studies in Race, Reconciliation and Social Justice at our university this week.

According to Dr Boesak, a theologian connected to our International Institute for Studies in Race, Reconciliation and Social Justice, reconciliation means much more than simply former enemies no longer attacking or killing one another; they also have co-exist with a positive attitude towards one another.
 
Speakers from, amongst others, the Christian, Jewish, Baha’i, Rastafarian, Islam and Buddhist religious communities shared their views on reconciliation with one another.Most of these speakers referred to the special value of humankind in each religion. A person’s life has a supernatural dimension, which ought to play a major role in the way in which people treat one another.
 
Dr Frank Chikane, President of AFM International, as well as a speaker at the event, stated that the religious community should and had to be more active in discussions about reconciliation.“If religious leaders do not talk about current issues, all kinds of voices with distorted perspectives will be heard instead,” Dr Chikane added.
 
Reconciliation can only truly take place if the contribution of each group in society is taken seriously. Apart from the high premium placed on rights in society, duties that have to be fulfilled should also be emphasised. Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana from the Ethiopian Episcopal Church is of the opinion that this sense of duty should be established in people’s frame of mind. Adv. Antony Osler pointed out from a Buddhist perspective how important it was to deal with reconciliation by living up to its principles.
 
Rev. Maniraj Sukdaven, Head of our Department of Religion Studies, is very satisfied with the high quality of the contributions during the conference.

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