Founding member, Ex-Executive Coordinator (Jan 2009-Sept 2010), Former Chair of the Governing Board of FA Nepal (Oct 2010-Sept 2011)
ojhahemant1@gmail.com
Hemant Ojha is a visionary founder of ForestAction Nepal, an organization he helped establish to bridge the gap between research and action in forestry and livelihoods. His dedication to fostering critical action research is evident in his 10 years of active contribution to FAN, during which he mentored over two dozen early-career researchers, helping them develop practical and impactful approaches. He was also the founding principal editor of the Journal of Forest and Livelihoods, ForestAction Nepal’s flagship publication, which became a vital platform for sharing knowledge and experiences in the field.
Beyond his research, Hemant Ojha served as an active policy analyst and advocate for decentralized and community-based natural resources management in Nepal, consistently pushing for policies that empower local communities. He also volunteered to support and advise community federations struggling for resource rights in Nepal, demonstrating his commitment to practical change on the ground.
In addition to his critical action research approach, he is also well-known in Nepal for his action research-based theorizing on governance, participatory practices, deliberation, and environmental social science concepts to understand power, epistemic hegemony, and the prospects for transformative change.
After serving as the chair of ForestAction Nepal, he transitioned to the University of New South Wales in 2013, yet his collaboration with ForestAction Nepal has continued actively on various projects. Currently, Hemant Ojha is affiliated with the Australian National University (ANU) and the Institute for Study of Development and Diplomacy (IFSD), where his work continues to focus on the intersection of environmental governance, climate change, and sustainable development. His commitment to leveraging collective expertise is further highlighted by his recent role as principal editor for the forthcoming book, “Restoring Forests, Improving Livelihoods in Nepal: Four Decades of Community Forestry,” a significant undertaking that mobilizes the contributions of over 50 researchers and community forestry practitioners from Nepal and internationally. You can explore his professional work and publications further through his LinkedIn profile, ORCID ID, and Google Scholar page.
PUBLICATIONS:
Books
Ojha, H.R., Hall, H. and Sulaimna, R. (eds.). 2012. Adaptive Collaborative Approaches in Natural Resource Governance: Rethinking Participation, Learning and innovation, Routlage, London. http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415699105/
McDougall, C, Banjade, M.R., Ojha, H., Pandit, B.H., Rana, S., and Maharjan, M. 2009. Forests of Learning: experiences from research on an adaptive collaborative approach to community forestry in Nepal. CIFOR,ForestAction Nepal and New Era.
Ojha, H. 2008. Reframing Governance: Understanding Deliberative Politics in Nepal’s Terai Forestry. New Delhi, India: Adroit Publishers.
Ojha, H, Timsina, N., Chhetri, R.b. and Paudel , K. 2008. Knowledge Systems and Natural Resources: Management, Policy and Institutions in Nepal. Cambridge University Press and IDRC Canada.
Ojha, H, Timsina, N., Kumar, C., Belcher, B. and Banjade, M. (eds). 2008. Communities, Forests and Governance: Policy and Institutional Innovations from Nepal. India: Adroit Publishers
Subedi, B, Ojha, H., and Binayee, K. N. 2003. An Assessment of Community Based Forest Enterprises in Nepal: Case Studies, Lessons and Implications. ANSAB and SNV Nepal
Ojha, H. Civic Engagement, Social Capital and Democratic Possibility: The Emergence and Struggle of Community Forest User Group Federation in Nepal. In Deniere and Lyong (Eds) Vibrant Societies. Routlage (Fothcoming)
Ojha, H., Banjade, M., Paudel, N.S., Cameron, J. and McDougall, C. 2010. The Deliberative Scientist: An Approach to Forest Management in Nepal. In Laura German et al (ed) Beyond the Biophysical. Springer Publications
Ojha, H, Persha, L. and Chhatre, A. 2009. Seeing Forests through the Trees: community forestry in Nepal. In: D Spielman and Lorch, R. P. (ed) MillionsFed: Proven Successes in Agricultural Development. International Food Policy Research Institute
Journal articles
Nightingale, A and Ojha, H. Theory of Power and Authority: Symbolic Violence and Subjectivity in Nepal’s Terai Forests, Development and Change (under review)
Ojha, H., Cameron, J. and Kumar, C. 2009. Deliberation or Symbolic Violence? The Governance of Community Forestry in Nepal. Forest Policy and Economics, 11: 375-382.
Ojha, H. 2006. Techno-bureaucratic Doxa and Challenges for Deliberative Governance – The Case of Community Forestry Policy and Practice in Nepal. Policy and Society, 25 (2): 131-175.
Cameron, J and Ojha, H. 2006. A deliberative ethic for development: A Nepalese journey from Bourdieu through Kant to Dewey and Habermas. International Journal of Social Economics, 34 (1)
Journal Editor: Founding chief editor of Journal of Forest and Livelihood; Co-editor, Nepalese Journal of Social Science and Public Policy.
Academic Peer reviewer: International Forestry Review, Commonwealth Forestry Association; Oryx – The International Journal of Conservation, Cambridge; Geoforum, Elsevier; Human Ecology, Springer; Critical Policy Studies, Taylor and Francis; The Journal of Food Security, International Society for Plant Pathology; Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier; Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, Taylor and Francis, World Development, Agriculture and Human Values.
PhD supervision
Co-supervisor of PhD research of Mani R Banjade on Deliberative governance of forestry in Nepal, with Prof John Dryzek and Peter Kanowski, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Australia
Co-supervisor of PhD Research of Sudeep Jana Thing on Protected Area and Indigenous People, with Prof Roy Jones, Curtin University, Australia
Research Fellowship
Senior Fellow (2011-2014). Melbourne School of Land and Environment, University of Melbourne, Australia
Visiting Fellow (2011-2013), Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University.
Research Fellow (2009), School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan