Advertisement
Research Seminar Series(Jointly Organized by Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies-Kathmandu Center (ANHS-KC) and Martin Chautari)
Title:
What Could an ‘Ecosystem of Support’ for Rural Nepali Women Entrepreneurs Look Like?
Speakers:
Meeta S. Pradhan, Independent Researcher/Development Consultant
Rachana Upadhyaya, Independent Researcher
Date, Time and Venue:
15 March 2026/१ चैत्र २०८२ (आइतबार, दिउँसो ३ बजे)
मार्टिन चौतारी सभाकक्ष, थापाथली, काठमाडौँ
LIVE:
www.fb.com/martinchautari.f
www.youtube.com/mchautari
Abstract:
Women’s economic empowerment (WEE) is shaped by complex, changing realities yet many existing frameworks overlook the growing role of digital technology, highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this talk, we introduce a new framework that addresses this gap by integrating digital and financial technologies with strategies for managing dynamic risks and external shocks. Focusing on agriculture- and forest-based economies in low-income countries, the framework proposes an “ecosystem of support” built on five interconnected domains: social-cultural, economic, policy, technological, and environmental. It emphasizes risk preparedness, climate resilience, and collaborative co-production approaches to address gender-based barriers. Drawing on insights from Nepal, we demonstrate how this framework can be used to understand and strengthen support systems for shock-resilient women-led enterprises.
About the Speakers:
Meeta S. Pradhan has extensive development experience in Nepal and has done research on issues related to gender equality, social inclusion, food security, biodiversity conservation and climate change. She has many years of working experience in the development sector and has an interdisciplinary background covering extensive technical and senior management positions that include program and strategy development, with international non-government organizations. She has also led various assignments for studies commissioned by several multi and bilateral donors and has participated in several national, international and regional forums, conferences and workshops, and presented papers on a wide area of topics focusing on the niche role and opportunities of mountain communities and geographies, gender and good governance. She has also been engaged in building leadership capacity for a gender responsive water-energy-food security-ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus Approach.
The paper she is co-presenting is a result of her engagement at a Co-PI in a participatory action research project on women’s economic empowerment in Nepal.
She is currently affiliated with two premier research and policy studies organizations in Nepal – the Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (www.sias-southasia.org/team/) and the Institute for Social and Environmental Research–Nepal (ISER-N) (isernepal.org.np). She is also a Board Member of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies-Kathmandu Center (ANHS-KC).
Dr. Pradhan holds a PhD in Sociology (Social Demography) from the University of Michigan, USA and a Master’s degree in Sociology from George Mason University, USA.
Rachana Upadhyaya holds a PhD in Disaster Sociology from the University of Bristol, UK, and a Double Master’s degree in Gender and Women’s Studies through the GEMMA programme. With more than 15 years of professional experience, Rachana has led the design, implementation, and monitoring of programmes advancing women’s empowerment across diverse contexts. Working at the intersection of practice and academia, Rachana’s research engages with intersectionality theory and urban processes, with a particular focus on disasters and social vulnerability.
Advertisement
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Post Box 13470, 27 Jeet Jung Marg Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal 44600, Nepal
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
