Bhuwon Ratna Sthapit Memorial Fellowship Fundraising Appeal

Following the passing of our dear friend and colleague Dr Bhuwon Sthapit in 2017, Bioversity International in partnership with Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research, and Development (LI-BIRD)  in Nepal are proud to launch a fundraising campaign to raise US$30,000. Why? To establish a fellowship programme for young researchers to continue Bhuwon’s work in agrobiodiversity conservation in his home country of Nepal.

Dr Bhuwon Ratna Sthapit

In August 2017, we received the sad news that Dr Bhuwon Sthapit, Senior Scientist, Bioversity International, had passed away. Bhuwon was a true pioneer, world-leading expert and mentor on participatory methods to assess and use agricultural biodiversity, participatory crop improvements, in situ and on-farm conservation, home gardens, community-based management of crop and fruit tree biodiversity and community seedbanks. He always put farmers at the centre of his work. 

The Bhuwon Ratna Sthapit Memorial Fellowship

Bioversity International and our partners Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD) in Nepal have teamed up to raise funds to establish the Bhuwon Ratna Sthapit Memorial Fellowship. This fellowship will ensure that the passion, commitment and knowledge that Bhuwon shared with and accredited to local communities for over 30 years will be passed on to future generations of scientists and agrobiodiversity conservation leaders in Nepal.

Each year two Nepalese students, one male and one female, will receive funds from the fellowship to help pursue a Master’s Degree in the field of agrobiodiversity. In particular the fellowship will encourage bright and promising Nepali students, in particular from Nepal’s rural and mountainous areas, to pursue careers in agrobiodiversity conservation. 

More than 80% of Nepal’s people are involved in agriculture and a significant number of them have small farms. Agricultural biodiversity is an essential and valuable asset towards making food systems sustainable, and is a vital resource both now and in the future to help strengthen the food security and livelihoods of poor, rural communities.

The Fundraising Campaign

Fundraising to establish the fund has already gotten off to a good start and US$30,000 have already been raised but to secure the fund, we need to raise a further US$30,000 by August 2018.

All donations are gratefully received, and no donation is too small. 100% of every donation will go directly into the fund.

If you would like to donate to the fund and help support a young Nepali student to become an future agrobiodiversity conservation leader in Nepal, please send your donation to:

Account Name: Bhuwon Ratna Sthapit Fellowship for Agrobiodiversity in Nepal (c/o LI-BIRD)
Bank Account Number: 1201017502558
Bank Name: NABIL Bank Limited. Address: Sabhagriha Chowk, Pokhara, Nepal
Account Type: Current Currency: NPR. SWIFT Code: NARBNPKA

For more information, please contact: Devra Jarvis, Bioversity International

For more details about the Fellowship, please read:

Application instructions and checklist

Please note that all applicants must be NEPALESE