![](https://smalltowns.soc.iastate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/504/2024/06/nepal1.jpg)
Our project is Indigenous Agriculture, Ecosystem Change, and Human Rights in Rural Nepal, which closely aligns with two U.S. foreign policy goals on climate and environment, and democracy and human rights. Our study abroad programs will give students the ability to understand the linkages between climate change, indigenous farming systems, and U.S. development agencies as it relates to: South Asian food security and international trade, co-existence of indigenous knowledge and Western technology adoption, rural human capital and infrastructure challenges, and community social systems related to gender and caste. The South Asia region is geopolitically crucial for the U.S., as it contains 24% of the world’s population and is home to India, a rapidly growing newly industrializing country and the world’s largest democracy. Although this region is fast developing, many areas suffer from food insecurity, rural poverty, and lower levels of human development. Getting a diverse cross-section of American students engaged in South Asia today will strengthen future U.S. relationships in the region. It is imperative that people representing U.S. interests abroad actually represent the diversity of our nation.
Accepting Applications for the 2025 Spring Break Program
Our project is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of State.
Principal investigators Dr. Ramesh Balayar and Dr. David Peters.
Refer to the press release and other awardees for more information.