Ms. Meena Pandey from Nepal holds undergraduate degree in Agricultural Science from Tribhuvan University.

Throughout her undergraduate days, she was actively engaged in youth-led local organizations and spearheaded NGOs to build local leadership of farmers by which she got to witness the necessity of transforming the holistic food system in Nepal. At young age, Meena has made significant contributions to scientific community, with 17+ published research articles that have collectively gathered more than 370+ google scholar citations (as of Aug, 2024). 

Shortly after graduation, she worked as a research apprentice at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)/ Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) collaborative project on ‘The impact of Economic Crisis on Food Security in Nepal (Impact of Russia-Ukraine war)’ whereby she assisted on ‘US Government Global Food Security Refresh’ organized by USAID Nepal. She adeptly assisted in logistics and book of preceding preparation of the ‘National Consultation Workshop on Food and Agriculture System Transformation in Nepal’ funded by USAID event. After her completion of tenure in IFPRI/IIDS collaborative project, she served as vocational skill development trainer in China Foundation for Rural Development where she worked in grassroots level to train more than 100 farmers.

Working in independent policy think tank, IIDS, Meena’ s research vision and approaches are grounded in reshaping agrifood system and food system governance. She believes that, in this era of global turbulence on food and fertilizer market, the International Agricultural Development program at UC Davis will equip her with global competency and skill set needed for building resilient, equitable, sustainable and resilient agricultural systems in developing countries.

In her spare time Meena enjoys spending time with family, exploring the outdoors, kitchen gardening, listen to Nepali songs, and hiking.