Roshan Adhikari, PhD

Research & publications

Peer-reviewed research

Published work on the economics of irrigation and water resources, agricultural technology adoption, climate adaptation, and the political economy of development. My research examines how investments in agricultural water management, mechanisation, and risk management shape farm productivity, household welfare, and the distribution of economic opportunity across gender, caste, and class.

  1. 2026Adhikari, R., S. Redicker, S. Guug, K. Narsimhan & T. Foster. Governing the Commons: Examining the Role of Water User Associations in Irrigation Management in Ghana. Water Policy.
  2. 2025Adhikari, R., T. Foster, A. Urfels, S. Adhikari & T.J. Krupnik. Impact of irrigation pump ownership on farm productivity in rice–wheat cropping systems of Nepal. Water Resources and Economics.
  3. 2023Higginbottom, T.P., R. Adhikari & T. Foster. Rapid expansion of irrigated agriculture in the Senegal River Valley following the 2008 food price crisis. Environmental Research Letters.
  4. 2022Adhikari, R., J. Antle & K. Wiebe. Adoption and Impacts of Small-Scale Irrigation in Kenya's Maize-Based Farm Households. In: Handbook of Climate Change and Agroecosystems.
  5. 2022Akpoti, K., T.P. Higginbottom, T. Foster, R. Adhikari & S. Zwart. Mapping the potential for informal, small-scale irrigation development using spatial modelling and machine learning in the Upper East Region, Ghana. Science of the Total Environment.
  6. 2021Higginbottom, T.P., R. Adhikari, R. Dimova, S. Redicker & T. Foster. Performance of large-scale irrigation projects in sub-Saharan Africa. Nature Sustainability.
  7. 2021Foster, T., R. Adhikari, S. Adhikari, S. Justice, B. Tiwari, A. Urfels & T.J. Krupnik. Improving pumpset selection to support intensification of groundwater irrigation in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains. Agricultural Water Management.
  8. 2021Rosenzweig, C., R. Adhikari, et al. AgMIP Regional Integrated Assessments: High-level Findings, Methods, Tools, and Studies (2012–2017). In: Handbook of Climate Change and Agroecosystems.
  9. 2021Ghansah, B., T. Foster, T.P. Higginbottom, R. Adhikari & S. Zwart. Monitoring spatial-temporal variations of surface areas of small reservoirs in Ghana's Upper East Region using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and machine learning. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth.
  10. 2020Oldekop, J.A., R. Horner, D. Hulme, R. Adhikari, et al. COVID-19 and the case for global development. World Development.
  11. 2015Antle, J., R. Adhikari & S. Price. An Income-Based Food Security Indicator for Agricultural Technology Impact Assessment. In: Food Security in an Uncertain World, Emerald.

Under review

  1. —Redicker, S., R. Adhikari & R. Subramanian. From representation to voice: explaining the uneven effects of gender quotas in irrigation governance in Nepal. Under review, Climate and Development.

Full list, working papers, and citation metrics on Google Scholar.