Professor Dr. Durga D. Poudel was born in Sange, Chudher, Tanahu, Nepal. He spent his childhood in his birthplace, and in Jeeta Deurali in Lamjung district of the country. Dr. Poudel received an I.Sc. from Tribhuvan University at Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal, a B.Sc. at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, an M. Sc. at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand, and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA. He is a tenured Professor in Environmental Science in the School of Geosciences at UL Lafayette, Louisiana, USA.

Professor Poudel has done extensive research in agricultural and environmental fields in various areas of the world including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Nepal, and the USA and has published hundreds of research articles in highly reputed international journals. Professor Poudel is the Founder of the Asta-Ja Framework. This book is the collection of his published research articles on Asta-Ja. Asta-Ja means Eight-Ja, the Nepali letter "Ja", Jal (water), Jamin (land), Jungle (forest), Jadibuti (medicinal and aromatic plants), Janashakti (human resources), Janawar (animals), Jarajuri (crop plants), and Jalabayu (climate). In this book, Professor Poudel elucidates the Asta-Ja Framework as a unifying planning and development approach for self-reliant sustainable economic development, fast-paced socio-economic transformation, social inclusion, and good governance in Nepal. He outlines strategies and guidelines for food, water, energy, environmental, and climate security. Professor Poudel reveals the "Nepal Vision 2040" which aims to bring the economic development of Nepal to the level of a developed nation by 2040 AD.

This book will be an invaluable resource for graduate students, researchers, academicians, planners, policymakers, natural resource conservationists, environmental scientists, agriculturists, developers, economists, administrators, politicians, and other stakeholders.