UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Growing up in a small village in Nepal, a country in South Asia, Dibyajoti Burlakoti vividly remembers her family’s financial struggles after a herd of greater one-horned rhinos roamed through her family’s banana farm, consuming and trampling the family’s crop.

“Seeing these gigantic creatures as a child filled me with wonder, but for my mother, the rhinos represented a constant threat, a fear that intensified when they destroyed our sole source of income,” said Burlakoti, a master’s degree student studying education, development and community engagement in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. “These fears continue to be shared by others in my community, underscoring the complicated interactions between humans and wildlife.”

People living near Nepal’s Chitwan National Park, home to a significant population of greater one-horned rhinos, have a complex relationship with these magnificent creatures. They are torn between the awe they inspire and the fear of potential crop losses and safety concerns, Burlakoti said.

Watching these animals and learning they are considered vulnerable species sparked Burlakoti’s passion for wildlife conservation. This commitment has been elevated further through her collaboration with doctoral student Sadikshya Sharma, who studies forest resources in the college’s Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.

Sharma also has extensive firsthand experience tackling human-wildlife conflicts with the greater one-horned rhinoceros in the buffer zones of Chitwan National Park.

“Rhinos were once driven to the brink of extinction due to rampant poaching fueled by the illegal trade in rhino horn, which is highly valued for its use in traditional medicine,” said Sharma, whose career and studies focus on conserving wild animals. “Achieving a harmonious balance between biodiversity conservation — no poaching — and human-wildlife conflict resolution necessitates a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach involving local communities and wildlife authorities.”

“More than 60% of Nepal’s population relies on agriculture for income, which means many women, like my mother, are financially dependent on this sector,” Burlakoti explained. “Many men work abroad, leaving their families to manage on limited incomes. I’ve seen my mother struggle financially; even when I asked for money for a notebook or pens, she would be worried if she could afford them.”

Sharma and Burlakoti are using their experiences to develop a paper product to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts in the Chitwan National Park buffer zone. They said they believe this product can help protect the vulnerable greater one-horned rhino by deterring poachers and compensating smallholder farmers for income lost to rhino grazing. Their Himalayan ShePower project won second place in the college’s 2024 Ag Springboard business-pitch contest.

The students want to turn the fiber from rhino dung, which is produced at a rate of up to 50 pounds per day per rhino, into what they call “conservation gold” by mixing it with banana fiber to create premium handmade paper.

They suggested that women and smallholder farmers in the region could produce this paper, offering an alternative income source when rhinos enter farm fields and reduce crop yields. Additionally, the students pointed out that poachers track the animals using dung piles, so removing these piles will make it more difficult for poachers to follow the rhinos' movements.

Burlakoti conceived the idea for Himalayan ShePower but was unsure how to start the project. She found guidance by enrolling in "EDCE 597: Practicum in Innovation and Critical Thinking," an experimental course offered by the college and supported by Laszlo Kulcsar, who was head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education.

Led by Maria Spencer, the John and Patty Warehime Entrepreneur in Residence in the college’s entrepreneurship and innovation program, practicum projects are innovation-focused and include technology assessment, product improvement and new products. Students receive guidance and connect with resources to help them turn ideas into products that can be brought to the marketplace.

“These students have brought incredible passion to this project, and the work they are doing is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when the women who truly understand the challenges of their communities are educated and empowered,” said Spencer, who noted that the practicum course has been featured in a book on transformational entrepreneurship. “I am extremely proud of Sadikshya and Dibyajoti and know they won’t stop until they have made a positive difference in the world.”

Spencer also matches practicum students with industry mentors. For this project, Spencer found an enthusiastic partner in Denise Attwood, co-owner and founder of Ganesh Himal Trading, a Fair-Trade Federation member. Located in Spokane, Washington, the 40-year-old company imports and sells Nepali-made jewelry, clothing, textiles and handmade paper goods worldwide.

In addition to its interest in the Himalayan ShePower business, the company supports a summer fellowship that pairs Penn State graduate students with industry mentors to help them navigate the transition from academia to industry careers.

“Sadikshya and Dibyajoti share our mission of putting money directly into people’s hands so they can live the lives they deserve,” Attwood said. “The women I work with in Nepal, many of whom belong to the first generation without formal education, are some of the smartest people I know. They have since prioritized educating their daughters, much like Sadikshya and Dibyajoti.”

With continued support from the college and Ganesh Himal Trading — along with funding from the Ag Springboard competition, the McAlister Endowment and the VentureWell Foundation — the students believe they are well on their way to making their business a reality.

“To be able to give back to our communities is a dream come true for us,” Burlakoti said. “This wouldn’t have been possible without support from Penn State, Dr. Spencer, our advisers and many others who believe in us. We are grateful.”