Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Dr. Suhas R Bhasme

Assistant Professor
Mumbai Campus Centre for Water Policy and Governance , School of Habitat Studies

Qualification

M.A., M.Phil, PhD (Development) (University of Sussex)

Contact

suhas.bhasme[at]tiss[dot]ac[dot]in

Email id: suhas.bhasme@tiss.ac.in

Tel.no. 022- 25525278,

I am currently working as Assistant Professor at Centre for Water Policy, Regulation and Governance, School of Habitat Studies, TISS, Mumbai. I teach courses on surface water, development and water, contemporary discourse in the water sector, research design and perspectives on water. My research approach is primarily qualitative work focusing on understanding the different aspects of the irrigation policies and livelihoods in rural parts of India. A guided training of qualitative research both during my Masters and MPhil at Jawaharlal Nehru University (2003-2007) and PhD at University of Sussex (Brighton, United Kingdom) contributed in strengthening skills to carry out a qualitative research project. The two postdoctoral positions at Indian School of Business (2015-16) and Ashoka Trust Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), Bangalore (2017-19) enhanced my knowledge about the impact of the development process on lives and livelihoods of people in rural parts of India. I supervise dissertation students interested in working on politics of irrigation management, tank irrigation and livelihoods in the rural parts of India. I have been able to publish some of my work in peer-reviewed academic journals.

I also worked as an Associate Editor for the journal World Development Perspectives, published by Elsevier.

My research interest includes irrigation management and rural development, climate-resilient agriculture policy and practices in India. I have supervised students working on these issues. I also work on research projects that focus on understanding the role played by the social and economic inequalities on the process of implementation of agricultural as well as irrigation policies in India.

Published Research Articles:

Taylor, M., & Bhasme, S. (2026). Playing with time: the temporalities of agrarian intensification under climatic instability. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 1-26.

Taylor, M., & Bhasme, S. (2025). Towards a theory of agrarian skilling (Or, why farmer knowledge does not stop at the edge of the field). Outlook on Agriculture, 54(2), 142-149.

Paprocki, K., Camargo, A., Taylor, M., Bhasme, S., & Mills‐Novoa, M. (2025). How is climate change changing agrarian studies?. Journal of Agrarian Change, 25(3), e70018.

Taylor, M., & Bhasme, S. (2025). Towards a theory of agrarian skilling (Or, why farmer knowledge does not stop at the edge of the field). Outlook on Agriculture, 00307270251335671, Sage ( Impact factor: 3.0, Citations: 0).

Hellin, J., Fisher, E., Taylor, M., Bhasme, S., & Loboguerrero, A. M. (2023). Transformative adaptation: from climate-smart to climate-resilient agriculture. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, 4(1), 30., CABI. (Impact factor: 2.8, Citations, 44)

Taylor, M., & Bhasme, S. (2020). Between deficit rains and surplus populations: The political ecology of a climate-resilient village in South India. Geoforum. Elsevier. (Impact Factor: 3.098, Citations: 40)

Mansourian, S., Parrotta, J., Balaji, P., Bellwood‐Howard, I., Bhasme, S., Bixler, R. P.& Lake, F. K. (2020). Putting the pieces together: integration for forest landscape restoration implementation. Land Degradation & Development, 31(4), 419-429. (Impact Factor: 3.775, Citations: 54)

Taylor, M and Bhasme, S, (2019) The political Ecology of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in South India: Putting SRI in Places, Journal of Agrarian Change, 19(1), 3-20, Wiley (Impact Factor: 1.989, Citations: 23)

Taylor, M and Bhasme S, (2018), Model Farmers, Extension Networks and the Politics of Agricultural Knowledge Transfer, Journal of Rural Studies, 64, 1-10, Elsevier (Impact Factor: 3.544, Citations: 104)

Book Chapters Publications:

Bhasme, S, ( 2022), Water as Resource : Understanding the function of Water Users Associations in Western India, in (ed) Linkenbach,A & Verma ,V, 2021, State, Adivasis and Property Rights: Changing Norms of Justice

Rai, N, Bhasme, S and Balaji, P (2018) Power, inequalities and rights: a political ecology of forest restoration in Mansourian, S and Parrotta John (ed) Forest Landscape Restoration: Integrated approaches to support effective implementation, Routledge, New York.

1. Mobility, Livelihood and People: Understanding the Social-Environmental Impact of E-rickshaw implementation in Matheran, 2023 [Completed]
Funding agency and Amount: Matheran Hill Station Municipal Council, Government of Maharashtra ( Rs 1,00,000 for six months)

Report submitted: Mobility, Livelihood and People: Understanding the Social-Environmental Impact of E-rickshaw implementation in Matheran, 2023: Tata Institute of Social Sciences

2. Reviving Participatory Irrigation management in Maharashtra: Moving towards Member-Centric Water Users Associations, 2021 [Completed]
Funding Agency and Amount: Water Resources Department, Government of Maharashtra (Rs 1, 00, 00,000 for two years)

Report submitted: Reviving Participatory Irrigation Management in Maharashtra: Moving towards Member-Centric Water Users Associations. Mumbai, (2021) : Tata Institute of Social Sciences

i WPG08: Development amnd Water: Issues and Critical Perspectives (Semester I) . 2 credit course

ii.HS 2 :State Law and Governance (Semester I), 2 credits course ,

iii. WPG 11 :Surface Water Resources: Development, Management and Issues: (Semester II) (2020) 4 credit course

iv. WPG 28 Contemporary Discourses in Water Sector 2 credit course (Semester III) 2 credits course

v. WPG20 :Legal Pers[ectove on Water (Semester III) 2 credits course