The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works with partners worldwide to enhance the roles that livestock play in food security and poverty alleviation, principally in Africa and Asia. The outcomes of these research partnerships help people in developing countries keep their farm animals’ alive and productive, increase and sustain their livestock and farm productivity, find profitable markets for their animal products, and reduce the risk of livestock-related diseases. www.ilri.org
ILRI is a not-for-profit institution with a staff of about 700 and in 2016, an operating budget of about USD 83 million. A member of the CGIAR Consortium working for a food-secure future, ILRI has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, a principal campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and offices in other countries in East, West and Southern Africa and in South, Southeast and East Asia. www.cgiar.org
DAAD is a German Academic Exchange service which is a publicly funded, self-governing organization of the institutions of higher education in Germany. DAAD promotes international academic exchange as well as educational co-operation with developing countries through a variety of funding and scholarship programs.
ILRI Research Project: Improved productivity through crop-livestock interventions in Eastern DR Congo and Burundi
The CLiP project’s core strategy is to develop integrated, system-based interventions in support of mixed crop-livestock systems that take account of nutrient recycling, combining the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers as part of the sustainable agriculture agenda. The project adopts systems-based approaches to crop-livestock research and promotes smallholder participation to support. The project seeks ways of intervening that improve dietary diversity including increased consumption of animal source foods. The project location in South Kivu presents a range of challenges to improved nutrition. Among these challenges is the recent crash in livestock numbers following civil conflict. This has implications not only for availability of animal source foods but also for system functioning in general since livestock contribute a range of farm functions including manure and draft power to support human food production. The proposed project will consider the direct and indirect contributions of livestock to farm systems with a particular emphasis on implications for human nutrition and farm-based livelihoods.
Graduate Fellowship Project Title: Restocking following human conflict – effects on farm livelihoods and system functioning.
The Position
The research will involve:
- Assessment of recent changes in livestock density and how this has affected human diets and farming practices. This will be achieved through secondary data and recall surveys at household and community level.
- Collection of survey data that will be used to parameterize farm household models to assess the impact of changing livestock numbers on nutrient flows at farm level.
- Exploring barriers to restocking using participatory approaches.
- Designing strategies to restock through scenario assessment and assessment of the implications of restocking on farming system functioning.
- Quantifying the livestock feed requirements of restocking scenarios.
Responsibilities
- Develop detailed research proposal within the parameters outlined above.
- Conduct farm level research using quantitative and qualitative approaches to explore possibilities for restocking following human conflict.
- Analyse and interpret data.
- Write reports and journal articles.
- Interact with the wider project team
Essential Skills and Qualifications will include
- MSc in a relevant discipline.
- Understanding and experience of smallholder systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Ability to produce written work of high quality.
- Ability to work in multi-cultural/multi-disciplinary teams.
- Willingness to spend considerable periods in challenging rural locations for field work.
Location: ILRI Rwanda and/or DRC.
Duration: 3 years
Terms of appointment: ILRI will offer a competitive stipend to cover living expenses in the project location(s). The successful candidate will be supervised jointly by an ILRI scientist and the university/academic supervisor.
How to apply
Interested applicants should submit the following documents:
- A cover letter explaining your interest in the position, what you can bring to the job and the names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about your professional qualifications and work experience to the Director, People and Organizational Development. The position title and reference number: PHDASSP2/DAAD/02/2016 should be clearly indicated in the subject line of the cover letter.
- Curriculum Vitae without photograph; please use the europass CV template athttp://europass.cedefop.europa.eu.
- Certified copies of all university degree certificates.
- Certified copies of all university transcripts.
- At least temporary University admission letter including fee structure of respective course (original or certified copy only), or an official letter assuring admission. If this is not available by the closing date for application; please include with the application a commitment letter that you will have obtained this by 1st September 2016 as this is a mandatory requirement before commencing the fellowship program.
- PhD research proposal and a detailed work plan (10 to 15 pages); plagiarism will be checked! The proposal has to be in line with the above outlined ILRI’s research project.
- Abstract of the proposal on one page (please include name and title of proposal).
- Where applicable a recommendation letter by head of department indicating that you are a present or prospective member of staff and how you will be integrated into the staff development agenda of the university (original only)
- Confirmation of study leave from your university (if applicable).
- Confirmation of teaching release (university staff members only).
- The scholarships are only awarded to citizens of Sub-Saharan African countries (SSA)
All applications to be submitted online on our recruitment portal: http://ilri.simplicant.com by 18 March 2016.
We thank all applicants for their interest in working for ILRI. Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). ILRI also does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.
To find out more about ILRI visit our website at http://www.ilri.org
To find out more about working at ILRI visit our website at http://www.ilri.org/ilricrowd/
Suitably qualified women and citizens of developing countries, with experience of working internationally, are particularly encouraged to apply.
