Graduate Fellowships – PhD Students in Gender and Nutrition

Project: Feed the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL) – ILRI sub-award on Sustainable intensification through better integration of crop and livestock production systems for improved food security and environmental benefits in Sahelian zone of Burkina Faso.General:
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI, www.ilri.org) works at the crossroads of livestock and poverty, bringing high-quality livestock science, communications and capacity building to bear on poverty reduction and sustainable development. ILRI is one of 15 Centers of the CGIAR Consortium, a global agricultural research partnership for a food-secure future (www.cgiar.org).
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification (SIIL; https://www.k-state.edu/siil/index.html), led by Kansas State University, supports the US Government Feed the Future goals of reducing global hunger, poverty and undernutrition.
One of the key components of the SIIL Burkina Faso project on sustainable intensification of mixed crop-livestock systems for improved food security and environmental benefits is to better understand how intensification interventions affect gender equity and household nutrition.
The main outcome of gender and nutrition components of the project is to strengthen women’s decision-making capacity on improved intensification options and to increase household consumption of commonly-available nutritious foods to supplement the current grain-dominated diets within the study areas.
To achieve this outcome, project interventions to improve household nutrition include increasing household consumption of milk, cowpea grain (often referred to as “poor man’s meat in the Sahel) and Moringa leaves.
The guiding principle of these interventions to intensify production to improve nutrition is that they are sensitive to gender divisions of labor demands and gender equity with respect to nutritional benefits.
The Position:
The PhD student will work on the effect of sustainable intensification of crop-livestock systems on gender equity and household nutrition in the Sahelian zone of Burkina Faso. The overall objective of this PhD research is to evaluate the effects of the improved intensification options on gender equity and household nutrition.
The specific objectives are:
(i) To analyze the roles, constraints and preferences of men, women and youth, and the marginalized groups in crop-livestock production in the study sites;
(ii) To characterize nutrition practices of the households in the study areas and quantify gender-differentiated control over the benefits of on- and off-farm activities;
(iii) To assess the effect of improved intensification options on intra-household division of labor and on the distribution of nutritional benefits within households.
The underlying hypothesis is that productivity enhancing intensification options will lead to improvement of household food security and nutrition thereby enhancing gender equity. The PhD research work will be conducted in the project sites in Dori and Ouahigouya in Burkina Faso.
Key responsibilities:

Conduct baseline characterization of gender roles in intensification of crop-livestock systems including constraints and opportunities, household nutritional practices and dietary diversity, and gender-differentiated intra-household diet diversity.

Carry out in-depth study on the effects of improved intensification options on gender, specifically on access to the improved intensification options, power, labour implications, decision making and benefit sharing from improved intensification options.

Carry out in-depth study on the effects of improved intensification options, specifically nutrition interventions on household dietary diversity and anthropometric measurements of children in selected households.

Quantification of different development pathways of gender equity and household nutrition for households along the intensification ladder/gradient.

Contribute to SIIL Burkina Faso project reports particularly on gender and nutritionRequirements and Qualifications:
The ideal candidate should:

Be registered as a PhD student at a University in social science, agricultural science or relevant disciplines;

Having necessary academic background in gender and nutrition or related disciplines;

Willingness to work and live in rural areas of Burkina Faso;

Ability to work in a team and with smallholder farmers;

Ability to interact effectively in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment;

Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Ability to speak and read in French will be an advantage.Location: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Duration: 3 years
Terms of appointment and stipend:
The successful candidate will be supervised jointly by ILRI scientist and the university supervisor. While at ILRI, he or she will also have access to other ILRI researchers so as to develop his or her research.
ILRI will provide a monthly stipend of US$1,000 to the successful candidate, economy return air ticket to Ouagadougou, as well as insurance. ILRI will cover all the research costs related to the student field activities. ILRI does not cover university related fees such as tuitions, living allowances etc.
How to apply: Interested candidates should submit online through our recruitment portal http://ilri.simplicant.com/ on or before 30 July 2016 or until a suitable candidate is selected. The following documents should be included in the online application:

A Curriculum Vitae including three references with contact information.

A cover letter describing the candidate’s interests in and qualifications for carrying out the research, referring to the candidate’s Curriculum Vitae as fitting, and highlighting any particularly relevant qualifications.

A letter from your university attesting your student status.

The above materials will be evaluated and a select number of candidates will be invited for an interview and be asked to submit letters of support from referees, and academic transcripts.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 websites at http://www.ilri.org/
To find out more about working at ILRI visit our website athttp://www.ilri.org/ilricrowd/
ILRI is an equal opportunity employer. Suitably qualified women and citizens from Burkina Faso are particularly encouraged to apply.