Doctoral Research Scholarships for Graduate Teaching Assistantships at RUFORUM Member Universities 2018

Application Deadline: 30th January 2018 5.00 pm Uganda time.

Eligible Countries: African countries

To Be Taken At (University): RUFORUM Member Universities

About the Award: The research supported through these scholarships should be aligned to the project challenge as well as contribute to the SENTINEL thematic areas. During this first round, we would like to invite applicants to propose research on one of the following topics:

1. Environmental impact of different agricultural development pathways: What is the evidence regarding the environmental impact of smallholder / family farms in Africa vs commercially oriented larger farms in Africa? This could be either done via a systematic review of existing studies, or via a comparative, field based analysis between smallholder farms and commercial farms in a specific ‘hot spot’ (where there appears to be a tension between increasing agricultural production and conserving terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, wetlands etc.).
2. Social impacts of different agricultural development pathways: As 1., but focusing on social impacts (such as impacts on equality, farmer empowerment, control over natural resources and other means of production etc.).
3. A review and critical analysis of the extent to which, and effectiveness with which the current agricultural research agenda (in a specific country) incorporates environmental and social impacts of different agricultural approaches and technologies. This would be done initially at the national level (policy and practice review), but then zoom in on specific environmental and social impacts that are a priority in a given country.
4. A review and critical analysis of the extent to which, and effectiveness with which the current agricultural extension / advisory services agenda (in a specific country) incorporates environmental and social impacts of different agricultural approaches and technologies. This would be done initially at the national level (policy and practice review), but then zoom in on specific environmental and social impacts that are a priority in a given country.
5. A review and critical analysis of the extent to which, and effectiveness with which the current national farmer organisation’s agenda (in a specific country) incorporates environmental and social impacts of different agricultural approaches and technologies. This would be done initially at the national level (policy and practice review), but then zoom in on specific environmental and social impacts that are a priority in a given country.
6. An analysis of the conditions favoring success (enabling condition, critical success factors) in efforts in the agriculture and/or the forestry sector to better manage the trade-offs between agricultural production and conservation of the remaining natural forests and woodlands.   This will be based on 1 or more success stories that will be identified by October 2017. This will require a holistic analysis exploring issues of governance and political economy alongside technology development and extension.
7. An analysis of the effectiveness of current land use planning mechanisms / approaches in taking into account social and environmental impacts of agricultural development pathways.
8. A historic analysis of the drivers for agricultural intensification and expansion a specific country, and how these are likely to change in the future.

Fields of Research: The project will focus on 3 research themes listed below:

1. Understanding the past and present: Historical trends and current status of agricultural development and its social and environmental impacts, and the major technical, institutional, political and economic determinants;
2. Scenarios of future agriculture and land use change: Driving forces that will shape the future of agricultural development – identifying key impacts, risks and trade-offs within and between socioeconomic and environmental dimensions and plausible alternative scenarios that warrant further investigation;
3. Understanding impacts, risks and assumptions and trade-offs: within and between socio-economic and environmental dimensions of alternative scenarios for agricultural development, and the implications for biodiversity loss and ecosystem processes, and for the productivity and resilience of agriculture.

Type: Research

Eligibility: Graduate Teaching Assistants and potential PhD students should submit their research proposals that clearly articulates the justification, objectives, hypotheses, activities and methodology, detailed budget and the final outputs. The proposal must have a plan for disseminating findings from the research. The entire proposal should be a maximum of 10 pages (A4) with 1.5 line spacing.

Selection Criteria: The external reviewers will mainly use the following criteria to judge/rank proposals.

• Overall project design, content and articulation/write-up
• Appropriateness/relevance and contribution to SENTINEL project challenge and relevance to the Project research (themes proposed above)
• The originality, innovativeness and contribution to science or development
• Research activities clearly defined
• Clear identification of pertinent research issues, achievable objectives
• Evidence of a good understanding of the literature, rationale for the particular
• Well-articulated methodological approach with evidence of good understanding of applicable methods
• Clearly articulated engagement process with key stakeholders throughout the research process, and pathway for dissemination of results to communities, academia and, where appropriate, to service agencies, partners and policy-makers
• Feasibility: Can the PhD student achieve this in the time available and is it of the expected standard for a PhD?

Number of Awards: 15

Value of Award: Each scholarship is a maximum of $7,500 and are meant to provide funds for student to carry out credible research in line with the Sentinel Project

Duration of Program: Two years

How to Apply: Apply for a scholarship via RUFORUM Information Management System (RIMS)

It is important to go through the application procedure and instructions on the Program Webpage (see Link below) before applying.

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: RUFORUM