Scholarship Description:
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and its SARD-SC project partners is working to develop new technologies and innovations to improve cassava production, processing and marketing so as to improve on food security and contribute to poverty reduction of target countries through a value chain approach.
These new technologies and innovations will be developed and promoted through platforms comprised of stakeholders from participating countries (DR Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Sierra Leone) and focusing on one of five main intervention areas: breeding, agronomy, agribusiness, gender, postharvest and policy. Gender issues will be considered and incorporated through all these areas. The SARD-SC project is aligned with national agricultural development plans and processes as small holder cassava businesses in each country are already primed to boost productivity through their prior participation with other cassava projects.
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and its partners Africa Rice and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) have received a grant of about US$ 64 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance the project “Support for Agricultural Research for development of Strategic Crops in Africa (SARD-SC)”. The strategic crops within the context of the project are cassava, maize, rice and wheat. The overall objective of SARD-SC is to enhance food and nutrition and contribute to poverty reduction in AfDB’s low-income member Countries (RMCs). Its specific objective is to enhance the productivity and income of four CAADP’s priority value chains (cassava, maize, rice and wheat) on a sustainable basis. Under this project, AfDB has made a contribution to IITA to execute a 5-year sub-project, which aims to upgrade the cassava value chain in Africa through the
(i) generation of agricultural technologies and innovations;
(ii) sustainable dissemination and adoption of agricultural technologies and innovations across the value chain; and
(iii) sustainable capacity strengthening of project stakeholders.
These new technologies and innovations will be developed and promoted through platforms comprised of stakeholders from participating countries (DR Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Sierra Leone) and focusing on one of five main intervention areas: breeding, agronomy, agribusiness, gender, postharvest and policy. Gender issues will be considered and incorporated through all these areas. The SARD-SC project is aligned with national agricultural development plans and processes as small holder cassava businesses in each country are already primed to boost productivity through their prior participation with other cassava projects.
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and its partners Africa Rice and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) have received a grant of about US$ 64 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance the project “Support for Agricultural Research for development of Strategic Crops in Africa (SARD-SC)”. The strategic crops within the context of the project are cassava, maize, rice and wheat. The overall objective of SARD-SC is to enhance food and nutrition and contribute to poverty reduction in AfDB’s low-income member Countries (RMCs). Its specific objective is to enhance the productivity and income of four CAADP’s priority value chains (cassava, maize, rice and wheat) on a sustainable basis. Under this project, AfDB has made a contribution to IITA to execute a 5-year sub-project, which aims to upgrade the cassava value chain in Africa through the
(i) generation of agricultural technologies and innovations;
(ii) sustainable dissemination and adoption of agricultural technologies and innovations across the value chain; and
(iii) sustainable capacity strengthening of project stakeholders.
Eligibility:
-Candidates must satisfy the target university’s admission requirements for MSc or PhD studies.
- Candidates must have identified a supervisory Professor at a reputable target University in one of the eligible countries, who must have agreed to the research proposal written by the applicant.
- Strong preference is given to candidates already enrolled at a University, and who have finished all or most of the coursework requirements.
- Media for the thesis research program will be English, except for candidates from DR Congo where French may be used.
How to Apply: Candidates should apply by sending an email to IITA-TrainingUnit-at-cgiar.org. Please identify which SARD-SC position for which you are applying. All applicants are required to include:
(1) Bio data;
(2) BSc or MSc Certificate;
(3) A brief proposal of the research (one-page maximum);
(4) Endorsement letter by a supervisory Professor;
(5) Where applicable, proof of enrolment (Admission letter) at a reputable University;
(6) Where applicable, transcripts of MSc or PhD coursework at a reputable University.
(7) A completed version of the IITA Graduate Research Training – application form.
Subject: Various Courses
Level: Pursuing PhD and Masters-MSc Graduate Level at any Reputable African University
Provider: African Development Bank
For Which Country: DR Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Sierra Leone
For Whom:
The Scholarships are open to Nationals from any African Countries (Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
Number of Award: The project is offering up to ten (10) MSc and seven (7) PhD scholarships at African universities from 2013 onwards.
Duration of Award: Not Known
What Does it Cover: Scholarships will be comprehensive and include stipend, research costs, tuition, travel and insurance.
Selection Criteria: Not Known
Notification: All applications will be acknowledged, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Deadline: 30th August 2013.