Deadline: October 15, 2013
Proposals are invited from Zambians for scholarship support for MSc or PhD studies on Climate Smart Agriculture. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with support from the European Union is providing competitive grants to fund academic research in this area. The grant will support student research in areas relating to the socio-economic analysis of tradeoffs and synergies between food security, adaptation to climate change, and mitigation of GHG emissions.
Research areas from which to pick include:
- Conservation agriculture, agroforestry and soil & water conservation (SWC)
- Diversification of crop production into other activities (e.g. livestock, dairy, , fisheries)
- The role of agriculture as a driver of deforestation (given the importance of Zambia as a UN-REDD country)
- Investments and financing to support CSA for smallholder agriculture
- Agricultural practices to increase soil carbon and productivity
Eligibility
Four new MS students at UNZA and 4 continuing MS students & 1 PhD student in any reputable university (including those outside Zambia) will be supported by these scholarships.
Evaluation Criteria and Selection Process
Proposals will be evaluated with emphasis on intellectual merit, innovation, and likelihood of success.
More specifically, the following criteria will be considered:
- The relevance of the proposed activity to farmers in Zambia, and the potential to upscale to regions outside of the study area
- Alignment with the mandate of the project to examine the synergies and tradeoffs between food security, adaptation to climate change, and mitigation
- Clarity in the objectives
- Qualifications of the candidates to conduct the project
- How well-conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to
resources?
For more information, click here.
