Wageningen University and Research centre
Maputo / Nampula (Mozambique), (Abroad), 38 hours per week
Job description
Function title: PhD Biomass for Biofuels production options on family farms in Nampula (Mozambique)
Nampula Province is one of the major food producing regions in Mozambique. Private companies and the government are developing initiatives to establish bio-fuel factories and to stimulate the required biomass production in this region. It is unclear, however, how family farms, with an average farm size of only 1.4 ha, can profit from this development, because they use few inputs - resulting in low yields – and because infrastructure is poor. Only 20% of the farmers are organized in farmers associations. An integrated assessment is needed to answer the question if biomass for bio-energy provides an escape from the so-called poverty trap by providing opportunities to improve livelihoods
The PhD will develop and apply an operational farm model that allows quantification of the effects of introducing bio-energy crops on farms and their agro-ecological and socio-economic performance. He or she will identify the major factors determining the risks and opportunities for producing bio-energy crops related to different farm configurations and organisation forms in Nampula Province and regions with similar agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions. Farm level results will be scaled up to regional level to assess implications for food availability and affordability, as well as positive or negative externalities.
This project refers to the Mozambican PhD-position of the WOTRO-programme. The research will be carried out in close collaboration with the other team members and in particular with the Universities of Eduardo Mondlane and Wageningen (Plant Production Systems and Animal Production Systems).
Requirements
Required education/skills:The candidate has completed an MSc in a relevant field (e.g. Plant Sciences, Agronomy, Animal Sciences, Biology, Resource Ecology). He/she has proven capabilities in systems analysis, simulation modeling and other quantitative methods, has experience with literature research, computer programming languages and data searching, is fluent in English and Portuguese and has good writing skills. The candidate should be able to communicate well with colleague researchers in similar and other relevant disciplines.
Job type: Research / Advising
Workfield(s):
- Research trainees, non-tenured lecturers, researchers(Scientific discipline: Agriculture)
Organization
Wageningen University and Research centre
Conditions of employment
Employment basis: Temporary for specified period
Duration of the contract: 4 years.
Maximum hours per week: 38
Additional conditions of employment:
A sandwich PhD position, which is a grant to complete a PhD thesis, while being employed at his/her home institute. He/she will spend the first and last 6-8 months of a 4 year period at Wageningen University, preparing his/her research proposal and finalizing the thesis. He/she will graduate at Wageningen University. In between he/she will perform research in Mozambique. Expenses as agreed upon in the contract are covered by the grant.
Additional Information
Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from:
Prof. A. Sitoe
Telephone number: 31 258 823195410
E-mail address: asitoe@uem.mz
Or Dr. G.W.J. van de Ven
Telephone number: 31 317 482696
E-mail address: gerrie.vandeven@wur.nl
Or additional information can be obtained through one of the following links:
You can apply for this job before 15-09-2008 (dd-mm-yyyy) by sending your application to:
Wageningen University, Department of Plant Sciences, chair group Plant Production Systems
Dr.G. van de Ven
P.O. Box 430
6700 AK Wageningen
The Netherlands
E-mail: Gerrie.vandeven@wur.nl
When applying for this job always mention the vacancynumber AT: DPW 08-32.
Job description
Function title: PhD Biomass for Biofuels production options on family farms in Nampula (Mozambique)
Nampula Province is one of the major food producing regions in Mozambique. Private companies and the government are developing initiatives to establish bio-fuel factories and to stimulate the required biomass production in this region. It is unclear, however, how family farms, with an average farm size of only 1.4 ha, can profit from this development, because they use few inputs - resulting in low yields – and because infrastructure is poor. Only 20% of the farmers are organized in farmers associations. An integrated assessment is needed to answer the question if biomass for bio-energy provides an escape from the so-called poverty trap by providing opportunities to improve livelihoods
The PhD will develop and apply an operational farm model that allows quantification of the effects of introducing bio-energy crops on farms and their agro-ecological and socio-economic performance. He or she will identify the major factors determining the risks and opportunities for producing bio-energy crops related to different farm configurations and organisation forms in Nampula Province and regions with similar agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions. Farm level results will be scaled up to regional level to assess implications for food availability and affordability, as well as positive or negative externalities.
This project refers to the Mozambican PhD-position of the WOTRO-programme. The research will be carried out in close collaboration with the other team members and in particular with the Universities of Eduardo Mondlane and Wageningen (Plant Production Systems and Animal Production Systems).
Requirements
Required education/skills:The candidate has completed an MSc in a relevant field (e.g. Plant Sciences, Agronomy, Animal Sciences, Biology, Resource Ecology). He/she has proven capabilities in systems analysis, simulation modeling and other quantitative methods, has experience with literature research, computer programming languages and data searching, is fluent in English and Portuguese and has good writing skills. The candidate should be able to communicate well with colleague researchers in similar and other relevant disciplines.
Job type: Research / Advising
Workfield(s):
- Research trainees, non-tenured lecturers, researchers(Scientific discipline: Agriculture)
Organization
Wageningen University and Research centre
Conditions of employment
Employment basis: Temporary for specified period
Duration of the contract: 4 years.
Maximum hours per week: 38
Additional conditions of employment:
A sandwich PhD position, which is a grant to complete a PhD thesis, while being employed at his/her home institute. He/she will spend the first and last 6-8 months of a 4 year period at Wageningen University, preparing his/her research proposal and finalizing the thesis. He/she will graduate at Wageningen University. In between he/she will perform research in Mozambique. Expenses as agreed upon in the contract are covered by the grant.
Additional Information
Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from:
Prof. A. Sitoe
Telephone number: 31 258 823195410
E-mail address: asitoe@uem.mz
Or Dr. G.W.J. van de Ven
Telephone number: 31 317 482696
E-mail address: gerrie.vandeven@wur.nl
Or additional information can be obtained through one of the following links:
- Information on Sandwich PhD requirements (http://www.dpw.wageningen-ur.nl/PEenRC/)
- Information on the type of research (http://www.competingclaims.nl)
You can apply for this job before 15-09-2008 (dd-mm-yyyy) by sending your application to:
Wageningen University, Department of Plant Sciences, chair group Plant Production Systems
Dr.G. van de Ven
P.O. Box 430
6700 AK Wageningen
The Netherlands
E-mail: Gerrie.vandeven@wur.nl
When applying for this job always mention the vacancynumber AT: DPW 08-32.
