Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Rethinking Connection Between Soil as a Carbon Reservoir and Global Warming

Soils store three times as much carbon as plants and the atmosphere. Soil organic matter such as humus plays a key role in the global carbon cycle as it stores huge amounts of carbon and thus counters global warming. Consequently, the Kyoto Protocol permits the signatory countries to count soils and forests against greenhouse gas emissions as so-called carbon sinks. Exactly why some soil organic matter remains stable for thousands of years while other soil organic matter degrades quickly and releases carbon, however, is largely unknown. The explanatory models used thus far assume that the degradation rate depends on the molecular structures of the soil organic matter.

An international team of 14 researchers headed by Michael Schmidt, a professor of soil science and biogeography at the University of Zurich, has now revealed that numerous other factors affect the degradation rate of soil organic matter in an article published inNature.
Soil environment determines degradation rate of humus
"The degradation speed isn't determined by the molecular structure of the dead plant debris, but by the soil environment in which the degradation takes place," says Schmidt, summing up the new results. For instance, the physical isolation of the molecules, whether the molecules in the soil are protected by mineral or physical structures and soil moisture influence the degradation rate of soil organic matter. Furthermore, the researchers are able to show that, contrary to the scientific consensus, there is no humic matter in the soil and this should therefore not be used for models.
New experiments and models needed
As Professor Schmidt explains, the findings need to be used for new experiments and models. In doing so, it is not only the first few centimeters of the soil that should be examined, as has been the case up to now, but rather the full top two to three meters. In their article, the researchers make various suggestions as to how the models for forecasting the response of soils to changes in the climate, vegetation and land use might be improved.
Moreover, the new results cast a critical light on bioengineering experiments with plants containing high amounts of lignin or plant charcoal (biochar), with which more carbon is supposed to be stored in the soil in the long run.
Source: Science Daily (Oct. 5, 2011)
Journal Reference:
Michael W. I. Schmidt, Margaret S. Torn, Samuel Abiven, Thorsten Dittmar, Georg Guggenberger, Ivan A. Janssens, Markus Kleber, Ingrid Kögel-Knabner, Johannes Lehmann, David A. C. Manning, Paolo Nannipieri, Daniel P. Rasse, Steve Weiner, Susan E. Trumbore. Persistence of soil organic matter as an ecosystem propertyNature, 2011; 478 (7367): 49 DOI: 10.1038/nature10386

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

International Foundation for Science (IFS)

IFS is an NGO providing support to young scientists from developing countries within a number of research areas. Apart from the "general" call for research awards within these research areas, IFS also collaborates with other organisations and institutions and makes more specific calls pertaining to specific problems and areas. Read more............
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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships

If you are a citizen of a developed Commonwealth country, you can apply for:
If you are a citizen of a developing Commonwealth country, you can apply for
If you are a citizen of the Falkland Islands, the Maldives, St Helena or the Seychelles, you can apply for:
If you are a citizen of the United Kingdom, you can apply for
To find out more about Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships in countries other than the UK, visit the CSFP website
Read more here...

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

TRECCAfrica PHD Scholarship Call

TRECCAfrica provides 16 scholarships for full-time doctoral study at partner institutions. These scholarships are available to students and staff members of TRECCAfrica partner institutions only (Target Group 1), with one scholarship available to Mozambican nationals (Target Group 2).

The number of scholarships available to applicants from each partner institution is listed under the section “Scholarship Particulars”.

Applicants need to demonstrate how their proposed research topic will fit into TRECCAfrica’s overall theme of climate change and resource efficiency. In addition, they need to demonstrate a basic understanding of transdisciplinarity in their research methodology.

To assist applicants a concept note on the theme and a reading list on transdisciplinarity is available under the section ‘Apply now’. Please these documents and send an email to treccafrica@sun.ac.za for further readings on transdisciplinarity.

Friday, September 23, 2011

The Center for Sustainable Drylands (CSD) Established

About the Center


The Centre for Sustainable Dryland Ecosystems and Societies(CSDES) is a partnership between University of Nairobi (UON) and Colorado State University (CSU) that seeks to transform higher education and create relevant action research to build human and institutional capacity for sustaining and improving ecosystems and livelihoods in Kenya. It is one of 11 Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative partnerships that received two years of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through Higher Education for Development (HED) following a competitive application process.

The Center has been set up at the University of Nairobi, Department of Land Resource Management and
Agricultural Technology as the hub of a web of collaborative institutions engaged in education, research and action supporting dryland communities so that they can adapt to many changes affecting their sustainability.

Some of the Center’s activities include mainstreaming dryland issues in academic curricula review, short courses for skill-building in dryland development and recruitment of Center interns among others. The Center will also award short fellowships and grants for students, interns and faculty to work on needs-driven research for development on a competitive basis.

The long term vision of the Center is to provide a learning platform for knowledge exchange, resulting in better coordination and impacts of education research and outreach for dryland ecosystems and societies in Kenya. Encouraging proper action research backed by community participation is more likely to address the myriad challenges that continue to face dryland communities today.

These include: loss of ecosystem resilience, land degradation, loss of biodiversity, land fragmentation, land tenure and land use changes, conflict over natural resources, increased vulnerability of dryland livelihoods to droughts and floods and loss of access to global markets. The Center thus aims to enhance the capacity of the University of Nairobi to produce high –performing graduates and quality, demand driven research that contributes to more sustainable and productive dryland ecosystem and societies.

The implementation of the Center’s activities is being done collaboratively with other institutions such as;
RUFORUM, dryland management programs at the UON, ILRI, Reto-o-Reto Foundation, Ministry of Development of Northern Kenya and other arid lands. The Center has an advisory board composed of key players in dryland development issues and higher learning institutions, a project managerial committee and project implementation team headed by a project director.

The Center’s four major objectives include:
  1. To establish a Center in UON which results in eff ective co-ordination of interdisciplinary education, research and outreach supporting sustainable dryland ecosystems and societies in Kenya.
  2. To develop a dryland leadership learning program at the UON resulting in greater capacity of students and faculty to address the problems of dryland ecosystems and societies in Kenya.
  3. To develop a comparative, transdisciplinary Research –for –development program resulting in addressing the development and sustainability needs of dryland communities, their ecosystems and the policy makers who serve them.
  4. To create a dryland community outreach program resulting in greater participation in higher education by pastoralists, especially women, for development of more appropriate innovations for dryland systems.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Soil Science: Healing Our Planet's Ills from the Ground Up

Under our feet and ubiquitous, lowly soil can be easily overlooked when it comes to addressing climate change and population growth. But in the January-February issue of the Soil Science Society of America Journal, a team of scientists say soil is an essential piece of the biosphere and more attention should be paid to protecting it. Strategies for doing so include refocusing and boosting research, and communicating its importance to the public.

 "The article is a call to better engage with each other and with those concerned about the coming stresses to the planet," said soil scientist Cesar Izaurralde of the Joint Global Change Research Institute in College Park, Md., a collaboration between the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., and the University of Maryland. "A better understanding of soils is needed to help us weather the changes, many of which will be around for future generations to contend with."

While people don't think much about soil, it quietly and continuously services life on Earth. Soil provides the basis for food and fiber production; it supports a diversity of plant, animal, and microbial life; it regulates nutrient cycles and gas exchange with the atmosphere; it cultures our inner feelings for home, for place, for renewal of spirit.

However, changes occurring to our planet are affecting the services provided by soil. Whether these changes are natural or stimulated by the activities of an ever-increasing population, there is an urgent need to rejuvenate the essential services provided by soil. After all, soil depletion has hastened the collapse of at least one society, the Greeks, and contributed to economic hardship as recently as the last century in the Great Plains of the United States.

The international team of researchers suggest how soil scientists and others can work together to devise strategies to save the soil for the benefit of the planet, the people that inhabit it now and in the future, and all other life that depends on human stewardship.

Representing the 2008 Emerging Issues in Soil Science Committee of the Soil Science Society of America, this team defined some of the most urgent questions that humanity will be facing in coming decades and explored ways that research in soil science might help address those questions.
In their broad discussion, the scientists address eight critical issues: demands for food, water, nutrients, and energy, and the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, biological waste recycling, and global resource equity.

For example, feeding the burgeoning population will require planning to protect the soil and environment, and managing soil can help people use dwindling pools of freshwater more wisely. Nutrients in the soil can be depleted, so it will be important to preserve soil's fertility while improving harvests. Climate change will undoubtedly affect the productivity and resilience of soil, and soil underpins the biodiversity of organisms large and small. Using soils to recycle biological wastes has the potential to replenish our invaluable renewable resources. Finally, soil is the skin of the planet Earth and as such must be viewed as a global resource managed locally.

The authors recommend four steps soil scientists should take to address these critical issues. They include refocusing research to the most urgent problems, broadening their vision from soil to entire ecosystems, enticing young scientists to pursue careers in the field, and improving soil science's image problem with better stories of its past successes and future prospects.

The conversations the researchers hope to elicit may help direct soil science toward greater relevance in preserving our fragile home on this changing planet.

Journal Reference:
  1. H. H. Janzen, P.E. Fixen, A. J. Franzluebbers, J. Hattey, R. C. Izaurralde, Q. M. Ketterings, D. A. Lobb, W. H. Schlesinger. Global Prospects Rooted in Soil Science. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 2011; 75 (1): 1 DOI: 10.2136/sssaj2009.0216

Source
DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (2011, February 9). Soil science: Healing our planet's ills from the ground up. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 23, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2011/02/110209151312.htm

Monday, August 8, 2011

To succeed in today’s world, dare to matter

“We are surrounded by Bureaucrats, Note Takers, Literalists, Manual Readers, TGIF Labourers, Map Followers, and Fearful Employees.” That’s Seth Godin describing what most people in the world do. An Absolutely Excellent Piece by Sunny Bindra. Read on......
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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Wageningen UR course on Climate change adaption in agriculture and natural resources management 2012 CRM:0028043

Centre for Development Innovation
 
Course on: 
We would like to draw your attention to the possbility of following our course on Climate change adaption in agriculture and natural resources management: policy making and programming for sustainable development  which will be held in East Africa from  5 March – 16 March 2012.

“Changing climate and weather patterns are predicted to have severe negative impacts on food production, food security and natural resources in Africa . Climate change adaptation needs to build on the concept of sustainable development.”
This course helps participants to ‘translate’ impacts of climate change into practical solutions and climate informed policies. It uses a multi-disciplinary approach to link climate change research to policy. The course introduces the latest views on climate change and innovative practices for local adaptation. It covers concepts such as vulnerability, uncertainty, policy making processes, conflict management and negotiation. It also introduces tools for analysis, social learning and multi-stakeholder engagement. The course includes field work and stakeholder dialogues on climate change adaptation for their organisations.
 
Application
For more information about the course programme and online application for this course we refer to our website http://www.cdi.wur.nl/UK/newsagenda/agenda/Climate_change_adaptation_in_agriculture_and_natural_resource_management.htm

For this course Netherlands Government Fellowships (NFP) are available at NUFFIC. Please note that the application procedure has been changed.
NFP candidates must apply to Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation for admission to the training. Candidates will receive a letter informing them if they have been admitted or not. In order to receive a NFP fellowship you have to apply, at the same time,  through the Scholarship online (SOL) from Nuffic. Your application will take some time, so please start as soon as possible.

For the contacts
Applications vor NFP fellowships should be submitted to Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation before October 1, 2011.

We would very much appreciate your assistance in informing persons within your organisation and network who you think may be interested in this opportunity.

Thank you in advance for your time and effort.
 
With kind regards,

Suzanne van der Wielen
Project Support Department

Centre for Development Innovation

Wageningen  UR
P.O. Box 88
6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Email:     suzanne.vanderwielen@wur.nl
Website: www.cdi.wur.nl

Friday, July 29, 2011

From Waste to Energy - Alternative Energy Solutions The Environmental Management Programme Galilee International Management Institute, Israel 27th October - 14th November, 2011

The foremost challenge facing today’s decision makers is to guarantee availability, quantity and quality of energy, for both the short and long range future; at minimal economic, social and environmental cost. Using new technology for recovery of materials from the waste stream, Israel is fast becoming a world leader in reducing the amount of solid waste and creating alternative energy for production of fertilizers, water and biogas. Through efficient use of renewable energies, Israel is less and less dependant on imported energy sources (oil, coal & gas) and is taking crucial steps towards reducing air-pollution.

The upcoming Galilee Institute Environmental Management Programme is a window of opportunity for professionals interested in Alternative Energy solutions. Through intense study, comprising professional lectures; study tours and interactive sessions, participants will get the opportunity to absorb Israeli knowledge and experience at first hand.

Tuition scholarships for qualified candidates are currently available. For further information about these scholarships and about the programme, please contact the programme director, Ms. Carmel Elharar at: cbarouk@galilcol.ac.il or visit our website http://www.galilcol.ac.il/

Please note that there are additional programmes, which may also be of interest to you:
* Project Management (December, 2011)
* Public Administration and Civil Service Management (January, 2012)
* Human Resources Management (December, 2011)

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon and to have the privilege of welcoming you both to our Institute and country in October.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Ofer Dressler
Academic Director
The Environmental Management Programme
Galilee International Management Institute, Israel


P.O. Box 208
Nahalal, Israel 10600
Phone: 972 4 642 8888
Fax: 972 4 651 4811
Email:
cbarouk@galilcol.ac.il
Skype: galillee.carmel.barouk
Website:
www.galilcol.ac.il

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Of natural resources, population growth and modernisation

For how long will the Earth cope with the ever increasing depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate?


Watch full HOME documentary here. Courtesy of GoodPlanet.org
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Thursday, July 7, 2011

Missing Food: The Case of Postharvest Grain Losses in Sub-Saharan Africa

Reducing post-harvest losses is an essential pillar in achieving food security in Sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Click > to watch video. Adjust your speaker for sound.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Beekeeping for Poverty Alleviation - Short-term Course

VLIR International Training Programme (ITP) at UGent

This four-month intensive training course addresses all aspects involved in developing beekeeping into a powerful factor of rural development. Students learn the crucial tricks of the art of beekeeping and the production of high quality bee products. They are also taught how to diversify market products, approach the local population and engage them in beekeeping. Other topics include ensuring the provision of sufficient sources of nectar and pollen; linking beekeeping with farming and nature conservation; good contacts with policymakers and authorities; and channels for attracting finance. An interdisciplinary attitude is a key feature of the programme.

Notwithstanding its academic level, the training programme is fully molded to substantive application in rural areas. Students are asked to present the problems of beekeeping in their region or country at the beginning of the course. At the end they have the opportunity to formulate specific solutions in discussion with the group and the lecturers. There are trips to renowned bee research centres and apiarists in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Several excursions with and towards related enterprises are organized. There is plenty of room for exchanging views and experiences.

The detailed list of the courses is as follows: Morphology of Apis mellifera; Taxonomy and Biology of Tropical Bees; Technological Aspects of Apiculture; Pathology and Parasitology of Bees; Genetics and Selection of Bees; Bee botany; Practical Course in Queen Rearing; Practical Beekeeping; Ecology of Pollination; Nectar and Pollen Sources; Introduction in Palynology; Bee Products (Harvest Methodology, Applications and Quality Control); Diversification of Bee Products; Rural Development and Agricultural Economy; Participative Methods and Project Cycle Management; Medical aspects of bees and bee products; Finding Funding.

For admission requirements and eligibility follow the links below:

Laboratory of ZooPhysiology, Ghent University
How to apply for a VLIR Short Course
Overview of VLIR Scholarships 

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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

YoBloCo Awards: Write a blog on youth and agriculture and win up to 3,000 Euros!

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), in collaboration with FARA, Yam-Pukri, CAFAN, AYF, ANAFE, SPC/PAFPNET is organizing the Youth in Agriculture Blog Competition (YoBloCo Awards). This contest is launched in the framework of the ARDYIS initiative which aims to raise youth awareness and improve their capacity on agricultural and rural development issues in ACP countries using Information Technology.

This blog competition aims to:

  • Put into limelight issues, successes and challenges faced by youth engaged in: agriculture in urban and rural areas;
  • Encourage the production of information and the use of new information technologies by young farmers’ groups and organizations interested in the “youth in agriculture” question;
  • Promote the sharing of information on the issues of agriculture and rural development in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

This competition is also being launched in the framework of the commemoration of the United Nations International Year of Youth. For more information on who is eligible and how to participate, follow this link http://ardyis.cta.int/en/blog-competition

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Regional PhD Programme in Dryland Resource Management - 2011/2012 Academic Year

Admission to the regional PhD programme (Dryland Resource Management) hosted by the University of Nairobi, Kenya for the 2011/2012 academic year is on. Application deadline set on 30th September 2011.

Applicants should be: a) holders of a Master of Science degree in agricultural related disciplines, biological sciences, environmental sciences or natural resource management, b) holders of Masters Degree in relevant social sciences recommended by the Faculty Board and approved by Senate or an equivalent qualification from an institution recognized by Senate.  The programme consists of course work and examinations during the first year, followed by research and thesis during the second and third year. The programme shall take a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 5 years.

For more information on the programme, please contact: Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, University of Nairobi, Box 30197 -00100 Nairobi, Kenya; Tel: +254.20.2181354; Email: deanagric@uonbi.ac.ke; or Chairman, Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology, email: larmat@uonbi.ac.ke

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

8 Reasons Students Should Not be friends with their Teachers on Facebook

People are becoming Facebook friends with old classmates, long lost cousins and the neighbour across the street. Teens especially seem to have a tendency to add almost everyone to their friends list that asks. So, if one of their teachers should send them a friend request, they’re likely to accept it. If they randomly came across a teacher’s profile on Facebook, they might also send a friend request too, without thinking much about it. A teacher, however, should give the situation some consideration.

There are some very good reasons why a teacher should NOT be Facebook friends with their students.
  1. Privacy – The teacher’s privacy and the student’s privacy are compromised when they become Facebook friends. A student (and that student’s friends) may learn things about their teacher that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to. This could be detrimental in the class setting.
  2. Harassment – Again, this can go both ways. If the relationship between the teacher and the student is not a positive one, or deteriorates in the classroom, Facebook connections could be used to harass one another outside the confines of the school building.
  3. Favoritism – Since teachers have many different students each day, if they were Facebook friends with some of their students and not others, they would likely be accused of showing favoritism to those students they had befriended on Facebook.
  4. Intimidation – Some students might see a teacher’s Facebook friendship intimidating. They may be hesitant to accept the friendship because of not wanting their teacher to be privy to their conversations with friends. At the same time, they may fear saying no to a friend request from a teacher, for fear that they will offend the teacher and negatively affect the teacher’s treatment of them.
  5. Age appropriate – Since a teacher would be an adult, there may be postings from friends on their Facebook page, which would not be age appropriate content for their students to be reading or viewing..
  6. Prejudice – As much as teachers try not to allow outside knowledge affect their treatment of their students, it still can have a subliminal effect. A Facebook friendship may cause a teacher to see the student in a whole different light than they did in the classroom previously.
  7. Misunderstandings – Online communications are often filled with misunderstandings about what a person meant by something they typed or did online. A teacher/student friendship on Facebook could create more opportunities for these types of misunderstandings.
  8. Expectations – A student who has a teacher as a Facebook friend may expect special treatment from that teacher. The student may also expect the teacher to answer questions regarding assignments and homework via their Facebook friendship, that should be reserved for the classroom.
If you’re a teacher and haven’t given this situation any thought, now is the time to do so. The easiest solution is to simply make it a matter of personal policy to not be Facebook friends with any student at your school. That way, no one can be offended by your rejecting their friend request, and you can’t be put in a position that you may later regret. If you like social networking, you can also choose platforms that allows you to group your friends according to your relationship, like Diaspora*Alpha or Google+. Grouping is not automatically possible on Facebook, and anything posted on your Wall is available to all your 'Friends'. (Post Courtesy of Jide Ogunsanya).

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Scholarship Links

This post is for bachelor students, and post-bachelor degree persons interested to pursue Master or PhD studies, and are looking out for Scholarships. We update the links regularly so click on the label scholarship to visit this post often, or subscribe for an RSS.

Flemish Inter-University Council (VLIR) Scholarships, 1 and 2 Years Master level for ICPs and short-term training programmes (ITPs) , tenable in Flemish Universities in Flanders, Belgium.  PhD scholarship only awarded to ICP Graduates. Application deadline February 1 each year. http://www.scholarships.vliruos.be/ ; http://www.vliruos.be

Ghent University, Special Research Fund (BOF), supports Doctoral students from developing countries. You can apply any time through your Promoter (Professor) at Ghent University. http://www.ugent.be/en/research/funding/phd/BOF/docos.htm

DAAD Scholarships http://nairobi.daad.de/

The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) are fellowship programmes designed to promote capacity building in 60 developing countries by providing training and education to their mid-career staff members. For deadlines and more info visit http://tinyurl.com/3d9dd4r

Erasmus Mundus - Scholarships and Academic Cooperation
Erasmus Mundus aims to enhance quality in higher education through scholarships for individuals (Master and Doctorates) and academic cooperation between Europe and the rest of the world. Check link for more info.

The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) implements its mission through a range of activities but at its core is the Competitive Grants System (CGS), comprising a number of different competitively awarded grant programmes including;
  • the Graduate Research Grants (GRG),
  • the Community Action Research Programme (CARP), special calls to meet some particular disciplinary or operational criteria, and  
  • the Field Attachment Programme Awards (FAPA) for students to engage with prospective employers and clients of their research after handing in their theses.
Check out their website for calls.

National Council for Science and Technology - Research Grants. They have calls every year, so it is worth visiting their site often. Helps if you have a proposal ready for customizing to the particular call.

Local projects - talk talk talk to the Professors and Heads of Departments in the line of your research interest. A ready proposal is an added advantage.

Scholarships Websites - Examples, http://scholarship-positions.comhttp://www.advance-africa.com/ Many of these websites allow you to subscribe to an email newsletter and they send you updates to your inbox

Google - the best thing that ever happened 'sic' to information age. So go ahead and Google it. You never know.

Among others..........that you can put in the comments section below and benefit someone else.

Good luck. The Living Land