Short Course on Restoration of Degraded Semi-arid Landscapes for PhD Students in East Africa

PVS0109 Restoration of degraded semi-arid landscapes – Livelihood, Livestock and Land use, 10.0 credits

Restorering av degraderad semi-arida landskap – levnadsvillkor, boskap och markanvändning

Time

1 Sep 2014 - 16 Jan 2015, 30%, Mixed

Cycle Postgraduate	Subject Agricultural Science	Application code SLU-P0004
Location Uppsala	Distance No	Language English

Application deadline:   16 May 2014

Syllabus approved: 2014-01-10 

Subject: Agricultural Science

Marking scale: Pass / Failed

The requirements for attaining different grades are described in the course assessment criteria which are contained in a supplement to the course syllabus. Current information on assessment criteria shall be made available at the start of the course. 

Prerequisites:
Accepted as a PhD student in SLU or East African countries.

Objective:
The course will provide understanding of multifunctionality and complexity of rangelands. The students should be able to relate gained knowledge to their own research topic, but also to other disciplines in a multidisciplinary context. The students should also get an insight and understanding in participatory methods and experience in use of some of the methods. In addition, through small project work, do multidisciplinary analysis and reflection.

After completing the course the student shall be able to:

• describe pastoralism and multifunctionality of rangelands
• describe grazing strategies and explain consequences of overstocking and overgrazing
• discuss animal husbandry and animal production in relation to sustainable intensification
• describe, discuss and analyze co-benefits and trade-offs between desired landscape functions of different restoration methods/techniques
• describe the drivers of vegetation changes
• explain carbon sequestration in rangelands under different management regimes
• use participatory research methods in practice

Content
This is a multidisciplinary course and it is relevant for students in different disciplines such as animal science, soil science, agroforestry, ecology, agricultural economy, rural development, etc.

The course will start with a video meeting/seminar to be followed by literature studies by the students at their home university. Field work will be the core in the course and the students will work in smaller groups or pairs during most part of the course. A high degree of interaction will be achieved by regular discussion and reflection sessions and the students will also make presentations, of individual and group assignments. The field work will be done in a "real case" where restoration of degraded rangelands has been established at different times since mid-eighties and is still going on. This gives the student a unique possibility to learn processes and changes of rangelands restorations but also to relate to their own research topic in a bigger picture. The pair of students will work with both a farmer who has implemented restoration and a farmer who has not. This in turn could be a sort of extension where the farmer not implemented can see effects of restoration methods. The up-start of the field work will be carried out at JKUAT (Nairobi) with 2 days of lectures and the students will have a possibility to meet and discuss with researchers from ICRAF and ILRI. During these two days, the students will also do individual presentations of the literature read and how they relate it to their own research area. During the field work the students will visit and interview farmers and also collect some basic data as well as "transect walks". The outcomes of the field part will later be presented orally in an end seminar but also in a course report done in a scientific report as well as in a popular science way, e.g. magazine like.

Literature:
Required reading is assigned by the course organizers. Information about the course literature will be available at least four weeks before the course starts.

Examination:
The examination will be composed of several parts: Introductory presentation of own research in relation to literature. Participate in all activities and exercises. Presentations of assignments and field work both orally and in written form. Approval of scientific report completed within three weeks after the field work in December and a short report written in a popular scientific way.

Additional information
All costs for the course (teaching travel costs and accommodation) will be covered by the course for students from SLU, JKUAT and other universities in East Africa. Student from other Nordic universities can take the course if place is available on their own expenses.

The course will be linked to a new research platform involving SLU, ICRAF, ILRI and other universities in Sweden and Kenya; the Triple L Initiative (www.agri4d.se)

The course will be running from September 2014 to January 2015.

Responsible department: Animal Nutrition and Management, SLU; Dept. of Forest Ecology and Management, SLU; Dept of Botany at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya.

Location: Nairobi and West Pokot, Kenya

Responsible department
Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, SLU

Submit your application to the course leaders:

Ewa Wredle and Gert Nyberg

E-mail: Ewa.Wredle@slu.se; Gert.Nyberg@slu.se

Source Link
Syllabus

Just Graduated

By Stephen M. Mureithi (PhD)

Congratulations for your excellent results:) Now that you have just or is about to graduate, what next?

Still have dreams? I hope yes. OK, good because if you stay focused you will be able to achieve them. There is nobody who can stop you apart from yourself and the limitations you set for yourself in the mind. God has already provided you with the potential and ability to achieve what you want in life, so go for it. And honor him when you get there.

Things to do:

Acquire Financial Education – At the University or College you have so far acquired academic and professional education which is key to excelling in life as you serve the society. But as you will soon (or you have already) realize, the world deals with money, and to be successful, you’ve got to learn how to deal with it. So, endeavor to acquire financial education, without which you will not be truly successful in life despite your achievements in academics and profession. Like a three legged stool, acquiring the three will make you stable and successful. Where do you start? Read books – I suggest you start by reading ‘The Richest Man in Babylon’ here!

Get right back to college – Continue with your studies (M.Sc./M.A. or PhD). There is nothing cool like studying while you are young. However, what you choose to pursue at postgraduate levels has to fit in your long-term career goal, not just to fill a nothing-to-do time gap. Interested? See some Master and PhD Scholarships here!

Find a job/management trainee-ship positions - The advantages of getting into employment as quickly as possible are:

• Start earning income! You've probably got a student loan to pay back, and your parents have probably got plenty to spend their missing millions on, rather than their 'boomerang' offspring!
• Employers are more impressed by people who have shown commitment to work, and are willing to learn new things (ask questions).
• Gets you in the habit of getting out of bed early in the morning - the work routine.
• You're more likely to encounter people who can help you in your career while seeking for a job, than while in the couch!

Don't make the mistake of thinking you should wait until a job in your chosen field comes along: it may never do so, or maybe not for quite a while. There's nothing wrong (and everything right) with getting a job that gets you started, and continuing to look out for 'a proper job'. You could change jobs several times over the first five years of your working life before you acquire the label 'job-hopper'. Employers understand that it takes a while for young people to find their feet.

The vast majority of people 'fall into' long term careers by this process of trial and error, and never end up in what seemed like 'the proper job' at the outset.

OK! So you've decided to take this advice and get cracking. Now, what exactly should you do?

Attitude (Your mind)

Be as flexible and open-minded as you possibly can be! If you are willing to take any job, anywhere, for any (reasonable) money, then you are more likely find a job sooner than if you are not!

CV (Resume)

Prepare a CV! The internet has many resources on how to write a Good CV.

Referees

Obtain permission from two or three people to use them as referees. Ideally, these should include your college tutor and someone who employed you in an industrial placement during your degree, or a vacation job for example. Failing that, use a family friend who holds a professional position: doctor, lawyer, pastor, employer, for example. Include the names and contact details (including email) of your referees on your CV.

Magazines – include daily newspapers in your local reference library.

Apply to every job that interests you. Do not worry if the advertisement asks for more experience than you have to offer. The employer may not be able to find an experienced person, and by applying you will be saving him the expense of re-advertising for a trainee position in a month's time. Secondly, they may have another, unadvertised job for a trainee. Thirdly, what have you got to lose by trying?

If you have been able to obtain back issues of publications, apply to every organization that advertised the sort of jobs you are interested in, in the last year (or in fact, as far back as you like!). Write a slightly different covering letter to accompany your CV:

Dear Sir/Madam, I noticed that in last January's issue of The Daily Nation that you were advertising for a Soil Scientist position. This is exactly the sort of job I am looking for. If you have any current or forthcoming vacancies for Trainee Soil Scientists, then I would be very interested to meet you. I enclose a CV for your consideration.

Do not worry about doing this: they might not have filled the job, or they might have filled the job, but the new person didn't work out very well, or they might have a new junior position. Again, what have you got to lose?

Internet

If you have access to the worldwide web (preferably on broadband, with unlimited access), scour the internet for information and potential job (scholarships) opportunities.

Seek internships – whether paid or unpaid, internships helps to build up your experience that you will table as you seek for jobs. Employers are more likely to hire a person who is volunteering somewhere than one just tarmacking in the streets.

Volunteer – Not many organizations will refuse you to work for them, even for free. Many will soon put you in the payroll if they find you persistent and valuable. Works the same like internships, but the later have short time frames.

Start a business – If you are entrepreneurial (everyone should be able) you can start a business which you have passion, knowledge and skills in. Agribusiness for example, offers many opportunity for agriculturalists who do not mind getting dirty while earning good money. You are surrounded by a crowd of both old and young people who have employed themselves and created jobs for many others. Start now, start small and grow Biggest:)

Things not to do:

Do not sit at home – pity parties’ leads nowhere. Wake up and do something positive.

Do not do drugs, prostitution, alcohol or crime – If you didn’t do it so far, why start now? Concentrate on healthy living, and you will live long, healthy and happy:)

Do not waste time – thinking you are still young is wasting life. If there are things you need to do, do them now.

The Author is an Entrepreneur and a Lecturer in Land and Water Resource Management at the University of Nairobi. Comments can be left under this post (click title) or sent to stemureithi@uonbi.ac.ke

PhD student needed in Forest Ecology and Management at SLU

Healthy Waters: The role of protective measures to minimize negative forestry impact on water quality

The main objective of this PhD-student project is to investigate the role of different forestry related measures for improving water quality. A range of new collaborative strategies and concrete measures have recently been initiated, spurred by the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, to minimize forestry influence on water quality. But how effective have these strategies and measures been? The connection to the state-of-the-art scientific understanding of the effectiveness will be evaluated and tested. The overall purpose of this PhD project is therefore to explore through what mechanisms water protection in areas used by forestry can become most effective. The work will be to evaluate the role of different actions for minimizing the impact on water quality by using scientific literature, field data collection, computer based models and water quality data from the Krycklan catchment study (www.slu.se/Krycklan). This position is part of a multi-disciplinary project ”Healthy Waters: The role of collaborative governance to minimize negative forestry impact on water quality” which includes both natural and political science researchers. The PhD-student position is full-time and covers 48 months and the holder of the position is expected to achieve a PhD-degree. The PhD student is expected to start the project during the spring of 2014. The affiliation of the PhD student will be the Department of Forest Ecology and Management in Umeå, Sweden. The department has an international character both when it comes to research and teaching. 

Qualifications
We are seeking a highly motivated individual. The candidate should have good communication skills, a strong work ethic, be a team player and work well in a strong research environment. We are searching a person with a MSc. in Forestry, Physical Geography, or related field. Familiarity with digital terrain analysis, water quality modeling and/or forestry impacts on water quality is a merit. Experience with field data collection methods is preferred, and a driving license is required for conducting the field studies.

Forms for funding or employment
Employment as PhD student 4 years 

SLU is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

A person has basic eligibility for third level education if he or she has taken a second level qualification or has completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, including at least 60 higher education credits at second level.
Those who met the requirements for general eligibility before July 1st, 2007, i.e. had completed a programme of higher education for at least 180 Higher education credits or the equivalent, will continue to do so until the end of 2015."

Selection among applicants meeting the requirements is made with reference to written application including curriculum vitae, copies of degrees and transcripts of academic records, one copy of the dissertation for masters or undergraduate degree, a list of at least two references familiar with the applicant's qualifications, certified knowledge of the English language and an interview.

Read more about the PhD education in the Handbook for postgraduate students

Read about the PhD education at SLU at www.slu.se/en/education/postgraduate-studies/

Use this APPLICATION FORM

Further information: Professor Hjalmar Laudon hjalmar.laudon@slu.se +4690-7868584

Academic union representatives
SACO Per Hansson +46 (0)90 786 84 74
SEKO Inga-Lis Johansson +46 (0)90 786 82 10
ST Hans Åkesson +46 (0)90 786 83 42

Applications, marked with ref no ua 407/2014, must have arrived at the Registrar of SLU, P.O. Box 7070, S- 750 07 Uppsala or registrator@slu.se no later than 2014-03-25.

Source: http://www.slu.se/en/education/postgraduate-studies/new-phd-student/Read-more/?sprak=e&Uid=909