RELOAD: Reduction of Post Harvest Losses and Value Addition in East African Food Value Chains builds a research network between partners in Germany, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. It is a 5 year collaborative project led by the Institute for Agricultural Engineering at the University of Kassel in Germany. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and will start in June 2013. In Kenya, one focus of RELOAD is on dairy value chains. The high losses along the dairy value chain include losses in volume (spillage), quality (spoilage) and value (price fluctuations) ‐ i.e. spillage of milk during milking, on farm handling and transport until the point of reception, spoilage due to contamination and microbial activity on‐farm, as well as during transport and processing, and economic losses due to high price fluctuations between seasons and low net profit margins for the producers. Six PhD thesis projects will analyze different possibilities to reduce losses and increase efficiency along the dairy value chain. These studies will be jointly implemented between Egerton University and the German Institute for Agriculture in the Tropics and Subtropics (DITSL) at the University of Kassel in Germany, and in cooperation with the Guilford Dairy Institute, Kenyan SMEs in the dairy sector and private farms. PhD candidates will be registered at Egerton University. The 6 PhD topics and proposals will be developed within the following thematic areas. In all cases applicants need to have very good knowledge on dairy production and the East African Dairy Sector (particularly in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda). 1. Mapping selected dairy value chains and estimating losses Interest and good knowledge on: Dairy value chain, Livestock legislation, livestock nutrition and husbandry, socio‐economic and agricultural marketing. Contact: Dr. Joseph Matofari, Egerton University, email matofari@yahoo, scholarship starts in October 2013. 2. Milking, on farm milk handling, use of spoiled/rejected milk, by‐products Interest and good knowledge on: Milk and milk production technology, Quality assurance, Food legislation and Product development. Contact: Dr. Joseph Matofari, Egerton University, email matofari@yahoo, scholarship starts in January 2014. 3. Storability, shelf life, new dairy products for different market segments Interest and good knowledge on: Milk and Milk products Technology, Quality Assurance, Food Legislation and Standards, Product Research and Development, Dairy Value Chain and Agricultural Marketing Contact: Dr. Patrick Muliro, Egerton University, email pmuliro@yahoo, scholarship starts in January 2014. 4. Buffering seasonal variations in milk and dairy products Interest and good knowledge on: Regional and National Dairy Master Plans, Milk Production Trends, Regional and National Dairy Consumption and Demand Situation, Dairy product production and management , Agricultural Marketing and Entrepreneurship Contact: Dr. Patrick Muliro, Egerton University, email pmuliro@yahoo, scholarship starts in April 2014. 5. Development of technological options for decentralized solar driven milk preservation Interest and good knowledge on: Refrigeration and air conditioning option at MSc with a Basic degree in Agricultural or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent. Contact: Dr. Musa Njue, Egerton University, email musanjue@yahoo, scholarship starts in January 2015. 6. Dairy sector policy framework, markets and branding for dairy products Interest and good knowledge on: Food value addition policy, Socio‐cultural/economic and community development. Contact: Dr. Joseph Matofari, Egerton University, email matofari@yahoo, scholarship starts in April 2014. For each topic we offer a PhD scholarship and the research funds to pursue empirical field research. All topics involve intensive fieldwork in smallholder dairy environments in Kenya. Furthermore candidates will be able to access research infrastructure at Egerton University and DITSL in Witzenhausen in Germany. Qualifications of the applicants: ‐ Excellent master or equivalent degree in agricultural sciences, animal production, veterinary sciences, food technology, agricultural economics, geography, development studies or related fields. ‐ Very good English communication and writing skills, knowledge of Kiswahili is an asset ‐ Team work orientation and networking skills. You are a particularly suitable candidate if you: ‐ have your family background in smallholder farming systems. ‐ have practiced and liked participatory research and cooperation with farmers for topics 1, 2, and 4. ‐ have experience and a liking for laboratory work and food technology for topics 3 and 5. ‐ have experience in the area of the PhD study for which you apply. Female and male applicants are equally encouraged to apply for these positions. Application Please specify the topic to which you apply and provide a statement of motivation for you to choose this topic. Submit your documents to the respective contact person. Application documents comprise: A letter of motivation (indicating the topic you apply for), Curriculum Vitae, Publication list, Summary of the master thesis, Copies of relevant certificates, Contact details of 2‐3 referees. Please submit these documents by email in one single PDF file to the respective contact person with a copy to Dr. Christian Hülsebusch, DITSL, Germany [email protected]. Selection of candidates will start on 1st of May 2013 and continue until positions are filled.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 12:54:45 +0000
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