PhD Biomass for Biodiesel Production on Family Farms in Nampula (Mozambique))

PhD Biomass for Biofuels production options on family farms in Nampula (Mozambiq

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).

Additional information about the job:
Eduaro Mondlane Uninversity, Department of Agriculture and Forestry
Wageningen University, Department of Plant Sciences, chair group Plant Production Systems.
Wageningen University, Department of Animal Sciences, chair group Animal Production Systems

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has through its organisation Science for Global Development (WOTRO) granted funding for an integrated programme ‘Biomass for fuel: opportunity or threat to food and feed security? Case studies for farms in Brazil and Mozambique’. The programme seeks to assess the possibilities and limitations of biomass for bio-fuel production on family farms in two regions in Mozambique and Brazil by exploring pros and cons of alternative farming options. It aims at developing generic methods, such that they can be applied to the regions in Mozambique and Brazil, but are also re-usable for other regions where similar issues are at stake.
The main research partners in the programme are different groups of Wageningen University, the Netherlands, University of Sao Paolo and Federal University of Viçosa, both in Brazil, and Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique National Institute of Agricultural Research (IIAM) and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), all three based in Mozambique. The programme includes two post-docs, one in the Netherlands and one in Brazil, and two PhD students, one in Mozambique and one in Brazil. The research will be carried out in close collaboration between the countries. The programme is managed and coordinated by the chair group Plant Production Systems (PPS) at Wageningen University.

Information: For more information on the vacancy you can contact Prof. A. Sitoe, asitoe@uem.mz , tel. +258-823195410, Dr G.W.J. van de Ven, Gerrie.vandeVen@wur.nl, tel +31(0)317-482696. Information on Sandwich PhD-requirements is available on the website of the research school PE&RC: www.dpw.wageningen-ur.nl/PEenRC/.

Information on the type of research is available at the website www.competingclaims.nl .

Wageningen University and Research centre

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 about the vacancy can be obtained from:

Prof. A. Sitoe
Telephone number: +31 258 823195410
E-mail address: asitoe@uem.mz

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 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 address: Gerrie.vandeven@wur.nl