ILRI Graduate Fellowship
Call for applications: Agro-economist MSc
student
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Closing date: Until a suitable candidate
is selected
Location: Nairobi (Kenya) and Managua (Nicaragua)
Duration: 6 months, starting as soon as possible
The
International Livestock Research Institute works at the crossroads of livestock
and poverty, bringing high-quality livestock science, communications and
capacity building to bear on poverty reduction and sustainable development.
ILRI is one of
15 Centres of the CGIAR Consortium
The CGIAR
Research Program on Humidtropics involves several CGIAR research centres and
national partners. It helps poor farm families, particularly led by women, in
tropical Africa, Asia and Americas to boost their income from integrated
agricultural systems’ intensification while preserving their land for future
generations.
In Nicaragua,
ILRI conducts work in close collaboration with the CGIAR International Center
for Tropical Agriculture.
One of the tools
used by Humidtropics is an overarching research-for-development (R4D) platform
approach that supports learning and exchange to deliver the development
outcomes outlined above.
An R4D platform
is a network of different stakeholders who come together to exchange knowledge
and develop joint action to bring about change in livelihoods and natural
resource management.
In Nicaragua, a
national R4D platform, called Learning Alliance Nicaragua, has been set up by
various development partners to facilitate multi-stakeholder coordination and
engagement for inclusive and sustainable agricultural value chains development.
This national platform has been meeting for the past five years.
This graduate
fellowship is meant to evaluate how the R4D platform has contributed to
strengthen the organizational capacities of local stakeholders to implement
agrifood value chain development programs.
ILRI is
currently developing a conceptual framework to monitor and evaluate the impact
of R4D platforms hypothesizing that the structure of the platform has an impact
on the conduct of its participants, which in turn has an impact on the
performance of the platform.
The position:
The Agro-economist (MSc student) will use methods from marketing analysis to
identify the relationships between factors that contribute to the performance
of an R4D platform in reaching selected development outcomes identified above,
in order to refine and test the conceptual framework for the monitoring and
evaluation of the impact of R4D platforms.
Key Responsibilities:
To review
relevant and recent literature on marketing relationships and R4D platforms;
After having
agreed with the supervisors in choosing out of the conceptual framework
i) one element
describing the conduct of platform participants and
ii) one element
describing the performance of the platform, to review relevant and recent
literature from the marketing relationships literature to identify previously
used questionnaire statements that characterize these two elements;
- For each one of these two elements, to propose statements, based on the literature review, which describe the various notions encompassed by these elements;
- To contribute in devising survey methods adapted to the local field context in order to collect data from platform stakeholders so as to test the relationships posited in a simplified model of the conceptual framework and the appropriateness of the statements proposed to characterize the two elements selected from the conceptual framework;
- To travel to the field to test the survey instruments, implement data collection together with local project partners, and gather qualitative information through focus groups and semi-structured interviews of project stakeholders in the field to illustrate the conceptual framework on R4D platforms;
- For the two elements selected, to analyse the data collected using factor analysis so as to identify a limited number of statement(s) that best encompass the two elements studied;
- To analyse the data collected from the R4D platforms using multiple regression analyses so as to test a simplified model of the conceptual framework linking all the elements of structure, conduct and performance of the R4D platforms under study;
- To write up research results in a format suitable for publication as an MSc Thesis or university field report, and possibly a case study article or a scientific journal article.
Requirements:
- Be a current student at MSc (or equivalent degree level) in agricultural economics, agrifood marketing or development studies;
- Use this assignment to complete an academic requirement of the MSc degree (final thesis, field study report, sabbatical activity report, etc.);
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Spanishare requirements;
- Having completed academic requirements of an MSc programme in one of the above fields before starting work at ILRI is a plus;
- Demonstrated knowledge of using statistical tools and software for research, SPSS preferred; alternatively, genuine interest to learn about using statistical packages a plus;
- Some prior international development experience is a plus;
- A team player with excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
Ability to
interact effectively in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment.
Terms of
appointment and stipend:
The successful
candidate will be supervised jointly by an ILRI Agro-economist and the
university supervisor.
While at ILRI
Headquarters in Nairobi, he or she will also have access to many other ILRI
researchers so as to develop his or her research.
While in
Managua, he or she will be based with and report to the Scientist, Research for
Development, and the Humidtropics Central America and Caribbean action area
coordinator, at CIAT Nicaragua office.
ILRI will
provide a stipend of US$1,000/month to the successful candidate, economy return
air ticket to Nairobi, plus travel allowance when on duty travel out of the
duty locations, as well as insurance.
ILRI will pay
for the costs of research-related travel.
Please apply to
this Agro-economist (MSc student) position online: http://ilri.simplicant.com
Location: Nairobi (Kenya) and Managua (Nicaragua)
Closing date: Until a suitable candidate is selected.
ILRI is an equal
opportunity employer.
Suitably
qualified women and citizens of developing countries are particularly
encouraged to apply.
