POST-DOCTORAL FIXED-TERM CONTRACT POSITION (3 YEARS)

CLOSING DATE: 2 December 2015

 

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) wishes to appoint a post-doctoral fellow, specializing in the social-ecological concept of “People-centred learning” for improving small-holder irrigation practice.

This position forms part of a team of scientists funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), managed through the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA). The initial focus countries are Malawi and Tanzania, although this will widen to other countries in Eastern and Southern Africa over time.

The aim of the wider project is to improve the profitability and sustainability of irrigation farming by better water, salt and fertiliser management. There are two thrusts to achieving this aim. The first is to deploy farmer-friendly monitoring tools that measure soil water, nutrients and salt and give output as colour lights such that the information can be understood by farmers with low literacy. The second is to develop a “Virtual Irrigation Academy”, an on-line system to allow visualisation of data from the monitoring tools linked to a virtual discussion, learning and teaching space with skilled facilitators.

The Virtual Irrigation Academy (VIA) has several roles including:

  • Physical data capture through the monitoring tools on a daily basis
  • Capture of the dialogue among farmers, extension workers and scientists for analysis of how learning occurs;
  • Documenting the learning horizontally among farmers and vertically among farmers, extension workers, and the national bodies responsible for research and policy in irrigation water
  • Understanding the evolution of knowledge, and innovation when local and traditional knowledge intersect with modern technology.

 

Requirements

The successful post-doctoral candidate may have graduated through the environmental or social sciences, but must be passionate about understanding and documenting the learning of farmers and the organisations that support irrigated agriculture.  Much of the primary research material will come through the on-line Virtual Irrigation Academy, although travel to rural regions in Malawi and Tanzania will be required.

Key competencies must include:

  • good theoretical grounding in social/organisational learning and/or institutional development and change
  • experience in working in an action research framework more particularly in the agricultural field
  • experience of, or sensitivity to, working with farmers in a cross-cultural and multiple linguistic context
  • knowledgeable on adaptive/social learning processes and how these are taken up and maintained in society
  • good interpersonal relationships as well as interviewing and group facilitation skills
  • excellent articulation skills and an ability to write extremely well as evidenced by publication track record

 

Duration and remuneration:

The value of this grant is R300 000 per annum, including direct running expenses. The grant will include an inflation-linked increase. Field costs will be met through a modest daily subsistence allowance to be provided by the project.

 

The successful candidate should ideally be able to start by February 2016 and will use NMMU’s Sustainability Research Unit as an academic home (see https://sru.nmmu.ac.za/).

 

Applicants should please e-mail a comprehensive CV and covering letter to Mrs Corita Loubser (Corita.Loubser@nmmu.ac.za) and copy to christo.fabricius@nmmu.ac.za, dirk.roux@sanparks.org, h.mogaka@asareca.org  and richard.stirzaker@csiro.au