In this call, the Fellowship is expanding into North Africa, targeting applications from young scientists from Morocco and Algeria in addition to the following sub-Saharan African countries; Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, and Zambia.
Inspired by the AWARD Fellowship Model, the five-year, USD 19.2 million initiative seeks to invest in up to 630 competitively selected agricultural scientists. Selected candidates will participate in an intensive, three-year non-residential, career acceleration process aimed at fostering leadership skills, strengthening scientific research skills including integrating gender into their research, and catalyzing research partnerships and networks. Candidates who complete the three-year process will become One Planet Laureates.
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29 November 2019. Casablanca, Morocco. The main objective of the roundtable discussion organised by AWARD was to highlight how the One Planet Fellowship is working toward sustainability of climate research in Africa by investing in enhancing local capacity, building cross continental, intergenerational, and cross-disciplinary networks of scientists.
The discussion will also spotlight some of the Candidates selected for the first cohort and how their work is helping smallholders cope with the changing climate. Specific objectives were to:
- highlight the need for strong financing collaboration between the private sector, civil society, public research and private philanthropy to mobilize researchers and young people to work towards climate change
- highlight the gendered impacts of climate change and why scientists must learn how to use a gender lens as they innovate solutions
- highlight how the Fellowship is fostering intra and intercontinental cross learning among different players focusing on adaptation to and mitigation of climate change in Africa
- Austin Tenthani Phiri, a Chief Agricultural Research Scientist at Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Water. Stationed at the Bvumbwe Agricultural Research Center, Phiri’s research focuses on improving soil fertility and nitrogen use efficiency for improved food security in Malawi. He has done extensive research on improving nitrogen use efficiency by maize through the pigeon pea and groundnut intercropping and maize rotation system. He is currently working in nine districts in Southern, Northern and Central Malawi to catalyse processes to improve crop productivity under the Agriculture Sector-Wide Approach-Support Program II.
- Oliver Kipkogei, a climate scientist at the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) in Kenya. Kipkogei is working on managing climate risks within the smallholder farmers, particularly in rain-fed farming systems, through enhancing access to quality tailored climate services. He is a contributor to the Food Security Nutrition Working Forum and the online ICPAC Maproom, a one-stop-shop for tailored climate information for agriculture and food security applications. Kipkogei is the coordinator of the generation of advisories on climate forecasts for the agriculture and food security sector of the Greater Horn of Africa.
- Sarah E. Edewor, a researcher and Agricultural Economics from Nigeria who specializes in gender dimensions of land tenure and property rights on the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices among farming households in Nigeria. Her research will try to ascertain how land ownership and registration affect adoption of climate-smart practices for farm production increase, resilience improvement, and removal or reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Mevoyon Pamela Karrel AFOKPE, a plant breeder, is a researcher at East-West Seed International in Benin where she is responsible for the implementation of the varietal improvement program for traditional leaf and fruit vegetables for West Africa. East-West Seed International is actively working to improve different indigenous cultures to meet the growing needs of African smallholder farmers. Most of her research has focused on genetic characterization of high yielding bean varieties.
- Howélé Michaëlle Touré, a PhD student at the University of Science, Technology and Technology of Bamako in Mali. She is attached to the West African Center for Scientific Service on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) Program financed by the German Ministry of Education and Scientific Research. Her research is also funded by the African Excellence on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture (CEA-CCBAD) of Abidjan. Her research focuses on reducing / eliminating cassava bacterial wilt in Côte d'Ivoire in the context of climate change
- Kueshi Semanou Dahan, is pursuing a second master’s degree in Climate Change and Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services at the Doctoral School of the African Center of Excellence for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture. Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, Côte d'Ivoire. His research focuses on the control of soil management and biodiversity conservation in the savanna forest of the Toumodi department in central Côte d'Ivoire. A multidisciplinary scientist, Mr. Dahan is a 2019 winner in Risk and Disaster Management at Integrated Research on Disaster Risks (IRDR).
Implementing partners of the One Planet Fellowship
- Michèle Mbo’o-Tchouawou, Deputy Director- Programs, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD). She leads the development, management and quality of all AWARD programs. A development economist working in the multidisciplinary framework of capabilities and human development, Dr. Mbo’o-Tchouawou has extensively worked with national partners under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) framework to ensure systematic gender mainstreaming and inclusiveness in agricultural investment plans, programs, and interventions.
- Donald Onyoni, Senior Manager, Operations, Administration and Finance, AWARD. He provides strategic financial analysis and direction, playing a key role in developing and managing AWARD’s operational strategy for its programs. A financial professional, Mr Onyoni has been instrumental in successful conceptualisation and project management of several international multi-year and multi-million dollar projects covering a variety of sectors such as international wildlife conservation (CITES MIKE Program – Monitoring Illegal Killing of Elephants), public health with a focus on HIV AIDS Care and treatment (Columbia University- ICAP), and gender in agriculture. He is passionate about projects that foster sustainable positive social impact.
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