NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH ORGANIZATION (NARO)
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT AND MSc FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNTIES

National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) is mandated to coordinate, oversee and guide agricultural research in Uganda. Through its Public Agricultural Research Institutes, NARO develops technologies, innovative methods and new knowledge that better enable farmers, especially smallholders, to make agriculture competitive and profitable as well as sustainable and resilient. NARO conducts research for development in Uganda. NARO through its National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) is seeking a socio-economist and information and communication technology development officer to optimize socioeconomic research within a new project Cultivate Africa Future (CultiAF) that is expected to promote innovative new bean based products for wider consumption.

Background

The aim is to increase the production and consumption of more diverse, safe processed bean products especially among the urban and peri-urban populations of Uganda and Kenya. A multidisciplinary research team in cooperation with national and international development organizations and partner institutes will apply a holistic, demand driven, impact oriented action research approach from farm to fork including research topics on sustainable food availability, food access, food use, food quality, food safety and food utilization, giving particular concern to gender equality, inclusive business relationships and sustainability of agricultural production.

  1. Post–doctoral fellow: Social economist

Role and responsibilities

Working in a team focusing on promoting precooked beans, the Fellow will provide capacity development to national research programs on market linkages, strengthening bean platforms and other agro-enterprise development activities related to CultiAF project. The incumbent will contribute to investigating the role of precooked beans in the nutrition and incomes of the producers and consumers and contribute to the development of the precooked bean value chains in Kenya and Uganda. The incumbent will work with partners, stakeholders at the regional, national and local levels. He/she will also provide support in designing and conducting bean product and related market studies and surveys, as well as the statistical analyses of market data in Uganda and the region.

. Based at NARO Namulonge, the incumbent will:

  • Undertake research design, implementation and analysis of quantitative and qualitative survey data for peer-reviewed journals and other impact-oriented products from high quality research on precooked bean value chains and present at scientific fora;
  • Develop and test tools and methodologies and conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis of the market value chain data and document the impact of market interventions on the smallholder farmers with a gender perspective;
  • Participate in the development and testing of sustainable market linkages and business models that enhance market access of smallholder farmers in collaboration with market value chain actors and other stakeholders
  • Design and develop marketing and promotional strategies and materials for different products promoted in different countries in collaboration with key partners
  • Support the research on identifying market opportunities and assessing the consumer and market demand for precooked beans and determine the willingness to pay for the new products
  • Design and conduct baselines and project evaluations across gender, nutrition, markets and food safety in collaboration with the project teams
  • Conduct gender analysis of the precooked bean value chains
  • Support capacity building of different value chain actors and ensure that women and youth are not marginalized in the project interventions Support gender research and analysis within the project
  • Contribute to the development of new funding opportunities including proposals and concept notes for the generation of financial and human resources to support the research agenda;
  • Support engagement with key stakeholders and strategic partnerships with regional institutions, country government officials, international and local donors, international and local NGOs, universities and other resource institutions that work with NARO in livelihood, agriculture and nutrition programs and especially to enhance the precooked bean project outcomes;

Requirements

The candidate shall have the following competencies, skills and experience and/or shall have successfully demonstrated these attributes in actual work situations:

  • PhD in either Agribusiness, Marketing, Agricultural Economics, Food and Consumer Economics, Economics, Sociology and Management or related fields attained within the last 2 years
  • At least 2 years of research experience at the interface between agricultural value chains, consumer economics and nutrition , but preferably with good economic background, preferably in East Africa
  • Proven publication record
  • Experience in applying methodologies and tools to assess household food security, production and marketing,gender and empowerment, and private sector participation in value chains
  • A demonstrated record of achievements in productdevelopment in the context of micronutrient dense processed food is an added advantage
  • Experience in both quantitative and qualitative data analysis using statistical and Econometric models, statistical and other software (Stata, SPSS, Ms-Access etc.)
  • Strong statistical skills experience with food consumption studies, sensory evaluation and focus group discussions
  • Experience in managing market surveys of different actors along the value chain with a good understanding of the problem of market access in Africa
  • Excellent writing and oral communication skills
  • Strong ability to co-ordinate, prioritize and organize workload; take initiative and work under pressure
  • Ability to work independently but also in teams
  • Willingness to travel and ability to work in a multi-cultural environment
  1. Information and Communication Technology Development Officer

Roles and responsibilities

  • Develop and manage legume programme’s web services, database and information and communication system.
  • Offering computer support services especially hardware, software and network maintenance and troubleshooting for the programme
  • Collect and manage information and data for the programme
  • Develop, together with other programme members, promotional materials for different technologies and innovations
  • Ensure effective dissemination of programme information both online and using other channels.
  • Providing support, including procedural documentation and relevant reports.
  • Work with other service providers especially those offering information technology and web services
  • Perform any other related duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications and Experience

  • First degree in computing, computer science and or information technology. MSc in the named fields will be added advantage.
  • Familiarity with website design and web content management
  • Ability to trouble shoot different problems and offer support
  • Experience of working with different Microsoft platforms/Applications/Programmes
  1. MSc Fellowships (8)

Eight(8) MSc fellowships are available under this CultiAF Precooked Bean Project. This is targeting promising young scientists committed to pursuing research careers involving socioeconomic studies in the Precooked Bean Value Chain in Uganda and/or Kenya. Successful candidates will have to be registered in Makerere University(and where necessary and any other recognized university in Uganda) and pursue the studies over a period of 2 years.

The fellowship provides tuition support and some modest stipend to take care of living expenses for up to 2 years. Travel expenses, shared computers, and opportunties for attending workshops/seminars/ conferences nationally/regionally or internationally. Those interested should be registered at the university as soon as posible in order to meet the two year study/research period. Those who are already registered at the University and currently pursuing their MSc and only require funds for research are encouraged to apply and will have an added advantage.

Task and responsibilities

Undertake research related to the CultiAF Precooked Bean value chain research topics as indicated below (10 research topics are available and one is free to apply for any of the 10 depending on interest butall 10 topics will be researched).

No. / Research Topics of Interest to the project / Time Duration
1. / Evaluation of alternative models for production and supply of precooked vean varieties / 2 years
2. / Consumer preferences and acceptability of precooked beans in Uganda and Kenya / 2 years
3. / Evaluating the demand for precooked beans among the rural and urban households/populations in Uganda and Kenya / 2 years
4. / Analysis of market potential for precooked beans in Kenya and Uganda: What are the challenges and opportunities along the bean value chain? / 2 years
5. / Cost effective communication strategies for promoting precooked beans among urban and rural populations of Uganda and Kenya / 2 years
6. / Gender dynamics and implications of introduction and diffusion of precooked beans along the bean value chains / 2 years
7. / Estimating the role of reduced cooking time on bean consumption and household income among target urban households / 2 years
8. / Nutrition and consumer acceptability of precooked beans: Implications for nutrition sensitive value chains and urban food systems / 2 years
9. / Approaches and mechanisms for formal and informal uptake of value added bean products: case of precooked beans / 2 years
10. / Effectiveness of market testing approaches for processed bean products in Kenya and Uganda / 2 years

Terms of employments and MSc Fellowship

The above positions will be based at National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), Namulonge and will be tenable for 2 years. Similarly, the MSc fellowships will be for a period of two years till March 2017.

Applications

Applicants are invited to send a cover letter illustrating their suitability for the above positions against the listed qualifications, competencies, skills together with detailed curriculum vitae, copies of certificates and academic transcripts including names and addresses of three referees. You should clearly indicate “Post-doctoral socio-economist” or Information and Communication Technology Development Officer or MSc Fellowship on the subject line. In the case of MSc fellowships, indicate the research topic of interest that you are applying for and the corresponding number. Include your working telephone numbers and e-mail addresses for ease of communication. All correspondence should be addressed to:

Director

National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), Namulonge

P.O. Box 7084

Kampala, UGANDA.

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 28thJanuary 2015.

We invite you to learn more about NARO at

1