PhD in Land and Water System Innovations (NL) UNESCO-IHE
PhD position available at UNESCO-IHE (SSI-2 Project)Upscaling small-scale
land and water system innovations in dryland agro-ecosystems for
sustainability and livelihood improvements (SSI-2)
http://www.unesco-ihe.org/Research/PhD-Research/Available-PhD-Positions/PhD-position-available-at-UNESCO-IHE-SSI-2-Project
*Re-Advertisement*
Recently, an interdisciplinary research project was approved by the
UNESCO-IHE Partnership Research Fund (UPaRF).
This project will form part of the broader successor programme of SSI, in
which the following institutes collaborate: UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water
Education (Delft, The Netherlands), University of Dar Es Salaam, University
of KwaZulu Natal, Delft University of Technology, the International Water
Management Institute, Sokoine University of Agriculture and the Stockholm
Resilience Centre.
Within the current project a PhD positions is available, linked to the
themes described below. If successful, the PhD degree will be awarded by
Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.
*Project description*
The project focuses on the semi-arid areas of sub-Saharan Africa, where 95%
of the total agricultural land is used for rainfed agriculture, water
availability is scarce and highly variable, and average yields often remain
below 1 ton per ha. The resilience of the farming systems is low as well,
due the large (and increasing) variability of the hydro-climatic conditions
and a limited capacity to adapt. As a result, crop failure is the norm.
Water availability is a key entry point to improve crop productivity in
these regions (Falkenmark and Rockström, 2004).
The research and outreach programme of *”Smallholder systems innovations in
integrated watershed management”* (SSI-1, 2004-2008) thus focused on the
identification and application of innovative agricultural water management
practices that offer opportunities to increase both food security and
safeguard environmental integrity. The impact of these innovations on food
production and ecosystems has been studied at field and watershed scale at
sites in the Thukela river basin in South Africa and the Pangani river basin
in Tanzania.
There is a growing awareness that a real transformation of the countryside
will only be possible if innovative soil and water technologies and land and
water management practices are adopted, and locally adapted, at a large
scale and in combination with increased fertilizer use (see e.g. Rijsberman,
2004; Polak, 2005; Rockström et al., 2007). Only then will rural areas be
able to transform from their current position of marginalization and poverty
to a motor of socio-economic development (Prahalad, 2004).
Since the conditions under which such a transformation may occur, as well as
the potential impacts at different scales, are still ill-understood, a new
project will focus on the socio-economic and bio-physical conditions and
impacts of upscaling these innovations. This new project (SSI-2, 2008-2012)
will take note of some new drivers that influence the opportunities for
agricultural innovation and rural socio-economic transformation: increasing
food prices, increased access to information in the rural countryside,
climate change impacts, and the limited access of farmers to energy sources
in the face of an increasing global demand for biofuels (e.g., de Wit and
Stankiewics, 2006; Uhlenbrook, 2007). The two PhD research projects form
part of the broader SSI-2 programme.
*PhD Project 1: **Water processes at different spatial scales*
This research theme addresses the hydrological implications for up-scaling
land and water system innovations. The objective is to gain better
understanding of the interactions between processes linking local and larger
scales.
The analysis focuses on how the dominant hydrological processes may change
at different spatial scales. The research builds on the understanding of the
hydrological processes gained during SSI-1, with a stronger emphasis on
groundwater-surface water interactions and potential implications of/for
land management changes.
It is hypothesised that surface-groundwater interactions are critical to the
impacts of water system innovations, and that it impacts vary with scale and
different physiographic characteristics.
This hypothesis will be verified in the field and the results used for
predictive modelling to determine impacts of up-scaled use of WSIs on water
quantity and quality for downstream users under different scenarios. The
surface-groundwater interactions (including wetlands) are also crucial for
the hydrological variability and water resources availability at different
scales and, consequently, for the provision of ecosystem services.
*Research question: *What are the hydrological impacts of small scale
farming activities, incl. water system innovations, across different scales?
Particular attention will be paid to different types of rainwater
harvesting, supplementary irrigation and full scale irrigation.
*Methodology: *Understanding the hydrological impacts of small scale
farming activities across different scales, requires the understanding of
the hydrological processes at these scales. This research will take up the
small scale hydrological understanding (project 3.1) and investigate the
large scale (500-5,000-45,000 km2) hydrological processes through the use of
remote sensing data combined with field observations (incl. hydro-chemical
and tracers studies). Of particular interest is the groundwater surface
water interaction (incl. generation of wetlands) and the impact of this on
the downstream water availability (PBWO, 2006). A process-based distributed
hydrological model will be developed to investigate different scenarios of
uptake and extent of the small scale farming activities.
This study will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Stefan Uhlenbrook, Dr. Jan
Willem Foppen, Dr Shreedhar Maskey (UNESCO-IHE), Dr. T.A. Kimaro (UDSM).
*The following applies to the position:*
- All topics will be carried out in a so-called sandwich construction
with different phases at UNESCO-IHE in the Netherlands and field research in
Tanzania (with regular contacts with Tanzanian and Dutch supervisors).
- PhD positions are funded with a fellowship for which NUFFIC regulations
apply.
- Starting date: April 1, 2009 for 4 years.
- Qualifications: M.Sc. degree (average mark: 80% or above) in a
discipline relevant to the topic, e.g. environmental engineering,
socio-economics of the water sector, hydrology and water resources.
- The applicants must demonstrate a strong interest and experience in
conducting interdisciplinary research.
- The applicant should be willing to co-operated with other researchers
in the SSI-2 programme
- The applicants should be willing to co-supervise MSc research projects.
- The applicants must be fluent in English.
- Preferred country of citizenship of the applicants is Tanzania.
- Age: 40 years and below.
- Work experience in relevant fields of studies is desirable.
The project it is jointly led by Dr. T.A. Kimaro (kimaro@wrep.udsm.ac.tz)
and Ms. M.L. Mul (m.mul@unesco-ihe.org) of UNESCO-IHE.
Applications, including curriculum vitae, the names and contact details of
three contactable referees, and a motivation letter, should be sent by email
to both Dr. T.A. Kimaro and Ms. M.L. Mul before *31 January 2009*. Please
mention the subject heading “PhD application SSI-2 project 1″.
We intend to contact short-listed candidates on or before 15 February 2009.
