Closing date: 19 Mar 2025

Background 

 

Closing the yield gap in African smallholder agriculture is a critical challenge, which must be met to achieve food security. With increasing population and limited land for agricultural expansion, this calls for a transition to sustainable food systems as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation. In line with its Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies, the EU has a major role in accelerating and safeguarding the global transition to sustainable food systems to provide affordable, safe, and, healthy food with fair economic returns to farmers, increase the provision of ecosystem services, restore biodiversity and minimize GHG emissions and pressure on ecosystems. One such solution is through enhancing sustainable agroforestry management practices. These solutions are particularly urgent in Sub-saharan Africa where 60% of the population depends on agricultural, forest, and woodlands for their livelihoods. Yet, agricultural productivity is less than half the global average with dry seasons further undermining farm yields, reducing food availability, and lowering income. Climate change (CC) will further intensify food insecurity, with frequent and recurring droughts, floods, and other extreme events.

 

 Agroforestry - an integrated answer for sustainable livelihoods amidst the adverse climate changes. Agroforestry provides a unique opportunity to sustain productivity and business throughout the annual dry seasons and exceptional climatic droughts, thereby supporting rural jobs, households, and down migrations while contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as biodiversity, and ecosystem services. However, to harness the potential for agroforestry as a key to sustainable intensification in African farming, we need context-specific management practices, tailored to local plant and animal species, socio-cultural conditions, and state of play on land and tree tenure, as well as establish community-centered agroforestry innovations, while leveraging scientific expertise but also local knowledge.  Implemented in Four (4) countries (Kenya, Senegal, Ghana and Cameroon ), the objective of GALILEO is to co-develop, via multi-actor partnerships, context-specific, people-centered agroforestry innovations in diverse agro-pastoral (AP), agroforestry (AF) and agro-silvo-pastoral (ASP) systems (simply called AFSPs) that increase agricultural, household and climate change adaptation and mitigation in SSA.

 

In support of research and academic collaboration, the project wishes to recruit one (1) Ph.D. student, to support the project team in the assessment of contribution of AFSP systems in biodiversity preservation and enhancement through  extensive data collection on belowground biodiversity and regulating services. We are seeking a candidate with a strong soil biodiversity-related academic background, with an interest or experience in agroforestry systems. He/she should have experience or a willingness to learn and engage in designing and implementing extensive soil biodiversity and regulating ecosystem services experiments in the mentioned project countries. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to impactful research while working at the intersection of biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services and sustainable land-use practices in a vibrant, diverse setting. The Ph.D. position is based at icipe Nairobi, with frequent field travels for sampling.  

 

Eligibility criteria

• Should be a national of a sub-Saharan Africa country.
• MSc. degree in biological science-related courses, such as microbiology, biotechnology, entomology or related discipline.
• A Master’s degree must have been completed less than six years ago at the time of application.
• Knowledge in microbiology analysis.
• Strong knowledge of analytical software (especially R).
• Excellent oral and written proficiency in English
• Published at least one manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal or presented a paper at an International Conferences related to soil biodiversity 
• Strong experience in designing soil biodiversity and regulating ecosystem services
• Familiarity and experience with research methodologies specific to diversified farming systems or agroforestry would be an advantage.
• Qualified female candidates and candidates from less privileged regions or groups as well as candidates with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.

How to apply                                                                                                                                        

• Applications will be accepted up to 19^th March 2025.
• Fill in the application form
• Submit a concise motivation letter.
• A detailed CV (name, contact details, age, and gender), the names of at least 3 relevant referees.
• Copies of BSc and MSc degrees and transcripts indicating all courses and obtained degrees.

Please note that:

• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
• Short-listed candidates are subject to an interview/written assessment.

 

Timeline

Closing date for applications 19^th March 2025.