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The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works to improve food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through research for better and more sustainable use of livestock. ILRI is a CGIAR research centre - part of a global research partnership for a food-secure future.
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is offering a unique opportunity to the right candidate to lead and expand a team of researchers analyzing the environmental footprint of livestock systems in developing countries. The environmental footprint of livestock continues to be a concern for consumers and governments trying to reconcile food production with environmental sustainability. However, there is almost no data from developing countries, particularly in Africa, which means it is difficult to develop investments and interventions to manage the environmental footprint of livestock. Governments and development organizations sorely need more accurate information on the actual GHG emissions from livestock production and the impact of livestock on water quality and soil health. ILRI has the only state of the art livestock-environmental measurement facility in Sub-Saharan Africa. We offer the successful candidate a unique opportunity to build their reputation through empirical research that combines field and laboratory measurements conducted with an inter-disciplinary group of researchers.
The successful candidate will have an established international profile and a record of successful resource mobilization. Depending upon qualifications and experience the appointment will be at Senior or Principal Scientist level.
ILRI works to improve food and nutritional security and reduce poverty in developing countries through research for efficient, safe and sustainable use of livestock. It is the only one of 15 CGIAR Research Centres dedicated entirely to animal agriculture research for the developing world. Co-hosted by Kenya and Ethiopia, it has regional or country offices and projects in East, South and Southeast Asia as well as Central, East, Southern and West Africa. www.ilri.org
Background To Development Of The Mazingira (Environment) Centre
Agriculture and livestock systems, including emissions due to land use change, comprise an estimated 30% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHG emissions directly related to livestock production, ruminant methane emissions, GHG emissions due to manure management and excretion of faeces and urine to pastures, are estimated to be approximately 12% of anthropogenic GHG emissions. However, livestock production is also a major driver of land use change and land degradation, so that it is the overall dominating source of GHG emissions associated with agricultural feed and food production. For most developing countries GHG emissions from the livestock sector dominate their national GHG budgets.
However, up to now there are no reliable data on GHG emissions from livestock methane and nitrous oxide production, or soil C stock changes in Africa (and limited information in most of Asia), as driven by livestock production, due to a lack of both technology and infrastructure, but also research capacity. As a result, countries in Africa and Asia have to use inaccurate GHG emission estimates for agriculture, based mainly on research from OECD countries. This hampers efforts to accurately assess emissions hotspots and to target mitigation actions.
To improve knowledge on the environmental footprint of livestock production systems in developing countries ILRI established the Mazingira (Swahili for Environment) Centre 5 years ago. The laboratory is unique in Africa and is the only facility in the continent that is devoted to comprehensively assessing the environmental footprint of livestock and mitigating the effects. It comprises animal and field experimental facilities and laboratories at ILRI Headquarters in Nairobi and at the Kapiti Research Station, a 13,000ha research facility about 60km outside the city.
The Mazingira Centre provides a quantum improvement in Africa’s environmental research infrastructure and capacity and aims at establishing:
Responsibilities
Requirements
Post location: The position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Terms of Appointment
This is position is at job level HG 19 or 20 and it is open to both national and international applicants. The position is a 3-year contract, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funding. ILRI offers a competitive salary and
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