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  • Posted: Jan 19, 2022
    Deadline: Not specified
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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.
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    ILRI Consultancy: Adaption Tracking Protocol Development

    The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), under the Program for Climate Smart Livestock (PCSL), seeks to recruit a consultant to develop a composite index and tool for the long-term tracking of adaptation to climate change in livestock systems. The composite index will be constituted by several elements that enable the assessment of adaptative capacity factors and adaptive actions. The consultancy will be carried out under the supervision of and with input from the current adaptation tracking team. The consultant will, therefore, be expected to maintain regular communication with the team and keep them informed at each stage of the iterative process.

    Background:

    PCSL is an initiative across Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya) that aims at creating a better understanding of climate change mitigation and adaptation in livestock systems. One of the objectives of the PCSL is to build the capacity of governments to monitor and report on progress and effectiveness of adaptative actions. Therefore, the end-users of the ensuing adaptation tracking index and tool will be government officers within the livestock sector.

    Scope of Work:

    The consultant will build on ongoing research that seeks to understand climate change adaptation across the diverse livestock production systems in Eastern Africa. This research has formed the basis for the development of the draft indicator sets which the consultant will use to design the adaptation tracking index and tool. Working under the supervision of the existing team on adaptation tracking, the consultant is expected to:

    • Review and refine the indicator sets
    • Construct indices based on the indicator sets and the conceptual framework that will be provided
    • Design a composite index that can show progress in climate change adaptation across temporal and spatial scales
    • Integrate the index into a tool that allows the integration of datasets and visualization of progress in the state of adaptation within the livestock sector across space and time
    • Support the testing and refinement of the tool using datasets held by state and non-state actors e.g., periodic national and sub-national surveys and census on livestock, periodic national and subnational socioeconomic surveys, downscaled climate data
    • Support the development of a survey tool for collecting data for relevant indicators that are not covered by the existing datasets
    • Document the development of the adaptation tracking indices and tool and write a user manual for application of the tool
    • Support the training of selected government officials in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia on the use of the developed index and tool to track adaptation to climate change in livestock systems

    Final products:

    • A composite index for adaptation tracking
    • A tool that can be used to integrate data sets to visualize progress in adaptation to climate change in livestock systems 
    • A manual documenting the process of developing the adaptation tracking index and tool
    • A user manual for the application of the adaptation tracking index and tool

    Consultancy Fee:  Lumpsum or by mutual agreement based on agreed milestones and deliverables

    Post location: Consultants base station

    Duration: 20 working days

    Expected places of travel: Kenya, Uganda and (potentially) Ethiopia

    Essential skills and qualifications

    • Master’s degree in data science or any other field relevant for the assignment
    • At least 10 years’ experience developing indices and data integration tools that draw upon diverse social and environmental data sources
    • Knowledge of climate change adaptation in Eastern Africa’s livestock systems is a significant advantage
    • Knowledge of GIS or remote sensing is an added advantage
    • Fluency in written and spoken English

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    ILRI Internship

    The Position:

    Internships are short-term academic training for young professionals who join ILRI for a short period (usually 3 months or less but can be up to 6 months in length) as part of their academic curriculum and are expected to resume their studies upon completion of their internship. The internship aims at helping students connect theory to practice, as well as nurturing young minds into livestock agriculture.

    Interns work five days per week under the supervision and mentorship of a staff member in the department or program to which they are assigned.

    Requirements:

    Applicants must at the time of application meet the following requirements:

    1.   Be enrolled for an undergraduate university degree program, with at least one full semester to completion. Through strategic partnerships, ILRI also provides internship opportunities to students enrolled for diploma and certificate programs, as well as senior high school students.
    2.   Proficiency in Microsoft Office
    3.   Proficiency in English.

    Terms of appointment: ILRI offers a stipend to cover living expenses as well as insurance. 

    Interested candidates who meet the criteria above are encouraged to submit their application letter, detailed CV, motivation letter and university internship request letters. Applications should be addressed to the Head of Capacity Development.

    We thank all applicants for the interest in taking their internship at ILRI. Due to the large volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contactedon a continuous basis, as opportunities arise within ILRI programs.

    ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). ILRI also does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.

    go to method of application »

    PhD Graduate Fellow

    The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a PhD graduate fellow to work on fate of antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistant bacteria in livestock manure and their effects on greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient cycling. The successful fellow will be co-hosted under ILRI’s One Health Research and Education Center for Africa (OHRECA) and Mazingira Center for Environmental Research and Education.

    OHRECA seeks to improve the health of humans, animals and ecosystems through capacity building, strengthening of local, regional and global networks and provision of evidence-based policy advice on One Health in sub-Saharan Africa. The centre has four thematic areas: control of neglected tropical zoonotic diseases; emerging infectious diseases; food safety and informal markets; and prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance. https://www.ilri.org/research/facilities/one-health-centre

    The Mazingira Centre is an environmental research and educational facility established by ILRI in Nairobi. Research at the Mazingira Centre focuses on understanding and managing the environmental footprint of livestock systems without hampering productivity. https://mazingira.ilri.org/

     

    About the position  

    Imprudent use of antibiotics is increasing in livestock production systems in low- and middle-income countries, with potentially severe consequences for human, animal, and environmental health. However, little is known about the fate of antibiotic residues in livestock manure in smallholder farm settings under traditional manure management systems. Bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics can spread into and across the environment through livestock manure, posing a health hazard that needs to be addressed. In addition, livestock manure is a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to global warming. To achieve sustainable livestock development pathways in East Africa, it is important to understand the impact of livestock production on the environment (GHG emissions as well as animal and human health impacts).

    Despite potentially negative aspects of livestock manure, it is an important resource for smallholder farmers. It can be used as crop fertilizer, thereby reducing the need for expensive synthetic fertilizer, and is beneficial for soil fertility and stability. Understanding if and how antibiotic residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria affect nutrient cycling during manure storage and field application is critical. Because GHGs are formed during microbially-mediated processes, the presence of antibiotic residues and resistant organisms can influence the magnitude of GHG emissions and the fertilizer quality of the manure. Manure management practices that both reduce antibiotic resistance and GHG emissions and are practical for smallholder farmers are urgently needed to stop the spread of AMR and to mitigate climate change.

    To address these research gaps, ILRI seeks to recruit a PhD graduate fellow to investigate how the presence of antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistant bacteria affect GHG emissions and nutrient cycling in manure in different livestock production systems in Kenya, and how manure management interventions can help to reduce both GHG emissions and antibiotic resistance. To answer these research questions, the candidate will conduct a series of lab and on-farm experiments. The gained knowledge will help to prioritize good livestock adaptation and mitigation options in relevant livestock systems and help to build capacity in decision support and planning in East Africa.

     

    ILRI Program: The fellow will be associated with Animal and Human Health & Sustainable Livestock Systems Programs at ILRI.

    ILRI fellowship project title: Fate of antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistant bacteria in livestock manure and their effects on greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient cycling.

    Responsibilities of the fellow:

    • Study decomposition rates and half lives of the most important antibiotics used in livestock production during simulated manure storage.
    • Measure GHG emissions (CH4, N2O, CO2) during manure storage and from manure applied to soils and how these emissions are affected by concentrations of antibiotic residues.
    • Measure leaching of nutrients, antibiotic residues, and antibiotic resistant bacteria from manure.
    • Evaluate the microbiome structure of livestock manure with and without antibiotic residues, and how microbial functionality is affected through changes in nutrient cycling processes (e.g., decomposition rates, respiration, nitrification/denitrification, methanogenesis/methane oxidation).
    • Test the influence of manure management interventions (e.g., covering, compacting, composting, biogas digestion, use of additives) on antibiotic residue concentrations and antibiotic resistance as well as fertilizer quality.
    • Write scientific papers and prepare conference/workshop presentations describing results and their implications for antibiotic resistance transmission risks, livestock productivity, GHG and nutrient management.
    • Communicate findings to relevant stakeholders (ministries, extension officers, farmers, etc.).
    • Provide supervision and guidance to field support staff and research assistants.

     

    Minimum requirements for the ideal candidate

    • MSc in Environmental Microbiology, Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, or any other relevant discipline.
    • Experience with GHG measurements, soil and water measurements, and environmental microbiology.
    • Knowledge on livestock production systems in developing countries.
    • Experience in handling diverse datasets, data processing and statistical software such as R, SPSS, Matlab or Python.
    • Ability to jointly work in a multinational team of scientists and technicians from other disciplines (biogeochemistry, agricultural sciences, social sciences, economics, veterinary medicine etc.).
    • Ability to apply necessary steps to ensure data quality assurance and data quality control.
    • Ability to supervise and guide research assistants and junior graduate students e.g., Bachelor or master’s level.
    • Excellent communication skills.

    Location: ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya.

    Duration: 3 years

    Terms of appointment and benefits: This is a 3-year appointment subject to satisfactory performance. ILRI will offer a competitive stipend to cover living expenses in the project location, medical cover, and meet all research expenses. ILRI will also meet tuition fees at the fellow’s university of admission. The successful candidate will be supervised jointly by an ILRI scientist and the university/academic supervisor and will receive capacity development opportunities from ILRI.

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