Environment, Forestry and agriculture Jobs at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Gm Sugar Limited

Deadline of this Job: 09 December 2022
JOB DETAILS:

G.M. Sugar Limited was incorporated on 26th April 2005 as a private Limited Company with a main object of manufacturing and trading of Sugar and allied products in Uganda. The Company has taken various steps to implement a grass root Sugar manufacturing complex at Njeru Buikwe District near Jinja in Uganda.
Our team is looking to hire the services of a competent agronomists, who will be commited to working with different scientists and agriculture engineers are to collectively working with producers and industry leaders to improve their environmental footprint.

Responsibilities:
• Assist with the development of content for Sustainability Reports for clients. - Communicate scientific explanations to various audiences.
• Propose recommendations based on the specific operation for operational benefits and environment improvements.
• Work closely on different aspects of projects with the EcoPractices Team. - Occasional travel may be required for site visits and meetings with clients. - Perform other related duties as required or assigned.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience: -

• The ideal candidate must hold a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture majoring in Crop Science, Soil science, Agriculture extension, rural innovations systems or related fields, with at least 3 years work experience in the Agro input sector, working with small holder, commercial to be and large-scale farmers as well as networking with researchers and other relevant actors.
• The ideal candidate should have theoretical knowledge of agricultural crop production with a mix of practical field skills, quantitative abilities, appreciation of inter-disciplinary work, and a core commitment to achieving science-led agricultural development. He or she must also have knowledge on problem-solving orientation and ability to approach work with a clear focus on issues of scale, sustainability, and underlying processes.
• Should possess skills in addressing market aspects of agriculture with successful development interventions and also development of budget plans.
• Must demonstrate good communication and problem-solving skills.
• He or she must be a team player, dynamic and self-motivated.
• -The ideal candidate shall be expected to travel extensively throughout the country.


Deadline of this Job: 13 December 2022
JOB DETAILS:

(Ref No: DDG-R4D/PDF/BB/11/22)
Background:

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the internationally recruited position of Post-doctoral Fellow, Banana Breeder.
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Please visit http://www.iita.org/ for more information on IITA.
In Uganda, at least 75% of farmers grow ‘Matooke’ and other bananas on an estimated 38% of the total cultivated land. However, production is far below its potential, mainly due to declining soil fertility, drought, and attacks by pathogens, such as banana bacterial wilt, black Sigatoka or black leaf streak disease, and fusarium wilt or Panama disease, and pests including the banana weevil or burrowing nematode.
Breeding of resistant cultivars is the most sustainable intervention for managing these pathogens and pests in the Great Lakes Region of Africa and elsewhere. However, banana breeding is a lengthy process, with new hybrids that are acceptable to consumers taking over two decades to deliver. An efficient selection of parents that have the traits to produce superior hybrids within a shorter time would therefore be highly desirable.
This project is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Position Responsibilities

• Supervise IITA banana breeding activities in Uganda and develop new varieties in accordance with the target product profiles (desirable traits such as end-user preferences, disease, pest resistance, and higher yields) developed for matooke.
• Liaise with the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in the region for advanced testing and release of the developed hybrids.
• Facilitate improved integration of breeding efforts between IITA and NARS.
• Support integration of breeding efforts across disciplines.
• Oversee the adoption and application of data-driven decision-making in the matooke pipeline.
• Supervise junior-level breeding staff.
• Support Ph.D. and MSc research linked to breeding.
• Organize communication and dissemination undertakings, report and publish breeding results in international peer-reviewed and open-access journals.
• Support resource mobilization on banana breeding.
• Represent the breeding program to stakeholders.
• Support effective partnerships with CGIAR centers, National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems, and Advanced Research Institute.
• Perform other job-related duties as may be assigned by your supervisor.

Educational Qualifications
• The candidate should have an advanced university degree (Ph.D.) in Plant Breeding or related fields.

Core Competencies
• Experience in experimental design and statistical analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to publish in quality peer-reviewed journals.
• Experience in banana research is an added advantage.
• Ability to work as a member of a multi-disciplinary or transdisciplinary team in a crosscultural environment.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to prepare high-quality reports.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to motivate inspire and promote teamwork.
• Excellent leadership and people management skills, with Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion (GDI) awareness and understanding; strong cultural awareness.
• Fluency in English with excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Duty Station: Sendusu, Uganda.

General information:

The contract will be for an initial period of two years. IITA offers an internationally competitive remuneration package paid in US Dollars.