ILRI MSc Graduate Fellowship: Dairy profitability assessment in Kenya

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a master graduate fellow to work on Dairy profitability assessment in Kenya. The successful fellow will be hosted by the Policy Institutions and Livelihood program at ILRI.                                                                                                   

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 centers (https://www.cgiar.org/) dedicated entirely to animal agriculture research for the developing world. Co-hosted by Kenya and Ethiopia, it has regional or country offices in East, South and Southern Asia as well as Central, East, Southern and West Africa. www.ilri.org    

The Policy Institutions and Livelihood program seeks to maximize livestock-mediated welfare and livelihoods among women and men smallholder and pastoral producers and their communities and increase the availability of quality animal-source food to poor consumers. https://www.ilri.org/research/programs/policies-institutions-and-livelihoods

The Position

The CGIAR is implementing a series of initiatives as part of its 2030 research and innovation strategy. One such initiatives is the “Sustainable Animal Productivity for Livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender Inclusion” (in short, “SAPLING”), implemented by ILRI, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and Alliance Bioversity and - the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). More information of the project can be found here.  Kenya is one of seven countries identified as a focus country for this initiative given the importance of livestock in the livelihoods of its people and the commitment of public and private actors to transform food systems through sustainable livestock development.

The SAPLING, initiative is piloting innovative technologies in herd health, tropically adapted genetics and, appropriate feeds to address the critical gap in productivity of respective livestock value chains. To enhance wider and integrated uptake of technologies, SAPLING initiative is also experimenting with market systems innovations that enable bundled delivery of information and technologies to reinforce complementary use of inputs and services. In Kenya, this is realized through individualized extension services, involving shared farm managers – also known as dairy farmer advisors (DFAs), coordinated at dairy cooperatives but paid by farmers, who leverage advisory services to catalyze demand for complementary inputs and services.

Additionally, value chain actors at the forefront of farmer engagement are also equipped with a suite of digital tools that enhances decision making. One such tool is the dairy profitability simulator – a digital application that allows farmers or extension personnel, to capture production, cost, and revenue data at farm level, enabling estimation of dairy enterprise profitability. Users can adjust the captured data and predict profitability scenarios, enabling them to identify leverage points and targeted interventions for enhancing enterprise profitability.

In preparation for scaling, the SAPLING initiative in Kenya seeks to evaluate profitability impact of its joint interventions and utility of the dairy profitability simulator in informing farm level interventions by farmers. This will be involve piloting the use of dairy profitability simulator in assessment of smallholder dairy farms that have been reached with SAPLING innovations. 

Terms and References of the fellow

The proposed study involves preparation of study proposal and application of the app to collect dairy enterprise data that the fellow will use to estimate smallholder dairy farm profitability. The study will also identify key cost drivers in smallholder dairy enterprises and determinants of dairy enterprise profitability. Specifically, the selected fellow will:

1. Undertake dry runs of the dairy profitability simulator to understand the functionality of the tool and consolidate feedback for further engagement with the app developers.
2. Contribute to development of the database for storing the data captured through the app.
3. Prepare their MSc theses proposal clearly outlining research questions and the associated analytical methods to be applied and support the field piloting of the dairy profitability simulator.
4. Process and clean data and undertake relevant analysis answering specific research questions as outlined in their proposal and agreed with the project team.
5. Develop their MSc thesis and present to ILRI research teams and the University.
6. Work with the SAPLING Kenya research team to prepare manuscripts and submit to peer-reviewed journals.

Minimum requirements for the ideal candidate

• Currently pursuing an MSc in Agricultural and Applied Economics or related fields.
• Have completed their course work and are ready to begin the research component of their study.
• Have working knowledge of MS Office and digital data capture tools such as ODK, survey CTO, etc.
• Have good understanding of data handling techniques and quantitative/econometric analytical skills especially involving use of statistical packages such as STATA.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Previous experience in household data collection especially using digital tools is an added advantage.
• Ability to work as part of a team.

Location: ILRI Kenya

Duration: 9 Months.

Terms of appointment and stipend: ILRI will offer a competitive stipend to cover living expenses in the project location, medical cover and research expenses.

How to apply:

All applications MUST include the following (applications not containing these documents will not be considered):

• a cover letter addressed to Capacity Development Manager, ILRI, expressing interest in the fellowship position and the motivation. The position title and reference number (REF: ILRI MSc GF/PIL/06/2024) should be clearly marked on the subject line of the cover letter.
• CV, including names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience.
• academic qualification certificates/transcripts.

Applications must be submitted by clicking on the tab "APPLY NOW" on or before 20th May 2024.

Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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.

To find out more about ILRI visit http://www.ilri.org