STAAARS plus Cohort 4 has been announced
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EmailFour new STAAARS plus teams competitively chosen and paired with mentors
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy, Research, Capacity, and Influence (PRCI) is pleased to announce the fourth and final cohort in the Structural Transformation of African and Asian Agriculture and Rural Spaces (STAAARS+) Fellows program. Four teams from Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, and Uganda were chosen to participate in the rigorous year and a half training program organized by PRCI and Cornell University. Each team submits a theme proposal related to the PRCI vision of rural transformation and agricultural intensification to develop healthy, resilient food systems. The winning teams are matched with mentors who are interested in helping them develop their thesis into a completed research paper with the goal of publishing in a high caliber journal.
The team from Malawi hails from the MwAPATA Institute and is led by Anderson Sawira Gondwe, with team members Lemekezani Kingston Chilora and Dinah Tuwanje Banda. Their project them is, “Gender differences in the adoption of sustainable agricultural intensification practices and their policy implications in Eastern and Southern Africa.” IFPRI Senior Research Fellow, Kristin Davis, will be the team’s mentor, and Aleks Michuda from Cornell University will be their peer mentor.
Edward Martey will lead the Ghanian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - Savanna Agricultural Research team, with Justina Adwoa Onumah and Frank Adusah-Poku. They will focus on, “Market Shocks, Seasonality and Welfare Outcomes in Ghana: The Mediating role of Market Access.” Kibrom Abay, IFPRI Country Program Leader, will be their mentor and Justice Mensah will serve as their peer mentor.
From the Nigerian Institute Of Social And Economic Research (NISER), Ibukun James Olaoye and Sarah Edewor will explore the theme, “Does Diversification and Improved Technology Use Influence Food Security of Smallholder Farming Households: Evidence from Nigeria.” David Stifel from Lafayette College will be the team’s mentor and Tarana Chauhan from Cornell University will work with the team as their peer mentor.
Lastly, but certainly not least, is the team from the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) lead by Linda Nakato, with Umar Kabanda and Pauline Nakitende. The Ugandian team will be studying, “Credit Access, Input Use, and Food Security: Evidence from Uganda.” They will be mentored by Milu Muyanga, MSU associate professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics. The EPRC team will have Molly Ingram from Cornell University as their peer mentor.
