African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI) Young African Phosphorus Fellowship Award Open to Applications

Awards for African early career scientists to encourage scientific programmes relevant to understanding and improving phosphorus management in Africa’s field or tree crop agro-ecosystems.

Established in 2019, the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI) is a non-profit research organisation that seeks to enhance plant nutrition to improve food security in Africa and enable African farmers to sustainably manage food crops.

APNI’s Young African Phosphorus Fellowship Award is given to early career scientists working in African National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) institutions or African universities. The award is designed to encourage scientific programmes relevant to understanding and improving phosphorus management in Africa’s field or tree crop agro-ecosystems.

Applicants must submit a creative proposal that addresses current knowledge gaps or synthesises existing information leading to improved phosphorus management. Of particular interest are proposals that can address phosphorus management in combination with at least one of APNI’s high priority topics:

  • 4R (right source, rate, time and place) Nutrient Stewardship (eg matching crop growth dynamics with phosphorus applications based on adjustments in source, rate, time or placement).
  • Carbon farming (eg biomass turn over and phosphorus applications).
  • Soil health (eg residue management and soil phosphorus status, innovative phosphorus use and cropping system diversification, phosphorus management and dynamics in no-till systems, and management of phosphorus in problem soils such as high phosphorus-fixing soils).
  • Precision farming (eg innovations in addressing phosphorus variability at field scale).

Candidates must demonstrate how the fellowship will lead to improved understanding of phosphorus management in agricultural systems. This should outline any new research, data synthesis or travel that will be supported with the fellowship funds.

Eligible applicants are scientists working at an African NARES institution or university who are age 40 or younger at the time of application. Applicants must be working full time and must have completed their PhD study.

Evidence of any scientific partnerships and institutional collaboration will be reviewed favourably. Female scientists are especially encouraged to apply.

Up to five awards with a value of $5,000 each are available.

Applications must be submitted by the deadline of 30 June 2023.

(This report was the subject of a RESEARCHconnect Newsflash.)