Identifying key temperatures for crop and/or livestock to help support small-scale farmers. Synthesise information about crops and livestock for use in ‘PICSA’ - a ground-breaking International Development project that supports farmers’ resilience to climate change in 23 countries.
Department: International Development
Supervised by: Dr Sam Poskitt
Small-scale farmers in the Global South are among those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate variability and change. Our ongoing International Development project (PICSA - https://research.reading.ac.uk/picsa/) supports farmers’ ability to cope with this, using a combination of climate information, crop and livestock information, and participatory decision-making tools. It has successfully been applied in more than 20 developing countries, in partnership with UN organisations (WFP and UNDP), international research centres, national governments, and NGOs, improving the livelihoods and resilience of tens of thousands of farmers. PICSA has typically concentrated on rainfall information, since rainfall is a significant concern for many small-scale farmers. However, temperature variables can also strongly affect both crop and livestock productivity, and the effects of temperature could become more important in the face of global heating. This project aims to identify important temperature thresholds for the health and productivity of a range of different crops and/or livestock. The student will engage in a desk review, as well as remote engagements with experts in developing countries to explore how temperature information could be useful for small-scale farmers. This will result in a dataset of important temperature information for a range of crops and/or livestock, which will be applied directly in ongoing work with farmers in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Tajikistan and India, as well as possible other locations in future.
The student will receive introductory training in the PICSA approach, after which they will conduct a desk-based review of information on important temperatures for crop and/or livestock productivity. They will also participate with the research group in discussions with project partners regarding how temperature information will be used to support farmer decision-making. The student will then prepare a dataset of useful temperature information, as well as a report on how it may support farmer decision-making. They will then present this to the research group, as well as stakeholders involved in working with farmers. The student will be supervised by Dr Sam Poskitt, in collaboration with the rest of the team who work on the development and application of the PICSA project.
The student is expected to have a keen interest in applied research and a motivation to support the resilience of small-scale farmers to climate variability and change. The student may have experience studying International Development, Geography, Crop Science, or Meteorology, though applications from students in other fields are welcome. The student should be willing to review information in a critical and selective fashion and should show enthusiasm for learning about farming systems in developing country contexts.
The student will gain experience of working on an applied, interdisciplinary research project with direct implications for small-scale farmers and their resilience to climate variability and change. They will develop specific research skills including: review and critical analysis of literature and online data; data synthesis, organisation and presentation; and practical application of scientific information. The student will also gain transferable skills including: team working, critical analysis, and presentation skills.
The student will work alongside the PICSA team in the Department of International Development (School of Agriculture, Policy and Development).
9-5 Mon-Fri
Monday 11 July 2022 - Friday 19 August 2022
The post will be advertised centrally on the UROP website between 21st February and 4th April 2022. Students should submit a CV and Cover Letter directly to Dr Sam Poskitt (Samuel.poskitt@reading.ac.uk). Successful candidates will be invited for an interview with the PICSA team.