Southeast Asian Uplands Agriculture Fellowships

General

Efforts to strengthen knowledge and research skills in agriculture and food security in the uplands of Southeast Asia are essential to developing a strong network of professionals who can address some of the region's most critical development challenges. This funding will provide two-year fellowships to 30 students from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam to allow them to pursue master's degrees in science at leading universities in the region. The objective is to establish a critical mass of high quality professionals and researchers who can lead and develop sustainable agriculture programs in the uplands. They will also support initiatives in smallholder agriculture management in upland communities which are generally vulnerable to food insecurity. The Graduate Scholarship Department of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will lead the initiative. Master's programs will include courses in fields such as land use planning, sustainable agriculture, human nutrition, environmental science, agroforestry, livestock production, animal husbandry, and watershed management. Students will gain first-hand experience in the uplands through site visits. They will also network and share information with faculty. The project will include three annual roving fellowship meetings and workshops for students in three locations. The fieldwork, research, workshops, and publications produced as part of this project will help facilitate innovative thinking and approaches to food security and upland development. Today's students are expected to become tomorrow's research and policy leaders in their respective countries.