The 2012 RUFORUM Biennial Conference is the third in the series. The main objective of the Biennial conferences is to provide a platform for agricultural research for development stakeholders in Africa and beyond to actively exchange findings and experiences, while at the same time learning lessons towards improving performance of the agricultural sector and ultimately people’s livelihoods. The biennial conference is RUFORUM’s most comprehensive meeting for the diversity of stakeholders in agriculture. It is especially dedicated to graduate students and their supervisors, grantees in RUFORUM member universities and alumni. It is a platform for peer review, quality control, mentorship, networking and shared learning. The third Biennial Conference was attended by 657 participants. This record contains an extended abstract accepted under the theme Strengthening S&T Capacity in Africa
RUFORUM Field Attachment Programme Award: An Internship Programme for MSc. Students
Abstract:
At the core of its operations and business RUFORUM manages
a Competitive Grants System (CGS) comprising three
competitive granting mechanisms. These are the Graduate
Research Grant (GRG); Community Action Research Grant
(CARP); and the Field Attachment Programme Award (FAPA).
Through the CGS RUFORUM’s 29 member universities are
encouraged to conduct participatory research involving faculty
and students working in partnerships with the farmers and other
agencies involved in research and development. The FAPA
awards ensure that RUFORUM funded research has a wide
reach and impact. Making research known or sharing research
findings at any level of society not only adds value to the
research but also validates the work that has been done. The
field attachment programme awards are designed in such a
way that students are encouraged to follow through with the
dissemination of their research and to enable them to link more
closely with the agencies working in their area of research. It
is established for those students who have developed a useful
intervention, product or service as part of their MSc. studies
and who have handed in their thesis, have no more stipend due
from the GRG or CARP, but who could make a more meaningful
impact if they stay on for a few more months and provide
advisory services related to their research. Through the FAPA
students are exposed to real world experiences and establish
contacts with development, private sector and government
agencies.
Au centre de ses opérations et de ses activités, RUFORUM
gère un système compétitif des subventions (CGS) comprenant
trois mécanismes concurrentiels subventionnaires. Il s’agit de
la bourse de recherche post-universitaire (GRG), la bourse de
recherche-action communautaire (CARP) et la bourse du
programme d’attachement sur terrain (FAPA). Grâce au CGS,
29 universités membres de RUFORUM sont encouragées à mener des recherches participatives impliquant les professeurs
et les étudiants qui travaillent en partenariat avec les agriculteurs
et d’autres organismes impliqués dans la recherche et le
développement. Les bourses du FAPA assurent que la recherche
financée par RUFORUM a une large portée et un impact. Faire
connaitre la recherche ou partager les résultats de recherche à
tous les niveaux de la société, non seulement ajoute de la valeur
à la recherche, mais aussi valide le travail qui a été fait. Les
bourses du programme d’attachement sur terrain sont conçues
de telle manière que les étudiants soient encouragés à donner
suite à la diffusion de leur recherche et à leur permettre d’être
en liaison plus étroite avec les organismes qui travaillent dans
leur domaine de recherche. Il est établi que ces étudiants qui
ont développé une intervention, un produit ou un service utile
dans le cadre de leurs études de maîtrise et qui ont remis leurs
mémoires, n’ont plus d’allocation régulière de GRG ou CARP,
mais celle qui pourrait avoir un impact plus significatif s’ils y
restent pour un peu plus de mois et fournissent des services
consultatifs liés à leur recherche. Grâce au FAPA, les étudiants
sont exposés à des expériences réelles du monde et établissent
des contacts avec le développement, le secteur privé et les
organismes gouvernementaux.
Language:
Extended abstract under Strengthening S&T Capacity in Africa
Date of publication:
2012
Country:
Region Focus:
East Africa
Collection:
RUFORUM Conferences and Workshops
Agris Subject Categories:
Agrovoc terms:
Additional keywords:
Licence conditions:
Open Access
Notes:
