Opportunities for researchers: June/July 2020

Below are some opportunities for researchers working on sustainable agriculture issues, including grants, workshops and journal calls etc.

Through the Thrive Network for Sustainable Agriculture Researchers, we are providing opportunities – our own and collated – through email and social media. Please join to find out about upcoming grants, events and resources, and share your info:

>> ThriveNet Facebook: facebook.com/groups/thrivenet

>> ThriveNet LinkedIn: linkedin.com/groups/10364007

​Opportunities: curated for ThriveNet Researchers, June/July 2020

(WLE/Thrive is not responsible for management of these unless specified)

COVID-19 RELATED EVENTS​

• Farmers on the Frontline - Making digital agriculture work for small-scale farmers and rural transformation in a post-coronavirus world, June 12, 2020, 15:00-16:00 CEST. Listen to a conversation between Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer and IFAD President Gilbert F. Houngbo about digital agriculture and its potential to improve agricultural production and the productivity of food systems.

• Webinar: ‘’Challenges and Opportunities for Smallholder/ Family Famers in Africa during and post COVID-19’’, 16 June 2020, at 11.00am-12.30pm Rome time from UN-FAO

• SADC Futures Webinar Series: Developing Foresight Capacity for Climate Resilient Agricultural Development Wed, June 17 2020 14:00 to Wed, July 22 2020 16:00 GMT +2. The interactive series of six webinars will present a=many take-aways including a certification of participation upon full completion, from CGIAR-CCAFS and partners. Register now.

• 5th Annual Agriculture, Nutrition & Health (ANH) Academy Week (ANH2020), Learning Labs - June 23 - 25, Research Conference - June 30 - July 2 2020. The event will bring together a community of researchers, practitioners and policymakers from across the world who will be touching on the impacts of COVID-19 across their disciplines. Register now or view the preliminary program.

• Reimagining Food Systems - A virtual global dialog on June 24 2020, organised by EAT and The Rockefeller Foundation brings food systems leaders from across the globe online who will dig deeply into dialogue that drives our action forward for change, amidst the COVID crisis. Participation is free. Register now. 

• A new era for food and climate: Driving transformative actions, June 25 2020, 8:30 – 20:30 GMT +2. The online event aims to inspire collective action on the 11 priorities laid out in the flagship report of the Transforming Food Systems Under a Changing Climate initiative, catalyzing efforts to address the current food crisis prompted by COVID-19 and averting future food insecurity from our changing climate. Register now.

• FARA Technical Seminar Series: Transformation of the Africa Smallholder Farmer – An imperative for Agricultural Growth in Africa June 26, 2020 10:30 AM UTC. The Webinar includes recommendations for post COVID-19, with Prof. Oluwole Fatunbi, Lead Specialist in Innovation Systems and Partnerships at FARA. Register now.

CONFERENCES, WEBINARS & LEARNING​

• CGIAR Webinar series on climate security and food systems June 4 - October 1 2020.  The six webinars will try to map important stakeholders and connect crucial narratives to bridge the collective knowledge of food systems and natural resource management with conflict resolution and peace-building.

• Farmer-led Irrigation Development (FLI) – Webinar Series, June 11 & July 9th 2020. The two sessions will spotlight FLI's potential to sustainably and effectively improve the lives of small-scale farmers. Session I - Accelerating inclusive FLI and reaching scale: Key considerations will also feature IWMI's Director General, Claudia Sadoff.

• Online event on Supporting the Management of Fall Armyworm in Africa and Asia: Best Practices and Lessons Learned, June 18, 2020 from 09:30 AM to 11:00 AM. It is intended for both technical and non-technical individuals who want to understand how to influence farmer pest management behavior. Register now.

• Webinar on the importance of data and new technologies for climate security, Thursday, June 18,  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm. The session will discuss how recent advances in information technology can be leveraged to shed light on the drivers of climate security.

• Obstacles & Opportunities: What’s holding us back from scaling sustainable agriculture innovations? ~ A virtual CoSAI global commission launch event - July 2020. The launch will feature renowned food systems experts from around the world, highlighting bottlenecks and opportunities to sustainably intensifying agriculture in the Global South. Details TBC. To learn more about WLE-supported CoSAI, please visit the website, and Commissioner profiles. 

• Webinar on Sustainable finance for peace, Thursday, July 2, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm. Speakers will explore existing financing mechanisms and other innovative financing solutions that are needed to align the different objectives and incentives - of traditional development principles - towards self-sufficiency for vulnerable populations. With CGIAR and partners.

• 7th International Conference on Fisheries and Aquaculture (ICFA) 2020, Bangkok, Thailand, from August 27 - 28, 2020. The conference themed "Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Global Food Systems: Quo Vadis?” aims to create a platform for a futuristic discussion on the role of fisheries and aquaculture in the global food systems. Submission deadline is 15th July 2020. Find out more. 
• The 4th Agricultural Revolution: Growing Population and Deriving Changes in Farming Systems, September 7 - 8, 2020, Bangkok. Find out more about abstract submission or register as a presenter at the Conference. Abstract submission deadline - 1st July 2020.
• AGR&IND 2020: Agriculture 4.0 & Industries 4.0 2020 - "Shaping The Future of Agriculture And Advance Production Agriculture 4.0" September 7 - 8, 2020 aims to provide an interactive platform to discuss the opportunities offered by disruptive digital technologies to increase productivity and access to services and markets in the agricultural sector. 
• The 6th International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture Technologies (ICSAT 2020) - November 6 - 8, 2020 Bangkok, Thailand, aims to presents novel and fundamental advances in the fields of Sustainable Agriculture Technologies. Submission Deadline: June 30, 2020; Notification; Registration Deadline: Aug. 10, 2020.
• 2021 7th International Conference on Food and Environmental Sciences, January 6 - 8, 2021, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. The event will bring together innovative academics and industrial experts in the field of Food and Environmental Sciences to a common forum. Important dates - Abstract Submission: August 30, 2020; Notification of Acceptance: September 20, 2020; Authors' Registration: October 10, 2020; Conference Dates: January 6-7, 2021; One Day Visit: January 8, 2021.
• Biotechnology (ICAFB 2021) - 2021 4th International Conference on Agriculture, Food and Biotechnology (ICAFB 2021), January 6 - 8, 2021, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. The conference aims to provide a platform for academic communication in Agriculture, Food and Biotechnology. Paper submission deadline: Aug 30, 2020.
• The One Young World Summit 2021, April 23 - 26, Munich, Germany convenes the brightest young talent from every country and sector, working to accelerate social impact. 

• Contribute your review of IPBES's draft scoping report on assessing the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health in the context of climate change. You will first need to register in the IPBES website. 

GRANTS & SUPPORT

• The Conservation, Food and Health Foundation seeks to protect natural resources, improve the production and distribution of food, and promote public health in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Preference is given to under-funded issues and geographic areas. 
• Request for Proposals, Science for Nature and People Partnership - to find new cross-sector and interdisciplinary teams willing to do science differently for lasting impact, it funds science that leads to tangible and enduring benefits to conservation and sustainable development. Funding information: Up to USD 1 million in total. Deadline: June 10, 2020.
• Call for Proposals, Support to CSOs, European Commission - The objective is to support civil society organisations as actors of governance in their own right by strengthening their capacity to participate effectively in policy formulation and monitoring to contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Funding information: EUR 14,000,000 Deadline: June 16, 2020.
• Funding for COVID-19 Research and Development Goals for Africa, African Academy of Science is supported by Sida, Wellcome Trust, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as a call to action for African scientists to attend to the research and development needs of the COVID-19 outbreak for the continent as identified by African scientists. Funding information: Maximum amount for one grant is USD 200,000. Deadline: June 30, 2020.

• The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (BIF) invites the submission of concept notes for project funding from sub-Saharan Africa. The BID programme aims to enhance capacity for effective mobilization and use of biodiversity data in support of decision- and policymaking. Total fund is approximately €600,000.​

• New COVID-19 Africa Rapid Grant, Sida & National Research Foundation seeks to contribute to the African regional and continental response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding information: Initial total funding up to USD 4,750,000 million. Deadline: June 17, 2020.
• Business Partnership Facility announces Call for Projects "Enterprises for SDGs"  Targeted projects must contribute to the achievement of at least one clearly identified SDG. Funding Information: USD 100,000 to USD 500,000. Deadline: July 9, 2020.
• Special Grant, Tiara Foundation (India) is a one-time grant for students who already have an offer of a place in a University overseas for Post Graduate Studies, with a scholarship/fee waiver and teaching assistantship to finance their study. Funding information: USD 3,500 for U.S. colleges and GBP 2200 for U.K. colleges. Deadline: July 15, 2020.
• Requests for Proposals, National Geographic - National Geographic Society and Microsoft’s AI for Earth program has partnered to support novel projects that create and deploy AI tools to manage Earth’s natural resources for a more sustainable future. Funding information: Applicants may request USD 5,000 to USD 100,000. Deadline: July 22, 2020.
• Global Innovation Fund (GIF) seeks to invest in social innovations that aim to improve the lives and opportunities of millions of people in the developing world. Funding information: USD 50,000 – 15,000,000 range. Program is open on an ongoing basis.

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• Small Scale Irrigation Survey for businesses, decision makers and researchers. WLE/IWMI/ILSSI may have some research or programs to help you scale your work.
• Photocompetition on restoring landscapes organised by "Let's Plant" non-profit association in collaboration with Tropentag 2020 on restoring landscapes. The theme is "Visualise the restoration of degraded land through a holistic landscape management approach in the tropics or subtropics". 

• Evidence Synthesis in Agriculture survey - help CABI/IICA and partners find out how information technology is applied to synthesising research evidence in agriculture.

• CGIAR-WLE Survey: Sustainable agriculture research and decision support. If you are in Ag R4D or are an agricultural decision-maker involved in policies or programs on agriculture and/or natural resource management, do take this short anonymous 5-minute survey by WLE, IFPRI and CIAT (in French, Spanish, and English).
• Springer Journal Special Issue Call for Papers on Food and Territory to address the question of food production and consumption and interactions with the territory from economic and sociological perspectives. Invited editors are Youenn Lohéac, Béatrice Sommier. Deadline for manuscript submissions is July 5th, 2020. 

PROMOTE YOUR RESEARCH: THRIVE/WLE

Blogs / OpEds: We can help you turn good ideas into Thrive Blogs and Op-Eds, or even infographics, connecting your work to interested and invested readers. Below are recent links – please read and share!

Recent Thrive Blog/Op-Ed highlights: 

• An op-ed in The Hill, by Chair of WLE’s Commission on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (CoSAI) on Fixing the global food system after coronavirus.
• Strengthening city-region food systems during and beyond COVID-19, by leveraging the circular economy, and amping up peri-urban agriculture. 
• Amid coronavirus, Satellite maps can help nations make critical food production decisions all while maintaining social distancing practices. Also highlighting Satellite solutions: When climate and COVID-19 collide: 10 steps to prepare South Asia, an Op-Ed in Down to Earth. And Amidst food system shocks, we must ensure weather index insurance reaches the most vulnerable in Eco-Business.
• Five stark COVID-19 warnings from agriculture R4D to help minimize the negative impact of agriculture and other activities resulting in ecosystems degrade and biodiversity loss.
• For World Environment Day, a One Earth piece by WLE’s Director on why Earth’s land use crisis is also a global health crisis. We must include, integrate, incentivize.
• A Revitalization Magazine piece on a landscape approach in action in Ethiopia: With technology and trust, we can move mountains.
• A Third Pole Op-Ed on the first detailed climate assessment for Western Nepal, which predicts A risky water future for Nepal. And an Op-Ed in Myanmar media: Turning off the tap, while tapping into inclusive institutions
• Three analysis pieces in a Rural 21 water special edition: Water for all, Water problems in a climate-challenged world; Tackling agricultural water pollution
• Brand new website launched by CoSAI - the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture Intensification, this May.

See also:

• Thrive blogs – WLE science, findings and recommendations explained through Op-Eds and blogs.
• News – Stories of Change, newsletters, research highlights, partner news, program news and campaigns.
• Publications – be  on top of the latest research findings that WLE is involved in.

Can we help promote your opportunity? 

Please send ideas and opportunities for consideration to wle@cgiar.org or post in our Facebook or LinkedIn groups. Please note that unless specified, WLE/IWMI/CGIAR is not involved in running the above opportunities and does not have decision making responsibility.