Food Security Center of the University of Hohenheim
Website: www.fsc.uni-hohenheim.de

Background and Rationale

Available scholarships at FSC:

Excellence scholarships for PhD students to participate in YES’ PhD Program "Global Food Security"

The FSC is a newly established center of excellence in development collaboration at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany. It is one of the five excellence centers of the program "Exceed- Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation," supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany. The mission of FSC is to make effective and innovative scientific contributions in research, teaching, and policy advice to eradicate hunger and achieve food security in collaboration with partner Higher Education Institutions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as national and international development and research organizations. The FSC activities deal with issues of sustainable food availability, food access, food use, and food utilization.

The University of Hohenheim's partner universities in developing countries are Sokoine University of Agriculture and Technology, Tanzania; Universidad de Costa Rica; and Kasetsart University, Thailand.

Objectives

The objectives of the Food Security Center are to:

• Promote interdisciplinary teaching and training of PhDs and PostDocs through the Young Excellence School in Hohenheim and strengthening MSc and PhD programs at Partner Higher Education institutes in developing countries;
• Facilitate demand-driven and impact-oriented research at postgraduate level through empirical research projects in developing countries and collaboration with CGIAR centers, development organizations, and local and national stakeholders;
• Strengthen capacity building through North-South, South-North and South-South academic exchange by having visiting professorships and lectureships, as well as PhD scholarships and sandwich PhD/PostDoc scholarships;
• Support capacity strengthening at universities in developing countries through regional networking, fostering institutional linkages at the global scale, and providing structural and personal support of selected postgraduate study programs; and
• Provide knowledge transfer and brokerage by organizing international conferences annually and support external conferences and expert meetings, organizing lecture series for the wider public, establishing a web domain and online discussion paper series, supporting publications and publication platforms, and offering policy advice and expert contacts.

Activities

1. Short- and long-term lectureships and research stays for German staff with any of the partner universities of SEARCA
2. Short- and long-term lectureships and research stays at the Universität Hohenheim of Asian scientists, lecturers, and post-graduate students (master’s and/or PhD students) from any of SEARCA’s partner universities
3. Oganization of joint research activities, conferences, workshops, seminars, lectures, and symposia in Southeast Asia
4. Exchange of scientific materials, publications, and other relevant information
5. Other forms of academic exchange subject to mutual consent

Strategic Partners and Regional Coordinators

For this DAAD-funded program, FSC has six strategic partners:

• Kasetsart University (KU)
• Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)
• University of Costa Rica (UC)
• Centre in International Migration and Development (CATIE)
• Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
• Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)
 

In each region, there is one regional coordinator, who is hosted by one of these six strategic partners. At present regional coordinators are:

Asia:	Wiboon Chongrattanameteekul Kasetsart University (Thailand)
Latin America:	Victor Jiménez University of Costa Rica (Costa Rica)
Africa:	Wellington N. Ekaya RUFORUM (Uganda)

Project Duration

The project is expected to be completed in five years effective June 2009.

Contact Information

	Dr. Detlef Virchow Executive Manager Food Security Center Universität Hohenheim Wollgrasweg 43 70599 Stuttgart, Germany Tel: +49 711 459-24451 E-mail: detlef.virchow_at_uni-hohenheim.de
	Dr. Editha C. Cedicol Manager, Graduate Scholarship Department Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) College, Los Baños, Laguna, 4031 Philippines Tel:(63-49)536-2365 to 67, 536-2554/3459 (loc.164) Fax: (63-49) 536-7164 Email: ecc_at_agri.searca.org Web: www.searca.org
	Dr. Wiboon Chongrattanaameteekul Deputy Director for Academic Affairs International Studies Center Kasetsart University P.O. Box 1097 Bangkok 10903, Thailand Tel/Fax: +66 2562 0985 Email: agrwbc_at_ku.ac.th or ku.oip_at_ku.ac.th Web: www.interprogram.ku.ac.th
	Dr. Víctor M. Jiménez Plant Physiology and Biotechnology CIGRAS Universidad de Costa Rica 2060 San Pedro. Costa Rica Tel: +506 2511-3430 Fax: +506 2511-4346 Email: Victor.jimenez_at_ucr.ac.cr
	Dr. Reinhold G. Muschler Latin American Chair for Agro ecology and Agrobiodiversity Associate Specialist from the Centre in International Migration and Development (CIM)  Headquarters, CATIE 7170 Cartago, Turrialba, 30501, Costa Rica based in CATIE Tel: (506) 2558-2358/2558-2314 Fax: (506) 2558-2045 Web: www.catie.ac.cr
	Dr. Wellington N. Ekaya Program Manager (Training and Qualtiy Assurance) Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) Plot 151 Garden Hill, Makerere University Box 7062, Kampala Uganda Tel: +256 414 535939 (Office) Tel: +254 722 278249 (Mobile) Fax: +256 414 534153 Email: ekaya_at_africaonline.co.ke or w.ekaya_at_ruforum.org Web: www.ruforum.org
	Dr. Henry Mahoo Sokoine University of Agriculture P.O.Box 3000 Chuo Kikuu, Morogoro Tanzania