Borlaug and Fulbright Programs

The Borlaug Fellows program sponsors faculty and scientist exchange programs in developing countries. Each Fellow is assigned a mentor who will coordinate the Fellow’s training.

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) assists in administering the Fulbright Scholar Program for faculty and professionals. For more information, go to: http://www.cies.org/us_scholars/us_awards/

October 2008

Call for Applications for Borlaug Fellowships in Iraq

Contact: Cathryn Clement
Texas A&M University
TAMU 2477
College Station, Texas 77843-2477
http://borlaug.tamu.edu/
Tel. (979) 458-0820
Fax: (979) 458-3405
E-mail: cclement@ag.tamu.edu

Crop Agronomy Advisor -- The Borlaug Institute, Iraq Advisory Group, Texas A&M AgriLife, seeks a Crop Agronomy Advisor to serve on a 10-person team in northern Iraq. The incumbent will serve for 6 months beginning on or about October 15, 2008. An international competitive salary will be offered, plus allowances for cost of living, hazardous duty and a 6-day work week. The incumbent should have a master's degree, PhD degree, or equivalent work experience in oilseed production and agronomy, or a related field. International experience is desirable.

The Crop Agronomy Advisor will be charged with planning crop production campaigns in the following areas: Winter cereal grain production (wheat and barley); winter oilseed production (canola); and Spring/summer oilseed production (soybean, sunflower, cottonseed and peanuts). He/she will help implement the early stages of the winter crop campaigns, and establish trials of new varieties for winter crops, especially canola, and plan trials of new varieties of oilseeds for the spring and summer of 2009. The team member will also support planning for the establishment of an oilseed research institute at Tikrit, Mosul or Kirkuk Universities. The advisor will work closely with the extension staff and the Ministry of Agriculture to plan appropriate support to the oilseed production industry with the objective of holding the cost of protein meals at a level affordable by the livestock industry.

Cereal Grain Production Advisor
The Borlaug Institute, Iraq Advisory Group, Texas A&M AgriLife, seeks a Cereal Grain Production Advisor to serve on a 10-person team in northern Iraq. The incumbent will serve for 6 months beginning on or about September 15, 2008. An international competitive salary will be offered, plus allowances for cost of living, hazardous duty and a 6-day work week. The incumbent should have a master's degree, PhD degree, or equivalent work experience in winter cereal grains, research, or a related field. International experience is desirable.

The Cereal Grain Production Advisor will focus heavily on improving wheat yields on irrigated lands. Seed quality is a concern for all species of field crops. There is concern for seed quality through Iraq, but nowhere is it more crucial than in the northern "bread basket." Farmers are planting seed of cereal grains that are many generations removed from certified seed, and often do not know what variety they are planting. Vegetable seed are largely imported, but are often having expired, been exposed to high temperature, or fraudulently labeled.

He/she will coordinate with other Team Borlaug Members to gain an understanding of the status of seed regulatory services and certification in Iraq, while also working with the MoA and USAID Inma project in the area of cereal grain seed production, processing and certification. He/she will encourage the establishment of a Seed Research Institute at an Iraqi university in MND-C area, and the development of relevant curricula for training seed scientists, technicians and industry entrepreneurs. The cereal grain production advisor will work with the seed technology advisor, crops agronomist and horticulture production specialist to establish varietal trials of relevant species of oilseeds, cereal grains and vegetables.

Farm Management Advisor -- The Borlaug Institute, Iraq Advisory Group, Texas A&M AgriLife, seeks a Farm Management Advisor to serve on a 10-person team in northern Iraq. The incumbent will serve for 6 months beginning on or about September 15, 2008. An international competitive salary will be offered, plus allowances for cost of living, hazardous duty and a 6-day work week. The incumbent should have a master's degree, PhD degree, or equivalent work experience in farm operations and management, or a related field. International experience is desirable.

The role of the Farm Management Advisor will be to gain an understanding of the operations of many types of enterprises in the Northern Command, including the production of cereal grains, oilseeds, cotton, horticulture crops, livestock, poultry and dairy, and use that understanding to teach farmers how to manage their enterprises in the emerging new Iraqi agricultural economy. That economy is likely to remain a mixed economy, with new elements of competition, choices of purchased inputs, choices of market channels but with continued areas of government intervention.

Irrigation and Water Management Advisor --
The Borlaug Institute, Iraq Advisory Group, Texas A&M AgriLife, seeks an Irrigation and Water Management Advisor to serve on a 10-person team in northern Iraq. The incumbent will serve for 6 months beginning on or about September 15, 2008. An international competitive salary will be offered, plus allowances for cost of living, hazardous duty and a 6-day work week. The incumbent should have a master's degree, PhD degree, or equivalent work experience in irrigation technologies, water management issues, or a related field. International experience is desirable.

The Team Borlaug Irrigation and irrigation Water Management Advisor will work with the team's feed and food crop advisors and Iraqi and US colleagues to introduce efficient water use in the command area of MND-N. Field crops (oilseed and cereal grains), orchards and gardens will require his/her attention, and therefore he/she will need to advise on a range irrigations systems including drip irrigation, circle systems like those in place in the region, line systems and traditional furrow and flood irrigation. Like much of Iraq, agriculture in Northern Iraq is dependent upon irrigation water from the Tigris and/or Euphrates Rivers. In Northern Iraq the efficient use and distribution of irrigation water, is a greater concern than the basic availability of water. Improved methods of water delivery incorporating drip irrigation systems are needed. Team Borlaug North will provide technical assistance to guide maintenance of canals and distribution of water, and encourage use of more efficient water delivery systems through training. Drip irrigation systems and greenhouse fertigation technology will be pursued through the joint ventures in the private sector, both domestic manufacturing industry and international firms dealing in irrigation technology. The full range of options for the irrigation systems will be considered including the need for drainage to prevent or reverse salination, shallow and deep wells and sprinkler systems.

FULBRIGHT

The traditional Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year. Grantees lecture and conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields.

October 2008

Late Fulbright Scholar applications for India

A recent agreement between the governments of the United States and India has resulted in significantly increased financial support for Fulbright exchanges between the two countries. Late applications for what will now be call "Fulbright-Nehru Scholarship" grants for research, lecturing, or lecturing/research awards in India are being accepted in a wide variety of fields with particular interest in scholars in the fields of business, agriculture, economics, communications, engineering, sciences, environmental sciences, information technology, intellectual property rights, law, public health/medicine, and American studies.

For information on the India program opportunities visit:

http://www.cies.org/award_book/award2009/country/SouIndIN.htm

Eligibility Requirements Applicants must be U.S. citizens and have 3-5 years of university teaching experience. In most cases, a Ph.D. or other terminal degree is required. They also consult the eligibility rules regarding previous Fulbright Scholar grants and extended residenc abroad in the last ten years: http://www.cies.org/message1.htm.

For more information contact: David Adams dadams@cies.iie.org 202-686-4021 Please include your current cv as an attachment to your message.

A submission deadline will be negotiated.

For more information, contact Ann Leger

Last updated: 03/10/2009