African Plant Nutrition Research Fund Programme 2022

African Plant Nutrition Institute $40,000 Fund – The African Plant Nutrition Institute Research Fund (APNRF) is now accepting proposals.

The aim of the fund is to enable scaling of improved nutrient and soil fertility management by synergistically extending research conducted in strategic priority areas of the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI).

The fund was created through a partnership between APNI and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P).

I. FUNDING

• Grant funding of no more than $20,000 USD per year, for up to two years, is available.
• Proposals that leverage other funding sources are strongly encouraged.

II. ELIGIBILITY / African Plant Nutrition Institute $40,000 Fund

• The lead applicant (Principal Investigator) must be from an African National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) institution or African university.
• Students are not eligible for this award

III. PRIORITY FUNDING AREAS

1. Climate & Weather-smart Plant Nutrition

• Optimizing water and nutrient management in date palm for greenhouse gas emission mitigation in Morocco.
• Assessing the role of potassium for drought resilience of maize production systems in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, and Nigeria
• 4R nutrient management practices for increasing productivity, fertilizer use efficiencies and reducing nutrient losses in rice production in Senegal.

ii. Soil Health for Improved Livelihoods

• Role of improved nutrient management on carbon sequestration in maize, wheat, coffee and cocoa production systems.
• Enhancing soil health and system productivity through grain legume integration in cereal-based cropping systems in Kenya, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Ghana.
• Effects of micronutrient fertilization on the grain micronutrient contents of maize, rice and wheat in Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, Tanzania, and Ghana.

iii. Precision Nutrient Management

• Remote and proximal sensing strategies for in-season nitrogen management for wheat in North Africa.
• Site-specific nutrient management for inland-valley rice systems in Togo.
• Precision nitrogen management for pineapple production in West Africa.

III. Additional Information / African Plant Nutrition Institute $40,000 Fund

• Funding can be requested for new trials or to leverage expansion or additional data collection for existing trials.
• Other topics related to socio-economics or data science will also qualify for funding as long as they directly support at least one of the topics listed under the three themes.
• Partnerships with other African or international organizations will be viewed favorably.
• For-profit partners in a research consortium must match received funding 1:1.
• The proposed work must be primarily performed in Africa, and all the work must be relevant to African agriculture.
• Proprietary product development, testing or promotions are not supported by the fund

IV. HOW TO APPLY?

For more information and how to apply, please visit  the APNRF webpage

Application Closing Date: April 30, 2022

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