Lilli Scheiterle’s MSc thesis entitled “Opportunities and Challenges in the Production of Maize in Northern Ghana”and Athena Birkenberg’s “Forest Access and Governance: A Case Study on Karen Community Forestry in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand”, both graduates from the University of Hohenheim wins the Hans H. Ruthenberg Award for Graduates 2012. This award is given to excellent young scientists whose topics are 1) highly relevant and discussed, 2) innovative which uses new methodological and theoretical trends in research, 3) sound and has a critical analysis of the data, and 4) a policy relevance of the recommendations specifically to developing countries. Part 2: Interview with Athena Birkenberg How do you feel right now? I am really honored and I felt even more honored after the laudation because I just realized what the award really means and the reasons why the award was given to me. What were the challenges you faced in the field?

Lilli Scheiterle’s MSc thesis entitled “Opportunities and Challenges in the Production of Maize in Northern Ghana”and Athena Birkenberg’s “Forest Access and Governance: A Case Study on Karen Community Forestry in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand”, both graduates from the University of Hohenheim wins the Hans H. Ruthenberg Award for Graduates 2012. This award is given to excellent young scientists whose topics are 1) highly relevant and discussed, 2) innovative which uses new methodological and theoretical trends in research, 3) sound and has a critical analysis of the data, and 4) a policy relevance of the recommendations specifically to developing countries. Part 1: Interview with Lilli Scheiterle How do you feel right now? I am honored. I was very excited on stage when I was presenting while at the same time challenged with the vast number of people in the auditorium. It is my first time to have this so much crowd. I still feel very happy until now. What were the challenges you faced in the field? There are phases where you ask yourself, “Am I doing the right thing? Is my research useful? Will my data be used statistically?” . There are moments where you doubt – but you have to make a decision – stand by that decision and justify why you do it. What is the benefit of the award to you? Any plans for a PhD?

Alumni from various countries around the globe with professional background relating to agriculture and environmental resource management come together and participate in the Summer School program funded by the Deutsch Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Two universities in Germany organized and hosted the event from the 11th until the 18th of September 2012. Specifically, the Justus Liebig University Giessen group deals on the theme “Handicaps and Advantages in the Tropics: Current Aspects in Teaching Results gained from Research” while the group from the University of Hohenheim focused on “Tropical Agrobiodiversity as a guarantor for sustainable food security“. The aim of the program is to exchange knowledge and experiences among the participants. Simultaneously, it also intends to foster networking like the development of joint research projects. Within the 8 day period, the activities of the two groups include excursions, lectures and alumni seminars. After the end of the summer school, the two groups meet together at the Tropentag to gather more insights on the latest debate and researches related to the tropics and present their findings and recommendations to the plenary on the 21st of September 2012. Photo of the organizers in Uni Giessen

Five young scientists in the Tropentag 2012’s oral presentation on animal breeding and health focused their empirical research in East Africa. On animal breeding and genetic resources Samuel Mbuku identified management strategies for small ruminants among pastoralists in Semi-Arid Kenya in order to optimize and expand the existing community based breeding programs in the country. Similarly in Kenya, T.O Okeno proposed an alternative breeding program of indigenous chicken that is more economically viable for smallholder chicken breeders. Moreover, Charles Moses Lyimo assessed the genetic diversity of five Tanzanian chicken populations and traced their history. On animal health and veterinary services Anne Fischer traced the origin of “Mycoplasma mycoides cluster”, a pathogen or parasite that attacks and causes diseases to goats, sheep and cattle particularly in East Africa. She argued that a comprehensive overview of the evolutionary history of the said cluster is still missing and genetic relationships between populations is still lacking. Meanwhile, John Ilukor analyzed the animal health service delivery in Uganda and proposed specific government interventions to improve their services.

Here is a clip of what Dr. Achim Dobermann, the Deputy Director General (Research) of the International Rice Research Institute has to say to the current Secretary General of the United Nations. Find more videos of the interview on youtube

The “guru” of the global rice research presents the key message of his speech at Tropentag 2012. He discusses the major structural transformations happening in the rice sector. Here is a 3 minute clip of what the expert said. Dr. Achim Dobermann Deputy Director General (Research) International Rice Research Institute Find more videos of the interview on youtube

“The choice of a research topic and the quality of the work for an MSc thesis are the main reasons why I was given the Hans H. Ruthenberg Award for Best Graduate Thesis in 2012”, says Reginald. Reginald from Ghana, has been awarded the prize for his research entitled “Contribution of Home Gardens to Household Income Generation in Burkina Faso (A Case Study of Bieha District). “Working with smallholder farmers in one of the most food insecure countries in the world like Burkina Faso has caught the attention of the award giving body”, he added. “I think employing both qualitative and quantitative research is necessary in order to capture the complex problems in the field”, he continued. In his opinion, the ability to analyze the data properly, answer the research questions and adequately discuss the findings of the research convinced his supervisors to give him this mark of 1.3 which was a minimum criteria for the award. Now, Reginald is a PhD candidate in Bonn, working on Range land ecology in West Africa on the WASCAL project (www.wascal.org). Photo with Reginald Guuroh (right) Find the interview of the other awardees: Athena Birkenberg http://blog.tropentag.de/node/245 Lilli Scheiterle http://blog.tropentag.de/node/244

“Increase the number of mechanical tractors adapted to Angolan conditions”, says Kristina Rusarova from the Czech University of Life Sciences. Her premise is that technology can increase agricultural production in the Day 3 session on Product Quality and Processing. Meanwhile, Birgit Jankowsky from the University of Hohenheim argues that the use of “Hohenheim tunnel drier” to dry Peruvian fresh “chillies” is more hygienic, more protected from rain and dust, lesser carotenoid degradation. In addition, it need a shorter drying time compared to the traditional direct ground drying often practiced among smallholder chilli farmers in the Peruvian coast. Lastly, Franz Roman from the University of Kassel developed and experimented a more efficient flat bed dryer used to dry paddy, cocoa and other agricultural products in tropical countries. In addition, He believes that this technology can solve the problem of uneven distribution of airways that often affects the efficient performance of similar technologies. But the question remains, how can this technology be implemented to tropical countries that are presently utilizing less efficient drying technologies?