A research position is available in the Sciences for Action and Sustainable Development (SAD) Department of INRA (France) at the Unit頍ixte de Recherche Dynamiques agricoles et foresti貥s dans les paysages ruraux (UMR 1201 DYNAFOR) to work on the Participatory Assessment and Modelling of change in livestock farming systems at the farm and the landscape level. The recruited scientist will join an interdisciplinary research group involved in long term social-ecological research on rural landscape change and in integrated landscape ecology applied to support to public policy and local governance for rural development sustainability. Focus is given to interelationships between change in agricultural systems and ecosystem services at the landscape scale.
Research area
Integrated assessment and participatory modelling of change in livestock farming systems at the farm and the landscape scale to support public decision and governance of rural areas
Job description
The research will aim at the integrated and multiscale assessment and modelling of change in extensive and mixed crop-livestock farming systems at the landscape scale in mountain and upland contextual conditions. Livestock production based on semi-natural grasslands is increasingly acknowledged as beneficial for the preservation of biodiversity and many other ecosystem services of interest for sustainable rural development in European areas with harsh natural environment conditions. Research work will be targeted to the modelling of the interelationships between the socio-technological and ecological dimensions of change in livestock farming in mountain and upland case study areas. The recruited researcher will take part in transdisciplinary research into the spatially-explicit assessment of scenarios of future change in land-use and the landscape functions for supporting sustainable land use and rural development at the research areas of concern.
This position offer comes within INRA environmental research priorities and INRA-SAD priorities regarding multiscale and transdisciplinary research into livestock farming systems and their adaptive capacities in front of uncertainty attached to global change.
The recruited researcher will take part in national and international networks related to sustainability of livestock farming systems and landscape multifunctionality.
Background and Requirements
Candidates should have a university PhD degree valid in France, a strong background in agricultural sciences (animal production, agricultural and farming system) with proven knowledge on grassland-based livestock production and management, skills in integrated modelling of agricultural or social-ecological systems, and a strong personal interest in transdisciplinary research and rural development. Communication and computer modelling skills will be an advantage. Post-doctoral experience is not formally requested but highly welcome.
Job conditions
Starting salary and future prospects for the job are decribed in the guide for applicants (http://www.inra.fr/drh/cr2010/)
Application
Recruitment is open from 19 January to 26 February 2010. Information is available at the INRA Website (http://www.inra.fr/drh/cr2010/).
Interested scientists are suggested to contact for further information and send their CV to:
Annick Gibon, Directeur de Recherche INRA, leader of the SEPAGE research group
UMR 1201 DYNAFOR INRA-INPT/ENSAT
INRA Centre de Toulouse-Auzeville,
BP 52627, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan cedex, FRANCE
Phone: +33 (0)5 61 28 52 61 Secr: + 33 (0)5 61 28 53 82
email: annick.gibon@toulouse.inra.fr